Twelve bills by Assemblymember Damon Connolly have been approved by lawmakers, and three were signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom before the legislative cycle ended this month.

“It was a critical year for impactful legislation that protects our communities and ensures our community voices are being heard,” Connolly said.

The San Rafael Democrat represents Marin County and southern Sonoma County in the 12th Assembly District.

Connolly’s bills cover topics ranging from wildfire protection, mobile home sales and ocean pollution to rent control for floating home residents in Marin County.

Newsom signed Connolly’s bills that seek to improve the buying or selling process for mobile home owners; change payment policies for wildfire mitigation projects; and update waste management regulations.

Assembly Bill 456 focuses on protections for mobile home owners. Mobile home park managers will be restricted from requiring residents to repair the home interiors before they can sell their properties.

When Connolly introduced AB 456, he said that “bad actor” park owners are using vague policies that require mobile home owners to invest time and money on unnecessary work inside their homes in order to have their home sales approved.

“Imagine your home and you have arbitrary restrictions imposed on you in order to sell,” he said in February. “That is unfair.”

Legal Aid of Marin backed the bill.

“By allowing quicker sales of mobile homes, AB 456 benefits owners experiencing financial instability and reduces the stress and frustrations of what is already a stressful process,” Legal Aid policy director Lucie Hollingsworth said after the bill was introduced.

The Legislature also passed Connolly’s related AB 806, which would provide mobile home park residents the right to install cooling systems.

Newsom signed Connolly’s AB 1177, a bill that changes how the state enforces the California Prompt Payment Act in Cal Fire matters.

State law previously charged a late payment penalty to an agency that fails to pay a person or a business on the date required by a contract. A 30-day extension was provided to Cal Fire to pay contractors during a declared fire season. The exception was for contractors that are small businesses and nonprofits.

AB 1177 enables a 30-day payment extension for Cal Fire to pay contractors during its peak staffing period.

“AB 1177 reduces administrative burdens and allows Cal Fire to handle wildfire threats efficiently by responding to the diverse needs across the state,” Connolly said.

Connolly’s third bill approved by the governor is AB 1459, which seeks to clarify regulations for hazardous waste management overseen by “certificated unified program agencies.” One of the bill’s changes centers on the state requirement for hazardous waste generators to provide notifications and certifications to the state. The bill would allow such documents to be submitted to the state’s information systems.

“This bill clarifies state law, making it easier for environmental public health and CUPA programs, as well as the industry, to ensure important environmental health protections are implemented,” Connolly said.

Following the signing of Assembly bills 456, 1177 and 1459, nine of Connolly’s bills await Newsom’s approval.

AB 754 would adjust rent control for floating home residents in Marin County. The bill allows marina owners to annually raise rents by the consumer price index, with a ceiling of 7.5%.

After stalling and failing to make a final Senate floor vote last year, Connolly’s AB 1 passed this year. The bill focuses on reducing home insurance costs to policyholders who reduce wildfire risks on their properties.

If AB 1 is signed into law, the California Department of Insurance would review its Safer from Wildfires program every five years to consider including more fire-mitigation measures to cut insurance costs for property owners.

Connolly’s co-authored AB 14 expands the state’s Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program to encourage boat operators to reduce speeds on California’s coastal waters in order to cut pollution and to reduce risks to whales.

Another state program enhancement is being sought by Connolly’s AB 947, which is designed to expand the Healthy Soils program to include training, grant writing and equipment-sharing costs to agriculture programs. Healthy Soils has awarded $160 million in grants to more than 1,500 projects since 2017, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

With the goal of improving the hiring procedure for the state’s prisons, AB 393 would require the California corrections and state hospital agencies to perform cost analyses before hiring physicians and psychiatrists.

Two of Connolly’s Legislature-approved bills center on notifications for parents of students. AB 419 would require schools to post information on immigration enforcement actions on school websites and in school offices. AB 1096 seeks to better inform the public about tested lead levels in drinking water at schools and child care facilities.

Connolly authored AB 258 to boost funding for the Network of California Fairs, which includes public and nonprofit fair organizations. The bill would increase the amount of total gross receipts to 2% for the state’s Fair and Exposition Fund.