Assemblywoman Fiona Ma: It's a wrap at Legislature

On Sept. 11, the California Legislature concluded the first year of its two-year session. During the last 10 months, I have been working hard to improve the lives of both my constituents and Californians as a whole. Even in these tough budget times, the Legislature must keep working on the issues at hand.

In all, I authored 14 bills that made it to the governor's desk. The governor has until Oct. 11 to either sign or veto bills that passed out of the Legislature at the end of the session.

Below are some of the bills I authored that are now on the governor's desk.

AB 144 - Misuse of Disability Placards Last year in San Francisco, law enforcement officers confiscated more than 1,000 false disabled placards. The troubling, widespread abuse has not only taken away parking opportunities for people who really need them, but has also exacerbated the difficult parking environment in San Francisco. In addition, the penalty for the crime was only a $100 fine. In response to numerous media reports and calls to action by the SF Board of Supervisors, I authored AB 144. The bill increases the allowed fine for fraudulent use to a maximum of $1,000 and allows parking control officers the ability to cite violators. By making enforcement less onerous and increasing the maximum fine, AB 144 will help reduce the misuse of placards.

AB 338 - "TIF" for "TOD" Assembly Bill 338 allows local governments to use tax-increment financing (TIF)Êfor transit-oriented development (TOD) to help create sustainable communities. By permitting local governments to use this innovative financing method, money will be made available to build transit stations, parks and other important public amenities. Transit oriented development alleviatesÊthe potential negative impactsÊof unrestricted growth and sprawl, such as traffic gridlock, commute times, the loss of open space and increased air and water pollution. By enabling local governments to use this method of financing, projects, like the development of the Balboa Park Station, will have a secure funding source to get off the ground.

AB 517 - Safe Body Art Act of 2009 As the popularity of tattoos and body piercing continues to grow, there has been mounting concern over health and public safety. Some data shows that nearly 25 percent of all adolescents have a tattoo. However, I was surprised when public health officials told me there were no statewide enforceable health and safety standards for tattoo and piercing procedures and parlors. This raised alarming public health concerns, especially about disease-prevention and potential infection risks. In response, I authored AB 517, which creates statewide standards for the regulation of persons engaged in the business of tattooing, body piercing and the application of permanent cosmetics in California. This bill has garnered tremendous support, including the tattoo industry.

AB 543 - Nurse Family Partnership This legislation will improve pregnancy outcomes of first-time families by re-establishing the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) pilot program to place nurses with low-income, first-time parents in the first two years of infancy. This unique program is completely funded by federal dollars and private donations. Statistics have shown that parents who have participated in NFP have improved pregnancy outcomes. This is achieved by helping women practice sound health-related behaviors, including obtaining good prenatal care from their healthcare provider, improving diet, and reducing the use of cigarettes, alcohol and substance abuse.

To see more information on the legislation noted above, as well as other bills that might be of interest to you, please visit the Web site at www.leginfo.ca.gov. To contact me or my office, please visit the Web site at www.assembly.ca.gov/ma.

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma represents the west side of San Francisco.