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State Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares (R–Santa Clarita) presented AB 2304, known as Gabriel's Law, on the Senate Floor on behalf of the bill’s author, Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R–Palmdale). The bill passed the Senate with unanimous support.
Gabriel’s Law requires social workers to take reasonable steps to secure emergency medical care for a child in the court's care when it reasonably appears the child needs it, building on existing law that already allows social workers to authorize emergency treatment without a court order.
The bill also clarifies that social workers employed by county child welfare departments are not classified as "officers" for purposes of the state's law against falsifying public records, ensuring clear and consistent accountability standards apply when records are falsified.
“I’m so grateful to Assemblyman Lackey for his hard work to get this important legislation in honor of Gabriel Fernandez passed,” said Senator Valladares. “We must do all we can to protect the most vulnerable, like Gabriel. This is a commonsense bill to make sure social workers take the necessary precautions needed to protect children who need it most."
"The death of Gabriel Fernandez served as a wake-up call to focus our collective conscience on the systemic failure to protect innocent children," Senator Valladares continued. "AB 2304 makes the necessary changes and clarifications in current law to help prevent any more cases like Gabriel's."
Gabriel’s Law is headed to the Governor’s desk for his signature.