Press Releases

January 30, 2023

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, today introduced new legislation that would reopen access to California prisons to the news media. SB 254 would also open access to prisons for state legislators and other state officials in order to provide policymakers with the information they need for effective oversight.

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January 26, 2023

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, announced today that she has introduced a new bill strengthening the HOPE Accounts law she authored last year. That law made California the first in the nation to create savings accounts for children who lost a parent or guardian to COVID and for youth who are in long-term foster care. The California State Budget Act of 2022-23 included $100 million to fund the HOPE Accounts program.

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January 26, 2023

State Senators Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, and Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, today announced new legislation, SB 8, that would require California gun owners to obtain liability insurance for the negligent or accidental use of their firearms. If enacted, the bill would make California the first state in the nation to adopt such legislation.

The new legislation follows the recent mass shootings in Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay, Goshen, Oakland, and other California communities.

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January 10, 2023

Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) and Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee Chair Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) released the following statements on the 2023-24 state budget proposal released by Governor Gavin Newsom today:

 

Pro Tem Atkins:

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December 19, 2022

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, today introduced new legislation to ensure that Californians would have access to free period products in the workplace and in public buildings. Under SB 59 — “Equity, Period” — all state-owned buildings and those that administer state services, along with state-funded hospitals, would provide free menstrual products. The products would be available in women’s and all-gender restrooms, and in at least one men’s restroom per building.

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December 1, 2022

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, today announced that she will introduce new legislation to strengthen California’s laws that protect those who access abortion or gender-affirming care. The bill, which is to be introduced Monday, Dec. 5, the first day of the new legislative session, would add protections for people who come to California seeking refuge from prosecution by other states that have criminalized abortions or health care that supports and affirms an individual’s gender identity.

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