Let’s celebrate that three of the bills that the coalition supported in 2024 passed. These are:
- AB 2123, introduced by Assemblymember Papan, means that starting January 1, 2025, family caregivers in California will be able to apply for Paid Family Leave to provide up to 8 weeks of care, without having to use any of their vacation time for this purpose first.
- SB 1090 (Senator Durazo) passing means that Californian caregivers and other individuals can apply and find out if they are approved for Paid Family Leave a month before the start of their leave. This change will occur when the Employment Development Department makes planned improvements to their system (called EDDNext). The exact date is to be announced, but we will be sure to provide an update when we know.
- AB 2541 (Assemblymember Bains) was signed into law by Governor Newsom on World’s Alzheimer’s Day, as part of a package of laws to support older Californians and their family members. AB 2541 requires that the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) work with subject matter experts to develop training with guidelines on how to address wandering associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias and autism. This training will play an important role in saving lives since it is critical to locate people who have wandered as quickly as possible
Others we will still have to work on, such as expanding paid family leave to chosen and extended family, increasing funding for adult day health programs, and ensuring caregivers have the right to visitation during public health emergencies.