Fiona Ma - Legislative Session 2009-2010

Legislative Session 2009-2010

In this legislative session, 19 of the Assemblywoman's bills were signed into law and 5 Assembly Concurrent Resolutions were chaptered.

A few of Assemblywoman Ma's bills are as follows:

AB 144 (2009) Vehicles: distinguishing placards and special license plates
This bill provides cities and counties with greater authority to cite disabled parking offenses with civil parking citations, sets minimum penalty amounts for these civil offenses, and extends an existing 10 percent special penalty assessment to additional criminal and civil citations.

AB 258 (2009) Domestic violence: restraining or protective order: aggressor
This bill amends Penal Code Section 836, concerning arrests in situations where mutual protective orders have been issued, to change the phrase “primary aggressor” to “dominant aggressor.”

AB 1050 (2010) Child custody: preferences of child
This bill, among other things, requires the family court to permit a child who is 14 years of age or older to address the court regarding custody or visitation unless the court determines that doing so is not in the child’s best interest, in which case the court will be required to make that finding on the record.

ACR 64 (2009) Heptatitis B
This resolution declares May 2009, to be Hepatitis B Awareness Month in California, recognizes May 19, 2009, as World Hepatitis Awareness Day, and calls on all interested parties to come together to raise awareness and educate the public on hepatitis B and to make recommendations on ways to implement best practices in hepatitis B prevention and treatment.

At the age of 22, Ma learned she had hepatitis B (HBV), a virus that causes 80% of all liver cancer if left untreated
and one that shows no symptoms until it's almost too late. Approximately 1.4 million Americans are infected with HBV, and more than half of them are Asian/Pacific Islander (API) Americans. It is estimated that 1 in 10 APIs are chronically infected with HBV. Like most APIs, Ma contracted HBV from her mother at birth via perinatal exposure. San Francisco has the highest rate of liver cancer in the nation because of its high API population, and HBV-related liver cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among API men living in California. Ma works to remove the stigma of the disease in the Asian community by actively speaking out about the importance of testing and vaccination. In 2008, Ma introduced Assembly Bill 158 which requires the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to apply for a federal waiver to expand Medi-Cal eligibility for individuals with chronic hepatitis B. AB 158 did not make it through the legislative process due to costs associated with the bill.

The resolution supports collaborating with all interested parties to raise public awareness about HBV. It also supports
the development of a comprehensive, statewide HBV prevention and treatment plan. Ma serves as unofficial chairperson for San Francisco Hep B Free - the largest, most intensive health care campaign for APIs in the U.S. and one that is looked upon as a model for the nation in eliminating HBV. In May 2010, San Francisco Hep B Free launched its controversial "Which One Deserves to Die" ad campaign which received national coverage that featured Ma in the NY Times and on CBS, ABC, PBS, NPR, Sirius Radio, and more.

ACR 70 (2009) Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month
This resolution commends Asian and Pacific Islander Americans for their notable accomplishments and outstanding service to the state; and, recognizes the month of May 2009 as Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month.