Bills authored by Becker await Newsom approval

Becker has two AI bills up for Newsom’s consideration: one that would require system providers to label AI-generated content and allow users to question if content was generated by AI and another that would create a working group for AI use in education. 

“This is going to be a huge session for me and this area. Lots of people are concerned about [this. There’s] lots of hype,” he said. “Our job is really trying to cut through — what are the real societal harms here that we want to address and how do we strike that right balance, where we’re not limiting innovation but protecting against societal harms.” 

Senate Bill 942, the AI Transparency Bill that would require content labels, was backed by much of the tech industry at the 11th hour after negotiations parsed out concessions, like more time to implement the policies, Becker said. 

There are two other Becker-authored AI-related bills still in the legislative process, including Senate Bill 1120, which would give physicians ultimate authority when algorithms are used to decide on medical devices and Senate Bill 1223, which would protect neural data. 

The neural data bill would protect that content from non-consensual use, and is relevant as technology is able to “decode” brain scans into written text with increasing accuracy as AI continues to develop. 

“We’re getting to a point where people will be able to read thoughts. This is not science fiction, this is happening,” Becker said. 

Aside from AI priorities, Becker also successfully tackled homeless housing development, a high-priority issue of his last session that was killed and brought back through the legislative process this year. The bill is also awaiting Newsom’s signature. 

If signed into law, Senate Bill 1395 would streamline the development process of homeless shelters if a city declares a “shelter crisis,” including broadening CEQA exemptions and revising the definition of a low barrier navigation center. 

The impetus behind the bill is to tackle the problem of unsheltered homelessness, which is far more pervasive in California than other states, Becker said. When homeless individuals are sheltered, they are also more likely to have the capacity to treat underlying conditions of homelessness, like mental illness and drug addiction. 

“What we want is individual units where someone can have lock and key sense of security … and that’s the big innovation here,” Becker said. “In the last four years we realized we can scale up these modular units quickly in groups and in most cases, [provide] on-site services right there. We can stabilize people when you have an address.” 

Becker also has several justice-related bills that have passed through the Legislature, including Senate Bill 1133, which would clarify the evidentiary standard for initial bail review, Senate Bill 1161, making clarifying amendments to the Welfare and Institutions Code, and Senate Bill 1254, which would allow incarcerated individuals to apply for CalFresh benefits up to 90 days before their release to better prepare them for re-entry. 

Those three bills are currently on Newsom’s desk. The governor has until Sept. 30 to take action on them. 

One priority bill still going through the legislative process would overturn a Public Utilities Commission ruling that removed solar incentives for schools, multi-family buildings and faith institutions. If passed, those institutions would be able to use the solar energy they generate without selling it to the power grid and purchasing it back.

That bill is awaiting an Assembly vote, Becker said. 

holly@smdailyjournal.com

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