SACRAMENTO – Yesterday, Assemblymember Juan Alanis announced that two of his bills related to homelessness and substance use passed through their respective policy committees with no opposition.
The first bill, AB 1817, updates the Homeless Youth Act of 2018 by establishing two additional goals for preventing homelessness among the ages 12-24. If passed, these would be included in the list of goals that are measured by the Interagency Council on Homelessness to guide funding and policy efforts.
“AB 1817 is a common-sense measure that would require the Council to examine more than just homelessness,” said the Assemblyman. “Homelessness goes hand-in-hand with issues like food insecurity and unemployment, and our bill takes a step towards fixing all three.”
The second bill, AB 1996, would require high-capacity public venues like stadiums and amusement parks to make naloxone hydrochloride easily accessible. The bill also requires the Department of Public Health to create and administer an opioid overdose training program for these venues.
“Addressing the opioid crisis has been one of my top priorities since I was elected,” said Assemblymember Alanis. “AB 1996 ensures that entertainment centers like sports stadiums and concert venues are adequately prepared with life-saving Narcan in the event of an overdose emergency.”
AB 1817 passed the Assembly Human Services Committee with a 6-0 vote, while AB 1996 passed through the Assembly Health Committee with a 16-0 vote. Both bills will now advance to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for consideration.
Assemblymember Juan Alanis represents the 22nd Assembly District, which includes the communities of Modesto, Turlock, Ceres, Denair, Patterson, Gustine, Newman, Hilmar, Ballico, Snelling, Keyes, Grayson, Crows Landing, Diablo Grande, Stevinson, & Empire.