Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil accomplished an impressive feat earlier this month by successfully passing seven bills out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Senator Anthony Portantino of Burbank. Being elected to the Senate in 2022, Alvarado-Gil has had an impactful first six months in office, starting with serving as Chair of the Human Services Committee, and has positioned herself as a vocal advocate for her constituents.

Some of the bills Alvarado-Gil, Senator from the Fourth District, authored were predicted to not even make it past the first committee level, but with her hard work and perseverance, she successfully moved critical legislation. Of the array of bills that passed, two that particularly stand out are SB 226 and SB 268, both related to crime. SB 226 makes possession of fentanyl while carrying a loaded firearm a felony, while SB 268 makes the rape of an unconscious person who was drugged a violent felony – fixing a loophole in Proposition 57.

Her other bills that passed out of Appropriations include:

SB 589: Creates a fund to provide immediate assistance to children and youth in foster care and their caregivers during disasters, including grants for transportation, interim housing, and replacement of essential belongings.

SB 470: Proposes new programs in the Department of Water Resources to provide funding for drought relief and projects to mitigate wildfire risk in high fire hazard severity zones by improving water delivery systems.

SB 796: Makes it a crime to threaten to commit a crime resulting in death or great bodily injury at a school or place of worship, even if a specific victim is not identified.

SB 716: Provides state-excluded employees the option of requesting binding arbitration to resolve disputes with their employers after first exhausting the current grievance resolution procedures.

SB 606: Relinquishes a portion of State Route 203 to the Town of Mammoth Lakes.

“I am grateful for the support my colleagues have shown towards the legislation that passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee,” stated Alvarado-Gil. “I look forward to continuing to work together to address the challenges facing our communities.”