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CA’s Transnational Repression bill fails in Senate Committee
California's #AB3027 on transnational repression stalls in Senate, facing opposition from Indian American groups.
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California’s #AB 3027, which would create a training program for law enforcement to identify and address “transnational repression,” has failed to advance out of the State Senate Appropriations Committee.
The bill, introduced by Democrat Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, California's only Sikh state lawmaker, is in response to the June 2023 killing of a Sikh activist in Canada. The measure identifies Russia, China, Iran, and India as governments that increasingly depend on transnational repression to exert control over dissidents residing outside their borders.
Bains first introduced the bill in February, after which it gained unanimous and bipartisan approval at the Assembly Public Safety Committee in April. Law enforcement agencies, including the California State Sheriff’s Association, support the bill.
However, Indian American advocacy organizations such as the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and Coalition of Hindus in North America (CoHNA) expressed their opposition to the bill. The organizations objected to bill on grounds that a federal law already exists to address transnational repression related offenses.
Commenting on bill’s failure to advance the senate committee, HAF in a post on X said, “Like the SB403 caste bill, this bill implicitly targeted Indian Americans, lumped India in with Iran and Russia, and failed to mention violent pro-Khalistan extremism that has targeted the Hindu community of California, nationwide and across North America.”
“HAF, through in-person meetings with lawmakers & its action alerts and community talking points, educated policymakers on the extremist Khalistan movement hiding behind the bogey of transnational repression. This is a victory for all Californians.”
CoHNA also welcomed the news stating, “Last week, CoHNA filed a formal letter of opposition to California’s Assembly Bill #3027, detailing our concerns with the bill as it is currently written. The bill seeks to tackle “transnational aggression” at the state level, when a federal law to do so already exists.”
“We are very glad to see better sense prevail. And proud to have played a role in the pushback, meeting with lawmakers and the bill's author,” it added.
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