Governor Newsom signs SB 20 The Silicosis Training, Outreach, and Prevention (STOP) Act

SACRAMENTO - Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley), author of Senate Bill 20, released the following statement after the Governor signed the bill into law.

“The people of the San Fernando Valley, the epicenter of silicosis cases, had lost hope that their elected officials would take action to protect their fathers, husbands, and brothers from this scourge on stone fabrication workers in our communities. As a State Senator and Chair of the Senate Health Committee, I could not turn a blind eye to the pain and suffering occurring in my own backyard, and I made this bill my top priority for 2025.

I am so proud to celebrate the Governor’s signature on SB 20- the Silicosis Training, Outreach, and Prevention (STOP) Act! I thank the Governor’s administration for their collaboration on this bill throughout the process. While this bill alone will not end silicosis from stone fabrication activities, we are taking decisive steps to increase tracking, accountability, and enforcement. This is the building block we will stand upon, and I am committed to coming back and working on the next step as we push to fully eradicate the disease among all Californians in the stone fabrication industry.”

SB 20 will enhance worker safety in the stone fabrication industry by banning dry cutting of stone countertops, mandating employers submit an attestation to Cal/OSHA that they have adequately trained their employees, requiring CDPH to conduct outreach to the affected workforce, and classifying silicosis from artificial stone as a serious injury or illness to boost enforcement response by Cal/OSHA.

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