By Associated Press - Wednesday, May 31, 2017

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on actions by the California Legislature before the Friday deadline to pass bills out of their house of origin (all times local):

8:45 p.m.

California lawmakers have passed a bill prohibiting employers from letting immigration agents enter worksites or view employee files without a warrant or subpoena.

The Assembly voted Wednesday to send AB450 to the state Senate. The measure is among hundreds of bills facing a Friday deadline to pass out of the chamber they originated in.

Assemblyman David Chiu says his bill aims to prevent workplace raids. The San Francisco Democrat says it will ensure President Donald Trump follows the law in his efforts to deport millions of immigrants living in the country without authorization.

Republican Assemblyman Travis Allen of Huntington Beach said the bill puts employers in an uncomfortable position by limiting them from cooperating with federal law enforcement.

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8 p.m.

California lawmakers have approved a measure barring courts from suspending driver’s licenses because of unpaid traffic fines.

The state Senate voted 29-5 Wednesday to send SB185 to the Assembly.

State Sen. Robert Hertzberg says the practice hurts the poor and doesn’t help the state collect. The Van Nuys Democrat says his bill would not prevent courts from suspending licenses for bad driving. Gov. Jerry Brown supports the measure.

Opponents have said such a change would make it harder for the state to collect unpaid fines.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles says about 613,000 Californians have their licenses suspended for unpaid traffic tickets or missing related court appearances.

The measure is among hundreds of bills facing a Friday deadline to pass out of the chamber they originated in.

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7:30 p.m.

California lawmakers have passed a bill to make punishments for intentionally infecting someone with HIV the same as for other communicable diseases.

The state Senate voted Wednesday to send SB239 to the Assembly. It would make knowingly exposing someone to HIV a misdemeanor instead of a felony.

Under current law, if a person who knows they have HIV has unprotected sex without telling their partner about the disease they can be convicted of a felony and face years in jail.

Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco who authored the bill says the current law is a relic of the decades-old AIDS scare and unfairly punishes HIV-positive people based on outdated science.

It is a misdemeanor to intentionally transmit any other communicable disease including potentially deadly diseases like hepatitis.

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