Senator Min’s Child Safety Bill Advances from Assembly Appropriations Committee
SB 654 would require judges to consider parental violence and abuse history before awarding visitation rights
SACRAMENTO, CA — Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) today announced that his child safety bill, SB 654, advanced from the Assembly Appropriations Committee, leaving it on the cusp of being signed into law by the Governor. SB 654 would require judges to consider a parent’s history of violence and substance abuse when considering unsupervised visits with their child or children, and would also provide children with greater protections against testifying against their parents in custody proceedings.
The bill has enjoyed prominent and widespread bipartisan support, including from actor and internationally renowned children’s right advocate Angelina Jolie, and Dylan Farrow, a prominent advocate for survivors of sexual abuse.
SB 654 will proceed to the Assembly floor for a vote. If it receives a majority of votes there, it will then go to Governor Newsom’s desk for his signature.
“I’m thrilled that SB 654 is on the verge of becoming law,” Min said. “This bill will improve the lives of countless California children who are involved in custody proceedings, and will protect them from abusive parents. Many of the bills I introduced in my first year have focused on protecting families from violence and abuse and promoting youth welfare, and I’m proud of the progress that we’ve made.”
In addition to SB 654, the Assembly Appropriations Committee also voted to move Senator Min’s SB 512, which provides greater access to higher education for foster kids. SB 512 would strengthen and expand access to the NextUp program, which provides comprehensive services to promote college retention and degree attainment for foster youth attending community colleges, and allows for priority enrollment at the University of California and California State University systems.
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Dave Min represents California State Senate District 37, which is located in Orange County and includes the communities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Foothill Ranch, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Orange, Tustin, and Villa Park.
Dave was a University of California Irvine law professor and a former economic policy staffer in the United States Senate and for the Center for American Progress. He began his legal career at the Securities and Exchange Commission to protect the retirement security of seniors, turning down high paying jobs to serve the public interest. Dave and his wife Jane live and work in Irvine, where they are raising their three young children.