AB 1576 Passes California Assembly

May 27, 2014
AB1576
0 0

AB 1576, a bill that would mandate condom use on all adult productions shot in California, passed the full California Assembly today with a vote of 45-14.

20140521-165409-60849363.jpg

Terry Schanz, the press secretary for the bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Isadore Hall, confirmed the news to XBIZ and explained that while the original vote announced by Hall via Twitter was 41-12, “Members are able to add on if a bill has already been passed.”

Forty-one votes was the bare minimum needed to approve the bill.

Several Assembly members from the Los Angeles area, where the adult industry is centered, abstained. Twenty-one members in total did not cast a vote.

“We’re disappointed, but we’re not surprised,” FSC CEO Diane Duke told XBIZ. “For anyone not familiar with the adult industry, including most legislators, the bill seems like a no-nonsense provision that would protect performers. Unfortunately, it threatens to harm the very performers it seeks to protect.”

“This is why over five hundred performers have spoken out against the bill, and why groups like the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee, the Harvey Milk Democratic Club and the Transgender Law Center,” Duke added. “The real goal of the bill is to push adult production out of California by manufacturing a crisis. It makes for great headlines, but dangerous public policy. We’re incredibly concerned.”

Hall also responded to the news,”Today’s passage of AB 1576 was a strong reaffirmation of the California Legislature’s commitment to protect workers in the state, regardless of the type of work performed,” he said in a statement. “For too long, the adult film industry has thrived on a business model that exploits its workers and puts profit over workplace safety. The fact is, adult film actors are employees, like any other employee for any other business in the state. A minimum level of safety in the workplace should not have to be negotiated.”

“We need to begin to treat the adult film industry just like any other legitimate, legal business in California,” Hall continued. “Legitimate businesses protect their employees from injury in the workplace. This legitimate, legal business should be treated no differently. Whether you work in agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, food service, public safety or any other industry, all workers deserve a safe place to make a living.”

Last Wednesday the bill cleared the California Appropriations Committee, which is tasked to allocate annual funds to state government agencies.

The committee was given a report that estimated special fund costs of up to $150,000 to the Cal/OSHA Standards Board for additional rulemaking for AB 1576 — a figure hotly disputed by the opposition.

AB 1576 will now move on to the State Senate for further action.

XBIZ

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Spread the love
Comments
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

5 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Ernest Greene
Ernest Greene
9 years ago

Actually, I am surprised that it got to a floor vote, much less won by such a wide margin.

I don’t envy those legislators next election when they try to explain why they voted to spend the taxpayers’ money on what is certain to be a complete fiasco.

Anthony Kennerson
9 years ago
Reply to  Ernest Greene

Given the money AHF spent on lobbying efforts, and the prevailing attitude, I’m a bit less surprised, if still disappointed. This should be a serious kick in the backside for the Free Speech Coalition and the predominant organizations leading the opposition against 1576, because as Ernest (and to a lesser extent, moi) has been arguing, the emphasis on pushing conservative memes of loss of business and opposition to regulation per se has been proven now to be a misguided strategy that only backfires in favor of AHF and Isadore Hall. There should have been a greater and sooner push to… Read more »

Jamie Gardner
9 years ago

Most of the politicians that voted against the bill are members of the Republican party. I believe that using economic arguments can have more influence with conservative politicians because the Republican party tends to dislike regulation of businesses more then the Democratic party. The thing is that whatever Republican politicians you might get on your side with this strategy is counterbalanced by the fact that California is a heavily Democratic state.

Anthony Kennerson
9 years ago
Reply to  Jamie Gardner

Jamie…Which exactly proves my point that the anti-1576 campaign should have at least recognized that conservative antiregulation arguments would not work with this Assembly, and tailored their campaign more towards arguments that could have at least persuaded some Democrats to them.

TrafficHolder.com - Buy & Sell Adult Traffic
5
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x