Historic Senator Wiener Bills To Promote Responsible AI Development, Improve Street Safety, And Rein In Prescription Drug Prices Head to Senate Floor for Vote

SACRAMENTO – Twelve of Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) bills will be taken up for a full Senate floor vote, after 9 of them passed the Senate Appropriation Committee today (joining 3 others — SB 937, 961, and 1037 — that are already on the Senate floor). The deadline for the Senate to approve these bills is May 24. They head next to the Assembly.

“I’m delighted that these historic bills will receive a vote on the Senate Floor,” said Senator Wiener. “Our legislation to promote responsible AI development, improve street safety, and lower healthcare costs are first-in-the-nation measures that take bold steps to address some of the most serious challenges facing everyday Californians. I look forward to working with my colleagues and a wide array of stakeholders to deliver these bills to the Assembly.”

Senator Wiener’s 12 bills on the Senate floor are:

SB 905 —  closes the "locked door loophole" in the Penal Code that allows some auto burglars to escape consequences

SB 937 — removes barriers to building housing by allowing developers to defer payment of their impact fees until the project is completed

SB 951 — streamlines the production of housing by aligning timelines for Coastal Commission review with housing element law, and removing urbanized parts of San Francisco from the Coastal Zone

SB 957 — empowers efforts to eliminate health disparities by closing loopholes in requirements to collect LGBTQ health data

SB 960 — strengthens Caltrans's process to make state-owned streets safe for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users

SB 961 — improves street safety by requiring speed governors in new vehicles sold in California

SB 966 — reduces the cost of prescription drugs by cracking down on anticompetitive practices by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and requiring transparency

SB 969 — allows cities to activate streets by creating designate "entertainment zones" where local bars and restaurants can sell drinks outside

SB 988 — protects freelance workers from exploitative practices from employers

SB 1031 — provides sustainable long-term funding for public transportation in the Bay Area

SB 1037 — strengthens the Attorney General’s enforcement of state housing law

SB 1047 — supports the responsible development of large-scale AI systems, including by establishing CalCompute, a public AI resource, and by requiring developers perform safety testing before releasing new large-scale models.