While State Senator, Hannah-Beth Jackson authored numerous groundbreaking laws that inspired similar legislation in states throughout the nation. Below are some highlights.

Working on senior housing with Rona Barrett of The Golden Inn and Village

Protecting the Environment

  • Prohibited new offshore oil development in federal waters off the California coast

  • Authored legislation and secured $14 million over seven years to cap leaking abandoned oil wells

  • In response to the Refugio Oil Spill, wrote legislation to require annual inspections of oil pipelines and the Rapid Oil Spill Response Act to make oil spill response faster and more environmentally friendly

  • Created the first in the nation industry-funded drug and sharps take-back program

  • Secured $3.9 million for the Goleta Butterfly Reserve

  • Secured funding and facilitated the development of a commuter-timed train between Ventura and Santa Barbara to ease traffic congestion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Defending Privacy

  • Required internet-connected devices to be equipped with security features

  • Wrote legislation to ensure data breaches are clearly and effectively communicated to affected Californians

  • Blocked efforts to weaken the nation’s strongest internet privacy protection law, the California Consumer Privacy Act and fought to create greater enforcement of privacy protections

Emergency Management

  • Served as Chair and Vice Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management for eight years

  • Following the Thomas Fire and Montecito Debris Flow, required insurers to cover the costs incurred by mudflows caused by wildfires

  • Wrote legislation to reduce the risk of wildfires through responsible forest management practices to thin overgrown lands 

  • Improved and expanded emergency notifications to ensure early and effective warnings

  • Expanded funding for home hardening improvements through the PACE program

  • Ensured counties address the diverse cultural, linguistic and other differences of residents in their emergency preparations

Aging Californians

  • Wrote legislation to establish California’s Master Plan for Aging

  • Authored legislation and secured funding for home improvements to protect older adults from dangerous falls

Gun Safety

  • Authored legislative efforts to require gun owners to report their lost or stolen firearm within five days to reduce illegal gun trafficking

  • In response to the Isla Vista Massacre, wrote legislation to ensure peace officers check the state’s gun database when conducting a welfare check

Women’s Equality

  • Wrote the strongest equal pay law for women in the country which is now the model for over 43 states writing their own fair pay laws 

  • Established the first in the nation requirement for women’s representation on corporate boards

  • Expanded and improved California’s paid family leave program

  • In response to the #MeToo movement, authored significant legislation to prevent and respond to sexual harassment claims both on the job and in the courts

  • Jointly-authored the nation’s first affirmative consent standard (“Yes Means Yes”) for California’s college and university campuses

  • Authored legislation guaranteeing the protections of Title IX to ensure victim-centered processes for responding to sexual harassment and assault on college campuses

  • Ensured employment protections for survivors of domestic violence

Senator Jackson receiving an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in May,2023 from Cal State University at Channel Islands

Standing with Planned Parenthood in the fight to keep us in charge of our own bodies.

Working with California’s First Partner to assure equality for all Californians

Presiding over the California State Senate Chamber (2020)