Lawmakers Consider Bills to Create New Systems, ADS Rules

It’s been a busy legislative session so far, with a flurry of tech-focused — or at the very least tech-adjacent — bills in play.

Lawmakers are considering bills that would create two new registries within the California Department of Justice (DOJ), iron out new rules for AI-based hiring tech, and even create a new database aimed at improving police access to schools.

Department of Justice: Online Missing Person Registry (AB 1321, Castillo)

Assembly Bill 1321 would amend existing law and mandate that the attorney general create a new “electronic database and support system” that would allow the public to report and search for missing children. The concept is not necessarily new, as existing law already sets requirements for an online registry to “accept and generate specified information on a missing person,” and an “online, automated computer system designed to effect an immediate law enforcement response.”

This system would allow parents to register missing children and receive updates on their location; include anonymous reporting (for parents concerned about immigration enforcement); and would include protections to stop unauthorized data sharing. Earlier versions of AB 1321 included much more prescriptive language around the sort of information the system would generate and how databases would be maintained.

It's unclear whether the DOJ would turn to outside vendors for a system of this nature. Most recently, the bill was sent to a second hearing before the Committee on Public Safety, but that hearing was cancelled at the request of the author.

Department of Justice: Phone Scams (AB 995, Caloza)

In yet another sign that people are over the steady stream of scam calls, Assembly Bill 995 would require that the DOJ “establish and maintain a database of known phone scams on its internet website.” The site would include details about frequently reported scams and the tactics used, guidance to the public, mechanisms to report suspected scams, and search features to help the public identify scam calls.

The bill would also mandate that the DOJ submit annual reports to the Legislature — commencing Jan. 1, 2028 — outlining the common scams reported in the previous year. That requirement would sunset Jan. 1, 2033. As of May 6, the bill was re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

Employment: Automated Decision Systems (SB 7, McNerney)

Senate Bill 7 takes aim at the rise of artificial intelligence and automated decision systems (ADS) in employment. This bill outlines new requirements for employers and vendors engaged by those employers to provide written notice around the use of ADS in the workplace for employment-related decisions, unrelated to hiring.

The bill would require that written notice be sent to all affected employees about the ADS used in employment-related decisions; that the employer or engaged vendor maintain a list of the ADS in use; and that workers could access data collected by the ADSs to correct errors.

“This bill would prohibit an employer from discharging, threatening to discharge, demoting, suspending, or in any manner discriminating or retaliating against any worker for taking certain actions asserting their rights under the bill,” the bill reads.

On May 1, the bill was amended and re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

School Safety: School Mapping Data Grant Program (AB 598, Gipson)

The grant funding provided through AB 598 and administered by the Office of Emergency Services would go toward the creation of a “single and verified source” of school mapping data. The purpose of this database would be to give law enforcement and first responders access to mapping data when responding to on-campus emergencies.

“It is the intent of the Legislature that the grant funding provided pursuant to this article is used to establish a single and verified source of school mapping data, for each participating school, that is standardized, accurate, and accessible to public safety agencies for purposes of ensuring efficient responses to on-campus emergencies at the school,” the bill reads.

The one-time funding would be given to “participating school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to enter into contracts with qualified vendors providing school mapping data.”

The bill was most recently re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations on April 29.