Governor Signs Two Yee Bills

This week Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law two key bills authored by Senator Leland Yee.

New Law Grants Protection for Domestic Violence Survivors
Yee’s bill will shield battered women from threat of incarceration, Advocates believe more victims may now report assaults

SACRAMENTO – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Los Angeles) today signed into law a bill that victim advocates believe will result in more women coming forward to law enforcement after falling victim to domestic violence. Senate Bill 1356, authored by Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), protects domestic violence survivors from the threat of incarceration when they refuse to testify against their abuser in court. The law mirrors an existing statute for sexual assault victims.

“I am very pleased to see the Governor and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle support this commonsense and much-needed legislation,” said Yee. “Domestic violence survivors have been through enough; the last thing they need is to be re-victimized by our legal system or be exposed to threats of incarceration. This law is not going to result in fewer prosecutions, but instead just the opposite. Survivors are more likely to report incidents of domestic violence when they trust law enforcement and our system of justice.”

Read more here.

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New Law Allows Greater Access to Government Contracts
Governor signs Yee’s bill to increase transparency at UC and other public agencies

SACRAMENTO – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Los Angeles) today signed into law a bill to allow greater public access to government contracts as well as audits and reviews of public agencies.

Senate Bill 1696, authored by Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), prohibits a state or local agency from allowing an outside entity to control the disclosure of information that is otherwise subject to the state’s Public Records Act. In addition, the law states that regardless of any contract term to the contrary, a contract for the purpose of conducting a review, audit, or report between a private entity and a state or local agency is subject to the same disclosure requirements as other public records.

“The public deserves to see how their tax dollars are being spent and should not be prevented access to contracts, audits, reviews or reports of government agencies,” said Yee. “Simply entering into a confidentiality agreement with a third party will no longer be an excuse to not disclose information and avoid scrutiny and accountability. While the bill doesn’t officially become law until January 1, every public agency should immediately begin complying with this measure.”

Read more here.