The Latest: Legislature approves bill for beer at the barber


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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on action by the California Legislature (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

Under a bill lawmakers are sending to Gov. Jerry Brown, Californians could legally enjoy a complimentary glass of wine or beer while getting a haircut.

Many beauty salons and barbershops in the state already offer alcoholic beverages free of charge to clients. By doing so, they are inadvertently breaking the law by distributing alcohol without a state liquor license.

The Assembly voted 79-0 Monday to legalize the practice.

Under AB1322, establishments could continue to offer one serving of beer or wine per customer, provided they restrict it to normal business hours, remain in good standing with the barbering and cosmetology board and don't charge for it.

Opponents of the measure worry the alcohol industry may market products through the establishments. They also say they're concerned about training those providing alcohol.

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4:25 p.m.

The state Senate is reviving a bill to make California the first state to give farmworkers the same overtime pay as people who work in other industries.

The Senate's approval Monday sets up a showdown with the Assembly, which narrowly rejected a nearly identical bill in May.

Hourly workers in California are generally entitled to pay at one-and-a-half times the hourly rate after they've worked eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a week. But for laborers who work on farms, the threshold is 10 hours per day or 60 hours per week.

AB1066 would gradually eliminate the disparity by 2022 for large farms and 2025 for smaller ones.

Critics say farm work is inherently seasonal and shouldn't be subject to the same rules as traditional labor.

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4:10 p.m.

California's Democratic governor will have to decide whether to require all single-stall toilets in the state to be gender neutral.

The Assembly gave final approval Monday to the Democratic proposal on a 53-13 vote. It passed one day after a federal court temporarily blocked an order by President Barack Obama requiring public schools to let students use bathrooms of their gender identity.

California students can already do so under a law Gov. Jerry Brown signed in 2013.

AB1732 would mandate businesses and government facilities display non-gender-specific signs on single-occupant restrooms by March 1, 2017.

Assemblyman Phil Ting of San Francisco wrote the bill amid a national debate over transgender rights. He says his legislation is also intended to help parents and caregivers.

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3:30 p.m.

Lawmakers are asking Gov. Jerry Brown to give them greater oversight of California's $64 billion high-speed rail project.

The nonpartisan state legislative analyst recommended the changes in March, following a surprise change in the initial direction in the railway.

AB2847 would require rail officials to explain significant changes to the business plan and other reports, including funding sources and the size, schedule and cost of each segment.

It would require the rail authority to offer projected financing costs for each segment in its business plan, which it hasn't done so far.

Public support for the project has waned since voters approved selling nearly $10 billion in bonds for it in 2008, but Brown remains a staunch supporter.

The Assembly unanimously approved the bill Monday, sending it to Brown.

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3:10 p.m.

California lawmakers have passed a bill to repeal a 125-year-old law barring voters from showing people their marked ballots, though it would take effect after the November election.

AB1494 would allow California voters to waive their right to a secret ballot and share polling-booth selfies or other photos of their ballots.

The Assembly voted 57-11 Monday to send the proposal to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown. It would take effect Jan. 1.

Legislative analysts say state law has prohibited revealing ballots since 1891. The bill's author, Democratic Assemblyman Marc Levine of San Rafael, says the law is rarely enforced.

Federal courts in New Hampshire and Indiana last year threw out laws in those states that prohibited photos of marked ballots, saying they violated free speech rights.

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