SACRAMENTO, CA — Today, the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Legislative Caucus announced its 2023 policy priorities, which include continued efforts to combat Anti-Asian Hate, increase public safety measures, advance K-12 and undergraduate education, and achieve equitable representation.
In previous years, the AAPILC has advocated for the protection and well-being of the AAPI community though landmark legislation like the 2021 API Equity Budget of $166.5 million, AB 2596 (Low) Lunar New Year, SB 1161 (Min) Transit Operators: Street Harassment Survey, AB 1958 (Fong) The Community College Student Access, Retention, and Debt Cancellation Program, and more.
This year is no different as the caucus works to address community concerns, champion proactive measures, and reinforce their commitment to collaborate and elevate the AAPI community. The mission is to prioritize the development of culturally competent and linguistically accessible resources, refusal of harmful stereotypes and systemic inequities, and production of equal opportunities for AAPI empowerment.
“We’re living in such a politically charged climate. These policies are important to make our community feel safe and welcomed in the place they call home. We need to make sure California is rolling out the welcome mat for everyone and we’re going to do this together,” said Assemblymember Evan Low, Chair of the AAPI Legislative Caucus.
“This year, the California AAPI Legislative Caucus has put forward a legislative package that builds and expands on the momentum we developed over the past few years to try and address the root causes of anti-Asian hate. Our priorities reflect our efforts to mitigate hate and improve public education opportunities, while also expanding to address public safety concerns and improve AAPI representation throughout the state,” stated Senator Dave Min, Senate Vice Chair of the AAPI Legislative Caucus.
“I am proud to support this package of bills. Despite being an integral part of our country’s history, our community continues to suffer from institutional and personal attacks. These bills are critical for the safety and personal & civil rights of our AAPI community,” said Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhambra), Assembly Vice Chair of the AAPI Legislative Caucus.
Members of the AAPI Legislative Caucus voted to prioritize the following 9 bills for the 2023 legislative session:
Anti-Asian Hate Crimes
AB 449 (Ting) Freedom from Hate Crimes – This bill would make adoption of a hate crimes policy by a local law enforcement agency mandatory. The bill would require those policies to include the supplemental hate crime report in the model policy framework developed by the commission and a schedule of hate crime or related training the agency conducts.
AB 1064 (Low) Hate Crimes – The bill would define “bias against” and would specify that evidence of bias motivation may include, among other things, instances when the person has selectively targeted the victim based on the actual or perceived characteristic of the victim.
Public Safety
SB 434 (Min) Street Harassment on Public Transit – Last year, SB 1161 was enacted to address the issue of street harassment on transit. In addition to requiring the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University to develop a survey tool that transit operators can administer to develop data-driven initiatives to help prevent street harassment on public transportation systems, SB 434 will require California’s 10 largest transit operators to gather and publish qualitative and quantitative ridership data regarding street harassment as riders wait at transit stops and ride transit vehicles.
AB 1638 (Mike Fong) Translations During Emergencies – The bill will require, in the event of an emergency, local agencies that have at least 10% of residents who primarily speak a language other than English to provide translation in that language.
Education
AB 1354 (Mike Fong) Asian American Studies Curriculum – This bill would require the Instructional Quality Commission to consider including in its recommended history-social science curriculum framework the historical, social, economic, and political contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and examples of racism, discrimination, and violence perpetrated against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
AB 1503 (Lee) Excused Absences – This bill would allow K-12 students to receive an excused absence of one full school day, per semester, to attend religious holidays and gatherings, which increases from the existing law of only four hours per semester.
Representation
AB 264 (Ting) Lunar New Year – This bill would authorize the governing board of a community college district to replace closing on Lincoln Day or Washington Day with the date corresponding with the second new moon following the winter solstice, or the third new moon following the winter solstice should an intercalary month intervene, known as “Lunar New Year.”
AB 943 (Kalra) Breaking Down the Other Act – This bill would require the California Department of Corrections (CDCR) to prepare and publish data disaggregated by race and ethnicity, including, but not limited to, by 28 ethnicity types. The bill would require the department to use separate collection categories and tabulations for American Indian, Alaska Native, and each major Asian and Pacific Islander group when collecting voluntary self-identification information pertaining to the race or ethnic origin of people admitted, in custody, and released and paroled.
AB 884 (Low) Language Access – This bill expands the translation and language access for elections by requiring the Secretary of State to create, publish, and provide a list of all languages, other than English, spoken or used by at least 5,000 voting-age individuals in the state who lack sufficient skills in English. Identified languages will have translated registration forms, voting notices, instructions, assistance, other materials, and information relating to the electoral process that the Secretary of State prepares in English. The bill also includes a toll-free voter assistance hotline and a language accessibility advisory committee.
