Press Releases

Assembly Approves Frazier Bill to Protect College Students from Unnecessary Bank Fees

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Created on Thursday, 16 May 2013 12:59

Sacramento, CA – A bill to protect students’ financial aid from being nickeled and dimed by bank fees has passed the State Assembly and now moves to the Senate. Assembly Bill 1162 introduced by Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) requires college boards to adopt policies that best serve the needs of students when negotiating contracts with financial institutions.

Recently, colleges have outsourced financial aid distribution to banks and other financial institutions in order to cut costs. As a result, students have ended up bearing the cost directly through high bank fees.

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Assemblymember Jim Frazier Statement on Governor Brown’s Revised Budget Proposal

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Created on Tuesday, 14 May 2013 15:15

Sacramento, CA - Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) released the following statement today regarding Governor Edmund G. Brown’s revised budget proposal:

I want to commend the Governor for his ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility.

Through his leadership, California has not only eliminated a $20 billion budget deficit, but has a multi-billion dollar surplus.  Governor Brown has won the people’s trust by addressing our budget problems with real, long-term solutions, not borrowing and gimmicks.

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Assembly Approves Frazier’s Water Emergency Transportation Authority Bill

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Created on Tuesday, 14 May 2013 15:13

SACRAMENTO, CA--Assembly Bill 935 authored by Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley), which provides greater representation on the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), passed the State Assembly and moves on to the Senate.  AB 935 expands WETA to include the two counties Assemblymember Frazier represents - Solano County and Contra Costa County. The bill also includes representation for the City and County of San Francisco, Alameda County, and San Mateo County.

Comprehensive public water transportation plays a significant role in the Bay Area’s daily commute, emergency response infrastructure, and emergency preparedness. Recently, WETA has proposed to expand services by adding several new ferry terminals in the cities of Antioch, Redwood City, Hercules, Martinez, Berkeley, Richmond, and Treasure Island.

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Assemblymember Frazier Authors Bill to Protect College Students From High Bank Fees

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Created on Thursday, 25 April 2013 10:48

AB 1162 will require colleges and universities to set in place safeguards for campus debit card programs to ensure that students are not unfairly targeted

SACRAMENTO, CA – A bill to protect student’s financial aid from predatory bank fees has been introduced by Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley). Assembly Bill 1162 requires college boards to adopt policies that best serve the needs of students when negotiating contracts with financial institutions to disburse a student’s financial aid onto debit cards.

As college and university budgets have shrunk, many have begun to use third-party servicers to disburse financial aid and issue credit balance refunds to students on debit cards. While many schools are obtaining revenues and reducing costs by outsourcing these services, the relationships between schools and financial institutions have raised questions because students end up bearing some costs directly.

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New Research Shows Hands-free Voice Texting Just as Dangerous as Hand-held Texting

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Created on Tuesday, 23 April 2013 12:12

Confirms Passage of AB 313 (Frazier) is critical to reducing accidents, injuries and fatalities

Sacramento, CA - Findings from a just-released study conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute found that voice-texting is no safer than hand-held texting, stating that no matter which texting method is used, driver response times are significantly delayed - which impairs their ability to recognize safety-critical events like a car slamming on its brakes, a red light, or a pedestrian.

A bill by Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) to ban hands-free voice-texting passed the Assembly Transportation Committee last week and is set to be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 1st.

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Join Assemblymember Jim Frazier for Saturday Morning Coffee

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Created on Monday, 22 April 2013 16:21

ANTIOCH, CA – Please join Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) on April 27th for morning coffee and conversation at Dad's Café in Antioch from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

Assemblymember Frazier will address current legislative issues and respond to your questions, ideas, and concerns regarding state happenings. Coffee, juice, and breakfast pastries will be provided.

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Assemblymember Frazier's Veteran Bill Approved in Committee

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Created on Wednesday, 17 April 2013 15:11

Sacramento, CA – Assembly Bill 287 by Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) was approved by the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee yesterday.  The bill requires the California Department of Veterans Affairs to annually compile a list of eligible Vietnam Veterans to be added to the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

In 1983, Assemblymember Richard E. Floyd established the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the grounds of the State Capitol in Sacramento to honor those who died during the Vietnam War. However, some veterans deserving of recognition on the memorial were not included at the time it was constructed. Some were inadvertently left off the original list, but many others died after returning from service as a direct result of injuries and illness resulting from their service in the Vietnam War.

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Bill To Ban Hands-Free Texting While Driving Passes First Hurdle

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Created on Tuesday, 16 April 2013 12:03

AB 313 (Frazier) will significantly reduce traffic crashes, crash injuries and deaths

Sacramento, CA – A bill by Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) to ban voice-activated, hands-free texting, passed the Assembly Transportation Committee yesterday on a 9-5 vote.  AB 313 is an effort to rescind legislation approved last year that specifically allows hands-free texting while driving as a way to mitigate the ban on hand-held devices while operating a vehicle. However, research suggests that there is little or no difference in the crash risk of drivers using hands-held or voice operated devices because both contribute to the cognitive distraction that causes inattention blindness.

“Legislators respond to the latest information available,” Frazier said. “We know more than we did a year ago regarding distracted driving. It is our obligation to public safety to reverse legislation that was based on good intentions, but is now deemed dangerous. AB 313 will help minimize distracted driving by banning all texting while driving.  It’s just that simple.”

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Assemblymember Frazier Honors Officer Charles “Chuck” Sorenson

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Created on Thursday, 14 March 2013 15:31

Rio Vista, CA – Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) will present a California State Assembly Resolution to the family of California Highway Patrol Officer, Charles “Chuck” Sorenson at a memorial highway dedication ceremony scheduled for Friday, March 15, 2013, at 11am at the Rio Vista City Council Chambers.

In recognition of Officer Sorenson’s heroic devotion and sacrifice, the California State Assembly passed Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 100 which designates the portion of Highway 12, between State Route 16 and Brannan Island Road, as the “Officer Charles ‘Chuck’ Sorenson Memorial Highway.”

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Assemblymember Frazier Opens District Office In Fairfield, Thursday, March 14, 2013

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Created on Tuesday, 05 March 2013 14:51

Fairfield, CA – Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) invites the public to join him on March 14th from 4 pm to 7 pm for the opening of his District Office at 1261 Travis Blvd., Suite 110, Fairfield, CA . This is the first Assembly district office in Fairfield since Retired Assemblyman Tom Hannigan left office in 1995.

Jim Frazier, a local small-business owner, was elected in November, 2012 to serve in the State Assembly representing the 11th Assembly District, which includes his hometown of Oakley, and the communities of Antioch, Brentwood, Discovery Bay, Pittsburg, Fairfield, Suisun City, Vacaville, Rio Vista and Isleton.  Prior to his election, Jim served as a City Council member and former Mayor of Oakley.

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