Issues

Joe Nation has spent his career working to provide solutions to the biggest challenges facing California . As a member of the State Assembly representing Marin and Sonoma counties from 2000 to 2006, he authored nearly 50 bills that were signed into law.

Notably, he has been a leader on environment and energy issues and was the sole principal co-author of AB 32, California's landmark climate change bill and the nation's most aggressive legislation in reducing greenhouse gases.

Please select from the issues bellow to read more about Joe Nation's positions.

 

Environment, Energy, and Climate Change
Hear Joe speak about his climate change policies.

Read Joe's detailed plan to combat climate change and his plan for CleanTech economic development.
Read about Joe's Green Vehicle Licence Fee incentive.

  • Favors more aggressive action to reduce greenhouse gases.
  • Advocates the start of a "carbon market" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2010, two years earlier than the current proposed start date.
  • Supports creation of a de facto U.S. carbon market by establishing formal agreements between California and other states, regions, and countries.
  • Supports carbon labeling of products to let consumers know how much global warming pollution is emitted by products that they buy.
  • Advocates additional state funding to develop clean alternative energy sources, including tax credits and policies that help red uce our dependence on foreign oil.
  • Lifetime 100% rating by the California League of Conservation Voters. Author of many CLCV “scorecard” bills. 100% rating from Sierra Club in 2005.

Enacted legislation on energy, the environment, and climate change includes:

  • Assembly Bill 32. California Global Warming Solutions Act (2006). Sole principal co-author of the most aggressive global warming legislation passed in the country. AB 32 requires greenhouse gas reductions of 30% from today's levels by 2020.
  • Assembly Bill 1229. Global Warming/Greenhouse Gas Emissions (2005). Requires auto manufacturers to label the greenhouse gas emissions of new automobiles and trucks.
  • Assembly Bill 433 - Marine Invasive Species Program (2003). Strengthens a state program to address non-native marine species from ship ballast water that is discharged into California waters.
  • Assembly Bill 844 - State Fuel-Efficient Tire Program (2003). Authorizes the Energy Commission to develop a program to ensure that replacement tires are at least as energy-efficient, on average, as original equipment tires.
  • Assembly Bill 1968 - Energy Rebate Gross Income Exclusion (2002). Provides that rebates or vouchers received from the California Energy Commission or the Public Utilities Commission for the purchase and installation of solar, wind and thermal systems by residential and commercial electrical customers are not considered taxable income.

 

Education
Listen to Joe speak about his education policies.

  • Strongly opposes any suspension of Proposition 98, the constitutional guarantee to fund public schools and strongly supports increasing per pupil funding to greater than the national average.
  • Favors maximum discretion for program implementation and the elimination of unnecessary reporting requirements for high-performing schools.
  • Favors additional funding on low-performing students rather than solely on low-performing schools.
  • Legislator of the Year, 2005-2006, California County Boards of Education.

Enacted legislation and action on education includes:

  • Assembly Bill 97 - Schools of Choice (2004) . Allows students to transfer between school districts.
  • Assembly Joint Resolution 88 - Federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (2004). Requests Congress to make modifications to NCLB for the flexibility necessary to successfully implement a rigorous, standards-based accountability system.
  • 2003-2004 Budget – Basic Aid School Districts (2003). Led the opposition to Governor's proposed dramatic funding cuts to basic aid schools. Reduced proposed reductions from 35% to less than 3%.
  • Assembly Bill 163 - Class Size Reduction Pilot Project (2003). Establishes a pilot project for the Tamalpais Union High School District to implement a class size reduction program.

 

Health Care
Hear Joe speak about his health care policies.

Read Joe's detailed universal health care plan.

  • Supports universal health care based on shared responsibility among government, employers, and individuals. Favors a combination of individual and employer mandates with subsidies based on income.
  • Favors legislation that would force insurers to offer coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions.
  • Supports increased focus on cost controls, especially utilizing information technology to reduce administrative costs.

Enacted legislation on health care includes:

  • Assembly Joint Resolution 49 – Ban Direct-To-Consumer Drug Prescription Advertising (2006). Requests the President and the Congress of the United States to ban direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs by pharmaceutical companies.
  • Assembly Bill 2583 – Patient Prescription Drug Dispensing Rights (2006). Limits pharmacists from refusing to dispense based on ethical, moral or religious grounds.
  • Assembly Bill 733 – Therapist Duty to Warn (2006). Encourages therapists to take action when the therapist has determined that a patient presents a serious danger of physical violence to a known or readily identifiable intended victim.
  • Assembly Bill 586 - Pharmacists-Performance of Routine Patient Assessments (2001). Allows pharmacists to perform cholesterol or glucose tests.
  • Assembly Bill 1503 - Mental Health Plan/Continuity of Care (2001). Requires health plans to consider the medical necessity of a continued relationship between a patient and her mental health professional, even if the mental health professional is not a part of the health plans provider group.

 

State Budget

  • Strongly advocates fiscal responsibility, accountability within state government and an end to state borrowing. One of only four Democrats to vote against the 2005-2006 budget because it did not provide adequate reserves.
  • Supports long-term, structural changes to end the cycle of "boom to bust" budgets.
  • Promotes the establishment of reserve funds in good economic times so deficits won't skyrocket during economic downturns.
  • Strongly opposes any suspension of Proposition 98, the constitutional guarantee to fund public schools.

 

Transportation

  • Opposes the recent Doyle Drive toll proposal because of the unfair financial burden on Marin and Sonoma residents.
  • Supports increased investment in commuter rail and other modes of public transportation to reduce traffic.
  • Supports a fair allocation from the state budget and transportation funds that allocates resources to maintain and improve roads.
  • Supports the expansion of Highway 101 between Novato and Petaluma.

Enacted legislation on transportation includes:

  • Assembly Bill 372 – Design/Build (2006). Allows transit districts to enter into design-build contracts in which a single contractor or entity would be responsible for both the design and construction phase of a contract.
  • Assembly Bill 2224 - Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District (2002). Creates the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District that would eventually provide passenger train service between Cloverdale and San Rafael . Delivered $37 million in budget for SMART in subsequent budget year.

 

Child Safety and Nutrition

Enacted legislation on child safety and nutrition includes:

  • Assembly Joint Resolution 41 - Immigration Counsel Assignment for Children/Dependents of the Court (2006). Urges the President and Congress to protect unlawful immigrant children by amending the federal immigration law to permit unlawful immigrant children to have an immigration specialist assigned to them prior to their emancipation.
  • Assembly Bill 2193 – Skin Cancer Prevention (2004) . Provides enforcement provisions and prohibit persons under the age of 18 from using tanning facilities.
  • Assembly Concurrent Resolution 16 – Childhood Obesity (2003). Encourages all schools to provide students with at least one plant-centered vegetarian option at lunch.

 

Veterans' Issues

Enacted legislation on veterans' issues includes:

  • Assembly Bill 2844 – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (2006). Increases access to county mental health services for veterans.
  • Assembly Joint Resolution 48 - Veterans Remembered Flag (2006). Requests that the President and Congress of the United States adopt a Veterans Remembered Flag.

Disability Issues and Civil Rights

Enacted legislation on disability issues and civil rights includes:

  • Assembly Bill 768 – Touch Screen Accessibility for the Visually Impaired (2006). Requires manufacturers of self-service check in devices to make available for purchase similar self service devices that can be utilized by the visually impaired.
  • Assembly Bill 2777 - County Domestic Partner Benefits (2002). Allows Marin and Santa Barbara Counties to have the same option for the domestic partners of their County employees with regard to survivor benefits.