New laws focus on mental health, air ambulances, student debt

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY—Hundreds of California laws take effect on Jan. 1 every year, however, this year was unlike any other.

With the Legislature facing its first budget deficit in years, we had to make tough choices and prioritize legislation that was urgent or directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Legislature sent just less than 430 bills to the governor’s desk, a steep decline from 2019 – which saw 1,042 bills reach the same milestone. Many of these bills are sure to have a lasting impact on our state and community, so I wanted to highlight a few new laws that will take effect in 2021.

A bill I authored, AB 2450, ensured that lifesaving, air ambulance services continue to receive the funding they need to help Californians during disasters and emergencies. Air ambulance helicopters and planes are there to respond to every California emergency and disaster, from car crashes to record-breaking wildfires. During the Carr Fire in Redding, air ambulances were used to evacuate hospitals that were at risk, including an entire neonatal unit where newborns and their mothers were receiving critical care.

The funding for air ambulances was set to expire at the end of this year, which would have thrown the future of these crucial services into jeopardy. AB 2450 ensured that the funding was extended so that California is ready to respond and save lives during any emergency.

For years now, California has been working to improve mental health care, but this became even more urgent when the COVID-19 health crisis began. The CDC recently reported that since the pandemic began, almost 63 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds nationally reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression in the previous month, and more than a quarter said they had seriously considered suicide.

It was clear that California could not stand to wait any longer to help those who were suffering. This year, I joined a large coalition of mental health advocacy groups and mental health professionals in supporting Sen. Scott Wiener’s SB 855, a bill to require insurers to cover all medically necessary mental health treatment. This legislation will make sure that insured Californians can access the health services – including mental health care – they desperately need and deserve.

Student debt

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, after mortgages, student debt is the second largest category of consumer debt. In California alone, nearly 4 million borrowers owe $147 billion in education debt, and nearly half a million Californians are behind on repaying their loans. The burden this debt places on borrowers is substantial, and never more so than now during pandemic. I was proud to help pass Assemblymember Mark Stone’s AB 376, the strongest set of state consumer protections for student loan borrowers in the country.

Beginning in 2021, companies that manage federal and private student loan debt will have to follow a new set of rules such as informing borrowers about programs that could lower their monthly payments and forgive their loans, alerting veterans to additional relief and minimizing late fees for partial payments.

In the next legislative session, I look forward to continuing my work to make higher education both affordable and accessible for our Californian students.

If you would like to learn more about legislation that was passed in 2020 or share with me your policy priorities for 2021, please contact my Concord office at 925-521-1511. As always, it is my honor to serve you and be your voice in Sacramento.

Reach Assemblyman Tim Grayson at (925) 521-1511. Visit or write the district office 2151 Salvio Street, Suite P, Concord, CA 94520