Capitol Roundup: Gov. Brown Vetoes Parental Leave Bill, Approves Sex Crime & Wage Discrimination Bills

• Here & Now: Ben Adler On Gov. Jerry Brown's Legislative Actions

California Governor Vetoes Bill To Expand Parental Leave

(AP) - California's governor is rejecting legislation to allow employees of some small businesses to take up to six weeks of unpaid leave to bond with a new child without losing their job or health insurance.

Gov. Jerry Brown announced Friday that he vetoed the bill aimed at businesses with 20 to 49 employees.

The bill's author, Democratic Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara, said employees could apply to a state program to receive partial wages.

The Democratic governor says he vetoed SB654 because he's concerned about the impact on small businesses. The California Chamber of Commerce and other business groups said the law could create staffing shortages that hurt business operations.

The bill would have expanded an existing state law that applies to firms with 50 or more workers.

California Governor OKs Sex Crime Bill Tied To Stanford Case

(AP) - California Gov. Jerry Brown has approved two bills that emerged after a former Stanford University swimmer was sentenced to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a woman passed out near a trash bin.

The Democratic governor said Friday that he signed one bill requiring state prison time for someone convicted of assaulting an unconscious victim instead of a shorter jail sentence like the one Brock Turner received.

The one-time Olympic hopeful was released from jail in September after serving three months for good behavior.

Brown also signed a bill permitting sexual assault victims to say in court that they were raped, even if the attack doesn't meet the technical legal definition.

Bills Targeting Wage Discrimination Approved

(AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown has approved two bills targeting wage discrimination against women and minorities in California.

Brown said Friday he's signed SB1063, which expands requirements for fair pay beyond gender to also protect against racial discrimination. The bill by Compton Democratic Sen. Isadore Hall builds on a 2015 equal-pay law that's already considered the nation's toughest.

The Democratic governor also signed SB1676, which prohibits employers from basing compensation solely on a worker's prior wage. Democratic Assemblywoman Nora Campos of San Jose says women should not be penalized for prior salaries that may have been unequal to men's.

Brown signed the bill a year after he vetoed a measure that would have kept employers from even asking about prior pay.