• This week, Rep Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) applauded the LED technology innovation taking place on the Central Coast while speaking at an Energy and Commerce subcommittee markup on H.R. 4444, the EPS Improvement Act of 2016. During her remarks, Rep. Capps highlighted both the research taking place at UCSB as well as the innovation occurring at local company Cree Lighting.
H.R. 4444 would exclude LEDs from the Department of Energy’s external power supply conservation standards, which were established prior to widespread use of LED technology. This exclusion would ensure that development and implementation of LED technology, which is highly energy efficient, is not restricted by inclusion in these standards. While H.R. 4444 excludes LEDs from the existing standards, the bill includes provisions that will preserve the Department of Energy’s authority to prescribe energy conservation standards for LED power supplies.
• Last year, the Democratic members of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus helped advance the nation’s strongest equal pay law for women, positioning California as a leader in the fight to improve the economic lives of women and families. This year, the Democratic women members are proposing a package of policy and budget priorities to further advance the lives of women and their families, the structures that support the California workforce, and the economic future of the state, according to the office of Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara).
“A Stronger California: Securing Economic Opportunity for all Women,” includes priorities centered on four pillars: equal pay and job opportunities, access to child care, family-friendly workplaces, and building economic security by addressing poverty. They include a budget proposal for an additional $800 million investment in the state’s early care and education programs as well as legislation to further address pay inequities with AB 1676, guarantee three months of job-protected maternity and paternity leave for nearly all Californians, ensure reliable scheduling for California workers, and repeal the CalWORKs Maximum Family Grant.
The Women’s Caucus legislative platform is supported by the Stronger California Advocates Network, a coalition of 29 advocacy groups from around the state.
This article appears in Feb 18-25, 2016.