Five ACLU-Sponsored Bills Forged Through Legislature, Governor Vetoes

All five bills sponsored this year by the ACLU – on privacy, criminal justice, sex education, and employment discrimination – were vetoed Friday and Saturday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“The legislation was an opportunity for the governor to lead the public policy debate in this country through supporting comprehensive sexual-health education, important reforms to our criminal justice system, and crucial privacy and employment protections,’’ said Justine Sarver, ACLU-NC Director of Organizing and Field. “The ACLU-NC is extremely disappointed that Gov. Schwarzenegger chose a different path and vetoed these bills.’’

On Friday, Schwarzenegger vetoed the California Community Sexual Health Education Act, which would have required state-funded, sex-education programs aimed at preventing teen and unintended pregnancies or STD’s to be medically accurate, bias-free, and age-appropriate. The bill (SB 1471) was introduced by State Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica).

The four bills vetoed Saturday include the Identity Information Protection Act, which would have required landmark privacy and security protections for the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags in state government-issued ID's.

RFID tags are tiny computer chips that can be embedded in public documents, like a driver’s license. The danger is that anyone with an RFID scanner can read the personal data stored on the chips. On Sunday, State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-PA), who authored the bill (SB 768), announced that he will reintroduce it in the next session of the Legislature. 

The governor also vetoed a criminal justice bill that would have required law enforcement to adopt policies to improve the eyewitness identification process. The bill (SB 1544), authored by State. Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco), was intended to increase the accuracy of eye-witness identification.

A second criminal justice bill sponsored by the ACLU, which would have required the electronic recording of interrogations of persons accused of violent felonies when in police custody, also got a no stamp from the governor. The legislation (SB 171), authored by State Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose), would have helped decrease the likelihood of false confessions.

Schwarzenegger also took his red pen to a bill that would have protected victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking against employment discrimination. The bill (SB 1745) was introduced by State Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica).

Despite these disappointing vetoes, the ACLU would like to thank and congratulate our members and activists for taking action to get these bills through both houses and onto the governor's desk. We will continue to fight for these and other crucial pieces of legislation.

“We look forward to the opportunities that the 2007 legislative session brings,’’ said Sarver. “We will continue to work with all levels of state government to ensure that the civil rights and liberties of Californians are not ignored.’’