CAPITOL RESOURCE INSTITUTE
April 11, 2002

Urgent legislative action required

Two very dangerous bills will be voted on next week.

Tuesday, April 16
AB 1763 Richman (R-Granada Hills) California Emergency Health Powers Act.
In response to the September 11 attacks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) drafted a model Emergency Health Powers Act, which is being reviewed by several states. However, the CDC model has received an avalanche of opposition from both liberal and conservative quarters. AB 1763 is no less divisive. This bill authorizes the governor to unilaterally declare a state of public health emergency and suspend statutes. It gives unelected public health authorities absolute power to enforce their orders with the use of the police and national guard. Other concerns include:
1) forcing citizens to undergo medical exams, tests, vaccinations and treatments;
2) quarantining people merely on suspicion of being exposed to a communicable disease;
3) allowing the tracking and sharing of personal health information -- under specified exceptions -- without the individual's consent;
4) seizing and destroying private property without compensation;
5) coercing medical personnel to treat people without compensation under threat of losing their license to practice;
6) being unnecessary and duplicative of current law; and
7) using dangerously undefined and vague terms.

AB 1763 is being heard in the Assembly Health Committee. For more information about his bill, including a sample letter, CRI's letter of opposition, and contact information for committee members, click here.

Wednesday, April 17
AB 2160 (Goldberg, Wesson, Strom-Martin) This is the CTA power-grab bill. Contrary to the CTA-sponsored ads, which claim this bill will give teachers a bigger voice in the selection of curricula and textbooks and are running throughout the state, AB 2160 is nothing more than a monumental power grab by union bosses. If passed, this bill will allow -- not teachers and parents -- but union representatives to decide what your children are taught, what standards will be followed and who will judge if those standards are met -- all through the "collective-bargaining" process behind closed doors. It even allows the union to decide under what conditions parents can be involved.

AB 2160 is not even being heard in the Education Committee, where it should property be heard, but in the Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security Committee.
To read CRI's letter of opposition, and for committee members and contact information, click here.