LAWMAKERS PUSH BILLS THROUGH MEASURES INCLUDE LICENSES, HEALTH CARE.

Byline: Steve Geissinger Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO - California lawmakers, working against a last-minute deadline, have advanced hundreds of bills on everything from illegal immigrants and health care to crime, wages, public safety and drugs, although some still face an uncertain fate.

Standouts among the most-debated bills that were pumped out of their house of origin by Friday's deadline include measures that would provide driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, set up universal health care, raise the minimum wage, and allow prescription-drug purchases from outside the United States.

Some of the bills stand little chance of being enacted into law - including Democrats' bid to ban Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger from smoking cigars in his Capitol tent.

While the Assembly sent the Senate a measure to stop cigar smoke from the governor's outdoor tent from drifting into Capitol offices, Republican foes called it a ``childish'' prank that stems from partisan battles on other fronts.

``As long as I'm at the Capitol, I will be smoking my stogies down there,'' Schwarzenegger, who has veto power over any bill, said in a recent TV interview.

In the Senate, lawmakers approved a measure that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.

The controversial measure would set up a two-tier procedure - one for licensing legal residents and another for undocumented motorists.

Supporters said it would enable the state to conform with federal guidelines that establish national standards for issuance of driver's licenses.

Another hotly debated bill, approved by the upper house, would create a state-run system of universal health care insurance. Seven million Californians have no health insurance, while an additional 4 million had none at some point in the past two years.

Supporters have argued that the system, which so far lacks details, would be affordable, but foes have insisted it would be too costly and result in rationing of health care.

A unique proposal to stamp identifying numbers on handgun ammunition sold in California cleared the Senate over the objections of Republicans, who said it would be costly to the industry.

Another measure approved by the Assembly would boost California's minimum wage, now $6.75 an hour, to $7.25 next July 1 and to $7.75 on July 1, 2007. It would require the wage to increase annually thereafter, beginning in 2008, to keep pace with inflation.

Supporters have said other states have higher minimum wages and that California should increase its to be fair to the working poor. Opponents have said the minimum wage was never intended to support a family and that the measure would cause employers to curb hiring.

In action on another longtime issue, the Assembly approved a bill allowing Californians to legally buy prescription drugs from Canada, Great Britain and Ireland.

Sen. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, easily won Senate approval of a bill that would authorize officials to use global positioning systems to monitor parolees and probationers and also won approval of a bill that would further discourage teen use of steroids.

In other actions, lawmakers approved bills that would:

--Require training of bank employees to better catch signs of elder financial abuse.

--Allow nonprofit groups or public health agencies to distribute condoms in California prisons.

--Ban drivers younger than 18 from traveling with anyone younger than 20 without a parent or older driver present; from driving after midnight; and require them to display a placard.

Steve Geissinger, [phone]

sgeissinger(at)angnewspapers.com