SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on bills considered by California Gov. Jerry Brown (all times local):
5:15 p.m.
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed the nation’s toughest net neutrality measure that requires internet providers to maintain a level playing field online.
Advocates of net neutrality hope the move Sunday will nudge Congress to enact a national standard or encourage other states to follow suit.
It’s the latest example of the nation’s most populous state seeking to drive public policy outside its borders and rebuff President Donald Trump’s agenda.
The Federal Communications Commission last year repealed rules preventing internet companies from exercising more control over what people watch and see on the internet.
Telecommunications companies oppose California’s measure and are likely to challenge it in court. They say it will lead to higher internet and cellphone prices and discourage investments in faster internet.
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2 p.m.
California has become the first state to require publicly traded companies to include women on their boards of directors.
Gov. Jerry Brown approved the legislation Sunday that forces changes at California-based corporations by 2020. Some European countries already require corporate boards to include women.
A fourth of publicly held corporations with headquarters in California don’t have any women on their boards of directors.
State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson says having more women on boards will make companies more successful. The Santa Barbara Democrat authored the measure.
The California Chamber of Commerce has argued that the composition of corporate boards should be determined internally, not mandated by government. The chamber says the new law will prioritize gender over other aspects of diversity.
