Legislation to toughen penalties against sex offenders in honor of Chelsea King, a murdered 17-year-old San Diego teen, cleared its final legislative hurdle Monday and was sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Assembly passed the measure, dubbed "Chelsea's Law," without a dissenting vote.
Dozens of bills were acted upon Monday as the Legislature worked into the night to finish its non-budget legislative work by today's deadline.
Lawmakers also sent the governor Senate Bill 435 to crack down on motorcycle noise and Senate Bill 657 to require large California companies to tell consumers what, if anything, they are doing to eliminate human trafficking in their supply chains.
A bill that could permit an entirely different type of horse-race betting, essentially wagering on a horse to lose rather than to win, was passed by the Assembly, 46-10, and now goes to the Senate.
Touted as a way to help revitalize the horse-racing industry, Senate Bill 1072 also contains provisions to fund promotion of the Breeders' Cup Championship Series and to increase for some forms of racetrack betting the percentage of "takeout," which is the amount deducted from wagers before winnings are paid to bettors.
Two bills opposed by the gun lobby were in peril Monday night: Assembly Bill 1934 to ban open display of unloaded weapons in public and Assembly Bill 1810 to allow the state to keep permanent records of anyone buying a shotgun or rifle. A final vote was expected today.
The "Chelsea's Law" crackdown on sex offenders, particularly those who target young children, received bipartisan support in the Assembly.
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