CalChamber Status Update Report on Major Legislation for Business

Lawsuit Exposure. SB 300 (Monning; D-Carmel) Increases frivolous liability claims and exposes beverage manufacturers and food retailers to fines and penalties by mandating state-only labeling requirements for sugar-sweetened drinks. Oppose/Job Killer.

Senate Health 2/23/17; Failed Deadline

Labeling. SB 504 (Wieckowski; D-Fremont) Increases costs to business through state-only labeling on food products containing synthetic dyes. Oppose.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/25/17; Failed Deadline

Prohibits Seawalls or Armoring on Coastal Properties. AB 1129 (M. Stone; D-Scotts Valley) Jeopardizes the safety of businesses on the coast who have seawalls protecting their properties by prohibiting seawalls or armoring on properties not in existence before 1977. Oppose.

Assembly Inactive File 6/1/17; Failed Deadline

Low-Cost Accommodations. AB 663 (Bloom; D-Santa Monica) Discourages development in the coastal zone by making it financially impossible to build with the requirement to provide low-cost housing. Oppose.

Assembly Inactive File 6/1/17; Failed Deadline

Land Use. AB 975 (Friedman; D-Glendale) Restricts adjacent and nearby private land use by expanding the definition of wild and scenic rivers and the areas of preserve. Oppose.

Assembly Inactive File 6/5/17; Failed Deadline

Product Ban. AB 1687 (Bloom; D-Santa Monica) Increases the costs to business and agriculture to exterminate pests by banning rat poisons containing anticoagulants. Oppose.

Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials 3/21/17; Failed Deadline

Marketing. AB 841 (Weber; D-San Diego) Before amendments, limited businesses’ ability to partner with schools on projects and programs that are mutually beneficial by prohibiting student incentive programs that contain certain food products. Opposition removed due to August 23, 2017 amendments. Neutral.

To Governor

Land Conveyances. SB 50 (B. Allen; D-Santa Monica) Before amendments, jeopardized multiple uses of land such as grazing or recreation by making federal land sales contingent on State Lands Commission terms. Opposition removed due to June 29, 2017 amendments. Neutral.

To Governor

Roads. AB 425 (Caballero; D-Salinas) Facilitates forest management and dead tree removal by allowing temporary roads for use with the Forest Fire Prevention Pilot Program. Support.

Senate Inactive File 9/13/17

Codification. AB 947 (Gallagher; R-Yuba City) Expedites lake and streambed agreements by codifying standards needed for routine and ongoing agricultural land management practices. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/3/17; Failed Deadline

Small Business Participation. AB 816 (Kiley; R-Granite Bay) Encourages small business and farmers to participate in regulatory hearings through webcasts to provide input on proposals that affect them. Support.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Public Participation. AB 1337 (Patterson; R-Fresno) Encourages public participation in Fish and Game Commission meetings by providing a webcast on the internet. Support.

Senate Inactive File 9/16/17

Labeling. SB 602 (B. Allen; D-Santa Monica) Increases costs to pesticide manufacturers by requiring state-only labeling on products not scientifically proven to cause bee mortality. Oppose.

Senate Inactive File 6/1/17; Failed Deadline

Transparency. AB 684 (M. Stone; D-Scotts Valley) Before amendments, potentially made it more difficult to get qualified candidates for appointment to the California Coastal Commission by imposing administrative duties on the commissioners that should be handled by staff. Opposition removed due to June 29, 2017 amendments. Neutral.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Gas Price Increase. AB 1645 (Muratsuchi; D-Torrance) Jeopardizes the production of California-based fuel by banning the use of hydrogen fluoride and hydrofluoric acid at refineries that use more than 250 gallons and are located within two miles of a residence, notwithstanding the fact that there are significant safety regulations in place at the local, state and federal levels. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials 3/27/17; Failed Deadline

Abatement Orders. AB 1132 (C. Garcia; D-Bell Gardens) Before amendments, allowed a local air district to immediately shut down operations of a facility for a perceived imminent or substantial endangerment to public health or the environment while awaiting a hearing. Opposition removed due to June 5, 2017 amendments. No Position.

Signed 8/7/17—Chapter 171

Burdensome Regulations. AB 1647 (Muratsuchi; D-Torrance) Before amendments, created requirements for refineries that operate in California to install air monitoring systems along the fence line of the refineries’ property as well as in surrounding communities. Concerns removed due to June 8, 2017 amendments. No Position

To Governor

Prevents Thefts. AB 1326 (Cooper; D-Elk Grove) Saves retailers substantial losses from robberies by aggregating thefts in a one-year timeframe so that the $950 threshold is met sooner and punishable by a stiffer penalty. Support.

Assembly Public Safety 3/13/17; Failed Deadline

Loans. SB 815 (Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee) Improves compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by expanding the availability of loans to small businesses to remedy ADA violations. Support.

Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development 4/19/17; Failed Deadline

Energy Financing. AB 1284 (Dababneh; D-Encino) Protects lenders and consumers by providing oversight and guidelines for solicitors offering financing for the PACE program which helps property owners upgrade energy retrofits to current standards. Support.

To Governor

Threatens Energy Reliability. AB 127 (Committee on Budget) Threatens energy reliability and will lead to the elimination of jobs by mandating the closure of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility. Oppose Unless Amended/Job Killer.

Senate Floor 9/14/17

Board of Equalization Reform. AB 102 (Committee on Budget) Unnecessarily rushes substantive and significant reforms to the Board of Equalization and creates two new agencies, including an Office of Tax Appeals that allows unelected bureaucrats to determine major tax policy issues, through the budget process instead of allowing such policy to be deliberated through the normal schedule of the legislative process. Oppose.

Signed 6/27/17—Chapter 16 (Budget)

Board of Equalization Reform. SB 86 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) Unnecessarily rushes substantive and significant reforms to the Board of Equalization and creates two new agencies, including an Office of Tax Appeals that allows unelected bureaucrats to determine major tax policy issues, through the budget process instead of allowing such policy to be deliberated through the normal schedule of the legislative process. Oppose.

Assembly Budget 6/19/17

Thwarts Innovation. SB 119 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) Places burdensome anti-technology language on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund expenditures. Oppose Unless Amended.

Assembly Inactive File 9/15/17

Thwarts Innovation. AB 134 (Committee on Budget) Places burdensome anti-technology language on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund expenditures. Oppose Unless Amended.

Signed 9/16/17—Chapter 254 (Budget)

Stifles Innovation. SB 103 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) Stifles innovation by placing restrictions and prohibitions on the use or development of automated technology at the ports. Oppose.

Signed 7/21/17—Chapter 95 (Budget)

Stifles Innovation. AB 118 (Committee on Budget) Stifles innovation by placing restrictions and prohibitions on the use or development of automated technology at the ports. Oppose.

Senate Inactive File 7/20/17

Barrier to Housing and Economic Development. SB 224 (Jackson; D-Santa Barbara) Before amendments, created significant uncertainty for developers by requiring the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to amend the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines to redefine the baseline that may be used in the CEQA analysis and directing OPR, in drafting the Guidelines, to limit consideration of modifications to the environment at the project site caused by illegal, unpermitted, or emergency activities within the baseline conditions. If prior illegal, unpermitted, or emergency activities are excluded in a project’s baseline, it may require projects to mitigate not only the impacts of the project itself, but also the impacts of other historical activities for which the applicant has no legal liability and over which it had no control. Opposition and job killer tag removed due to August 21, 2017 amendments. No Position/Former Job Killer.

Senate Rules 8/21/17

Extension of Streamlining Benefits under CEQA. AB 246 (Santiago; D-Los Angeles) Extends the streamlining benefits under the California Environmental Quality Act for environmental leadership development projects meeting specific criteria for an additional two years. Support.

To Governor

Extension of Streamlining Benefits under CEQA. SB 699 (Galgiani; D-Stockton) Extends the streamlining benefits under the California Environmental Quality Act for environmental leadership development projects meeting specific criteria for an additional two years. Support.

Assembly Rules 9/5/17

Sets Design Review Timeframe. AB 190 (Steinorth; R-Rancho Cucamonga) Provides developers with certainty and helps expedite the development process by requiring a lead agency, where an ordinance requiring design review applies to a development project, to approve or disapprove the design of the development project within 30 days of the date that application has been determined to be complete, or the date of the certification of the environmental impact report, the date of the adoption of a negative declaration, or the date of a determination that the project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act, whichever occurs later. Support.

Assembly Local Government 1/30/17; Failed Deadline

Promotes Housing Development. AB 239 (Ridley-Thomas; D-Los Angeles) Furthers the development of affordable housing, infill development, and development near transit stations, by extending the California Environmental Quality Act exemption for infill projects to unincorporated areas already surrounded by urbanized land uses and populations. Support.

Failed Passage in Assembly Natural Resources 4/24/17; Failed Deadline

Expedites and Reduces Cost for Transportation Infrastructure Projects. AB 278 (Steinorth; R-Rancho Cucamonga) Streamlines and reduces regulatory burdens to inspect, maintain, repair, remove and replace existing highways and roads, or to add specified auxiliary lanes by exempting such projects under the California Environmental Quality Act. Support.

Failed Passage in Assembly Natural Resources 3/20/17; Failed Deadline

Expedites and Reduces Cost for Critical Levee Repairs. AB 1273 (Gallagher; R-Yuba City) Streamlines and reduces regulatory burdens for repairs of critical levees of the State Plan of Flood Control by exempting such projects under the California Environmental Quality Act. Support.

Failed Passage in Senate Natural Resources and Water 7/11/17; Failed Deadline

Reduces Compliance Costs. AB 398 (E. Garcia; D-Coachella) Provides regulatory certainty for California businesses, helps maintain a healthy economy and provides the least costly path to achieving our climate goals by extending cap-and-trade to 2030 by providing market mechanisms rather than government command-and-control. Support.

Signed 7/25/17—Chapter 135 (Urgency)

Legislative Oversight. ACA 1 (Mayes; R-Yucca Valley) Increases transparency and accountability by establishing a legislative “check-up” of the cap-and-trade program in 2024, providing an opportunity to review 1) expenditures from the fund since 2020, 2) the commitment to regulatory and tax reforms enacted in AB 398, and 3) the effectiveness of the overall state program in reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) and minimizing the effect on the California economy. Support.

Signed 7/17/17—Chapter 105

Increased Compliance Costs. AB 378 (C. Garcia; D-Bell Gardens) Increases the cost for compliance and creates additional regulatory burdens for businesses by relying on direct control measures to meet the state’s climate goals. Oppose.

Assembly Inactive File 9/11/17

Transportation and Housing Barrier. SB 150 (B. Allen; D-Santa Monica) Before amendments, would have made it more difficult and more expensive to build roads, homes and transit by dictating a cookie cutter approach to how regions achieve emissions reduction targets through their Regional Transit Plans. Opposition removed due to June 21, 2017 amendments. No Position.

To Governor

Regulatory Oversight. AB 1301 (Fong; R-Bakersfield) Increases transparency and accountability by providing criteria around the information the California Air Resources Board presents to the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policy to show the cost impacts of our climate regulations. Support.

Failed Passage in Assembly Natural Resources 4/24/17; Failed Deadline

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. AB 1342 (Flora; R-Ripon) Before amendments, prematurely allocated money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to support healthy forests and organics recycling. Opposition removed due to April 27, 2017 amendments. No Position.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. AB 1369 (Gray; D-Merced) Prematurely allocates money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund for water storage. Oppose.

Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife 3/27/17; Failed Deadline

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. AB 555 (Cunningham; R-Templeton) Prematurely allocates money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund for the replacement of school buses. Oppose.

Assembly Natural Resources 3/20/17; Failed Deadline

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. AB 1433 (Wood; D-Healdsburg) Before amendments, prematurely allocated money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to support the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Based on Nature Act. Opposition removed due to April 27, 2017 amendments. Gutted and amended to a different subject area June 21, 2017. No Position.

Senate Inactive File 9/14/17

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. AB 964 (Calderon; D-Whittier) Before amendments, prematurely allocated money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to the Capital Access Loan Program for low-emission vehicle loans. Opposition removed due to April 27, 2017 amendments. No Position.

Senate Appropriations 7/11/17

Capital Investment Incentive. AB 755 (E. Garcia; D-Coachella) Extends for one year, until January 1, 2019, the sunset of the Capital Investment Incentive Program, thereby providing local governments with an opportunity to attract large manufacturing facilities to invest in their communities and to encourage industries such as high technology, energy, environmental, and others to locate and invest in California. Support.

To Governor

Extends Workforce Development. AB 669 (Berman; D-Palo Alto) Before amendments, helped improve alignment of the state’s workforce needs and education resources by extending the Economic and Workforce Development program (set to expire in 2018) within the California Community Colleges system. Gutted and amended June 26, 2017 to a different subject area. Job creator label and support position removed. No Position/Former Job Creator.

To Governor

Workforce Development. AB 1111 (E. Garcia; D-Coachella) Increases California’s skilled workforce by authorizing a competitive grant program to assist individuals who face multiple barriers to employment and provide them with remedial education and work readiness skills to prepare them for training, educational, apprenticeship or employment opportunities. Support.

To Governor

Jeopardizes State Workforce Goals. SB 574 (Lara; D-Bell Gardens) Unnecessarily impedes the ability of the University of California (UC) to use its restricted state funding in the most efficient manner possible to continue expanding enrollment without compromising on the quality of the education it provides or substantially increasing the state’s General Fund contribution by placing unreasonable restrictions on when the UC may contract for services. Oppose.

To Governor

Career Technical Education (CTE). AB 445 (Cunningham; R-Templeton) Assists schools by permanently extending the CTE Incentive Grant Program (authorized and funded in the 2015–2016 budget), whose goal is to provide relevant, industry-aligned skills training and instruction to address the demand in California’s changing job market. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Increases Recruitment and Retention of STEM Teachers. SB 436 (B. Allen; D-Santa Monica) Addresses the shortage of California science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers by providing necessary outreach, recruitment and incentives to attract and retain STEM professionals to teaching. Support.

Assembly Education 6/12/17; Failed Deadline

Expands Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program. SB 769 (Hill; D-San Mateo) Optimizes capacity and performance by extending a pilot program in the California Community Colleges system allowing community colleges to offer bachelor’s degree programs in a subject area related to an unmet workforce need in the local community that does not overlap with any degree programs already offered by the California State University or the University of California. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Increases Access to Computer Science. SB 346 (Glazer; D-Contra Costa) Before amendments, promoted a coordinated effort by schools to offer computer science as part of their curriculum by requiring the California Department of Education to develop and the State Board of Education to consider adopting a plan to make the curriculum available in every school. Support position removed due to June 26, 2017 amendments. No Position.

Failed Passage in Assembly Higher Education 7/11/17; Reconsideration Granted; Failed Deadline

Increased Energy Costs. SB 100 (de León; D-Los Angeles) Increases the cost of energy by creating an ambiguous zero-carbon energy by 2045 planning goal and requirements for regulatory agencies in the state. Oppose.

Assembly Utilities and Energy 9/8/17

Energy Reliability. SB 57 (Stern; D-Canoga Park) Jeopardizes energy resources and reliability by placing an additional moratorium on natural gas injection at the Aliso Canyon facility until a final root cause analysis is completed and released to the public. Oppose.

Senate Inactive File 9/15/17

Increased Energy Costs. AB 813 (Holden; D-Pasadena) Will lead to higher energy costs by requiring the procurement of renewable energy which may not be necessary to serve the need of California’s grid while at the same time creating a framework to transform the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) into a multi-state regional organization. Oppose Unless Amended.

Senate Rules 8/31/17

Increased Energy Costs. AB 726 (Holden; D-Pasadena) Will lead to higher energy costs by requiring the procurement of renewable energy which may not be necessary to serve the need of California’s grid while at the same time creating a framework to transform the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) into a multi-state regional organization. Oppose Unless Amended.

Senate Rules 9/12/17

Threatens Grid Reliability and Safety. SB 356 (Skinner; D-Berkeley) Threatens the safety and reliability of California’s transmission grid by requiring the release of security-sensitive and market-sensitive data. Oppose.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Increased Energy Costs. SB 520 (Mitchell; D-Los Angeles) Increases the cost for energy in California by allowing for intervenors to collect compensation for engaging at the California Independent System Operator. Oppose.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Increased Energy Costs. AB 304 (Eggman; D-Stockton) Increases the cost of energy by expanding the pool of applicants eligible to receive intervenor compensation to include school districts and community colleges. Oppose.

Assembly Utilities and Energy 2/13/17; Failed Deadline

Increased Energy Prices. AB 1405 (Mullin; D-South San Francisco) Before amendments, increased the cost of energy for ratepayers by creating new policies for procurement under the integrated resources planning process. Opposition removed due to July 17, 2017 amendments. No Position.

Senate Rules 9/11/17

Increased Energy Costs. SB 338 (Skinner; D-Berkeley) Before amendments, increased the cost of energy for ratepayers by creating new policies for procurement under the integrated resources planning process. Opposition removed due to July 10, 2017 amendments. No Position.

To Governor

Reduces Permitting Barriers. AB 546 (Chiu; D-San Francisco) Reduces barriers and increases cost-effectiveness for energy storage permitting by allowing online submission for permit applications and allowing local governments to develop an energy storage handbook. Support.

To Governor

Extends Superfund Liability to Emissions into the Air. AB 421 (Santiago; D-Los Angeles) Imposes statutory liability on businesses and individuals for clean-up recovery costs associated with deposits or redeposits of certain substances that were emitted into the air under a statutory scheme that places the burden of proof on the defendant. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Judiciary 4/5/17; Failed Deadline

Creates Uncertainty and Increases Potential Litigation Regarding Environmental Standards. SB 49 (de León; D-Los Angeles) Creates uncertainty by giving broad and sweeping discretion to state agencies to adopt rules and regulations more stringent than the federal rules and regulations in effect on January 19, 2017 through an expedited administrative procedure without public participation or input, when the state agencies determine that federal action leads to less stringent laws and regulations than those in effect on January 19, 2017; and increases the potential for costly litigation by creating private rights of action under California law, which may be triggered when a state agency takes the foregoing discretionary action. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Rules 9/11/17

Increased Permitting Fees and Delayed Permitting. SB 774 (Leyva; D-Chino) Exposes permittees to unknown, increased fees by providing the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) a blank check to impose additional fees on permittees to implement and perform its statutory requirements when its primary sources of funding have structural deficits and creates substantial uncertainty and delay of facility permitting by interjecting a new board into the organizational structure. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Inactive File 9/14/17

Increases Costs to and Creates Uncertainty for Hazardous Waste Permit Operators. AB 245 (Quirk; D-Hayward) Before amendments, imposed unnecessary new costs on hazardous waste permit operators by requiring a public hearing be held within 90 days of the submittal of a hazardous waste permit renewal application, notwithstanding the multiple existing opportunities for public review; and created uncertainty regarding the application of ambiguous language relating to the adequacy of financial assurances to be reviewed every five years. Opposition removed due to September 1, 2017 amendments. No Position.

To Governor

Increased Costs and Likely Processing Delays for Hazardous Waste Permit Operators. AB 1179 (Kalra; D-San Jose) Prematurely and unnecessarily imposes new costs on hazardous waste permit operators and will likely result in further delays in permit processing by arbitrarily setting inspection frequencies for certain facilities and directing the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to adopt regulations setting inspection frequencies for all facilities, notwithstanding the fact that DTSC is currently reforming its enforcement program at the regulatory level. Oppose.

To Governor

Lost Oil Production. SB 188 (Jackson; D-Santa Barbara) Threatens oil production in the state by prohibiting any new production and eventually forcing closure of existing oil-related infrastructure. Oppose.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Burdensome Disclosure Requirements. AB 1328 (Limón; D-Goleta) Before amendments, increased costs by imposing burdensome chemical disclosure and monitoring requirements on oil and gas operators, and requiring that such information be provided to the State Water Resources Control Board. Opposition removed due to September 6, 2017 amendments. No Position.

To Governor

Repeals Technical Advisory Group on Oil and Gas Development. SB 465 (Jackson; D-Santa Barbara) Inappropriately repeals a long-standing effective advisory group providing technical advice to the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources on production efficiency and reservoir protection and replaces it with an advisory council of at least 16 members, envisioned to include individuals with no technical expertise in such pertinent functions. Oppose.

Assembly Inactive File 9/11/17

Burdensome Regulations. AB 1646 (Muratsuchi; D-Torrance) Before amendments, required additional burdensome regulations to refineries by mandating they install audible alarm systems as well as an emergency alert system for residents, schools, public facilities, hospitals and residential care homes for an unspecified distance around a petroleum refinery to be determined by the relevant local unified program agency. Opposition removed due to September 1, 2017 amendments. No Position.

To Governor

Provides Flexibility in Retail Hazardous Waste Management. AB 514 (Salas; D-Bakersfield) Provides retailers with waste reduction and recycling options by exempting certain goods (e.g., sunscreen, lip balm, saline solution, and homeopathic remedies) from automatic incineration under the California Medical Waste Management Act. Support.

Senate Environmental Quality 7/5/17; Failed Deadline

Creates Unworkable Hazardous Waste Permitting Process. AB 248 (Reyes; D-Grand Terrace) Before amendments, undermined the iterative permit application process by requiring premature submittal of permit renewal application paperwork and created uncertainty by failing to identify the consequences to the regulated community in the event the Department of Toxic Substances Control fails to take action on the permit renewal application within a specified timeframe, even if the permit applicant acted diligently and in good faith throughout the permit application process. Opposition removed due to May 26, 2017 amendments. No Position.

To Governor

Prematurely Increases Penalties on Hazardous Waste Permit Operators. AB 249 (Gomez; D-Los Angeles) Before amendments, prematurely increased penalties on hazardous waste permit operators by imposing the federal per-day penalty of $37,500, notwithstanding the fact that comprehensive reform of the Department of Toxic Substances Control permitting, enforcement and fiscal management is under review and consideration. Gutted and amended to a different subject area June 20, 2017. Opposition removed. No Position.

To Governor

Targeted Tax on Contractors. AB 43 (Thurmond; D-Richmond) Unfairly targets one category of taxpayers to fund a benefit for all of the state by imposing a tax on contractors for the privilege of doing business with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and requires the contractor to absorb the cost while maintaining a price of lowest responsible bidder. Oppose/Job Killer.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17

State Boycott of Border Wall Vendors. SB 30 (Lara; D-Bell Gardens) Unfairly and broadly targets businesses to prohibit them from contracting for goods and services with the state based on principles unrelated to the contractor’s ability to perform the service or provide the goods, the quality of the goods or service, and the cost of the contract. Oppose.

Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review 8/31/17

Costly County Contractor Process. AB 1250 (Jones-Sawyer; D-South Los Angeles) Imposes a cost to contractors with county contracts, subjects contractor and subcontractor employees’ private information to Public Records Act requests, and seeks to severely limit options for these counties to determine the most appropriate solution to providing efficient and effective public service by establishing significant and costly obstacles for agencies and for vendors contracting for personal services. Oppose.

Senate Rules 9/5/17

Prevailing Wages. AB 1066 (Aguiar-Curry; D-Winters) Before amendments, increased costs for tree removal by imposing prevailing wages, placing upward cost pressure for lumber producers, potentially resulting in a negative impact on competitiveness. Opposition removed due to June 29, 2017 amendments. No Position.

To Governor

Government Transparency. AB 1052 (T. Allen; R-Huntington Beach) Increases government transparency and efficiency in government spending by improving the Financial Information System for California (FISCal). Support.

Assembly Appropriations 4/26/17; Failed Deadline

Entrepreneur Assistance to State. AB 86 (Calderon; D-Whittier) Creates the opportunity for government operations to improve policies in new and efficient ways from volunteer entrepreneurs, at no cost to the state. Support.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 7/10/17; Failed Deadline

Government-Run Health Care. SB 562 (Lara; D-Bell Gardens) Penalizes responsible employers and individuals and results in significant new taxes on all Californians and California businesses by creating a new single-payer government-run, multibillion-dollar health care system financed by an unspecified and undeveloped “revenue plan.” Oppose/Job Killer.

Held at Assembly Desk 6/1/17; Failed Deadline

Arbitration Discrimination. SB 538 (Monning; D-Carmel) Unfairly and unlawfully discriminates against arbitration agreements by restricting the formation of antitrust arbitration agreements in hospital contracts, leading to costly litigation over preemption by the Federal Arbitration Act. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Health 6/15/17; Failed Deadline

Increases Health Care Costs. SB 349 (Lara; D-Bell Gardens) Increases health care costs by setting dialysis clinic staffing ratios to the most stringent in the country and mandating transition times between patients leading to patient access issues with no clear evidence of clinical benefit to dialysis patients. Oppose.

Assembly Inactive File 9/12/17

Health Care Coverage Mandate. SB 172 (Portantino; D-La Cañada Flintridge) Increases health care premiums by mandating coverage for fertility preservation services due to infertility caused by necessary medical treatment. Oppose.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/25/17; Failed Deadline

Increases Health Care Premiums. SB 399 (Portantino; D-La Cañada Flintridge) Increases costs and undermines the ability of health care issuers to promote and manage applied behavioral analysis for children with autism by making a number of changes to how the autism services are provided. Oppose.

Senate Health 3/14/17; Failed Deadline

Health Care Mandate. AB 1601 (Bloom; D-Santa Monica) Adds to the problem of rising health care costs by mandating health care issuers to cover hearing aids for enrollees under 18 years of age. Oppose.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Health Care Mandate. AB 1316 (Quirk; D-Hayward) Before amendments, would have driven up health care premiums and costs by mandating health care plans and insurers to cover blood lead poisoning screening for all children, even those not at risk for lead poisoning. Opposition removed due to May 2, 2017 amendments. No Position

To Governor

Limits Access to Care. AB 1380 (Santiago; D-Los Angeles) Before amendments, undermined the ability of respite care providers to provide valuable services and created inconsistent standards by requiring in-home respite service providers through contracts with regional centers to spend at least 85% of regional center funds on direct care expenditures. Opposition removed due to June 29, 2017 amendments. No Position.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Health Care Mandate. AB 1110 (Burke; D-Inglewood) Results in overutilization of covered services and increases health care premiums and costs by mandating that all children, regardless of medical necessity, receive a “comprehensive eye exam” upon enrollment into elementary school. Oppose.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Health Care Coverage Mandate. SB 221 (Wiener; D-San Francisco) Increases health care costs by mandating coverage for surgical and drug treatment of HIV-associated lipodystrophy by health plans and insurers. Oppose.

Senate Health 2/16/17; Failed Deadline

Health Care Mandate. AB 1107 (Nazarian; D-Sherman Oaks) Increases health care costs by interfering with the ability of health plans to develop voluntary, evidence-based oncology clinical pathways that treat patients in accordance with current medical evidence and best practices without exposing patients and purchasers to unnecessary costs. Also unfairly singles out pathways developed by health plans even though national associations, providers, hospitals and drug makers also develop such oncology pathways. Oppose.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Prescription Drug Coupons. AB 265 (Wood; D-Healdsburg) Before amendments, raised consumer awareness regarding drug pricing and helped curb rising drug costs by prohibiting drug manufacturers, when a lower-cost therapeutically equivalent or interchangeable drug is available, from offering coupons or discounts to consumers to reduce consumer out-of-pocket insurance expenses, which in the long term increase health care premiums and costs for all health care purchasers, including employers, by driving consumers to higher-cost brand name drugs. Support position removed due to amendments. No Position.

To Governor

Reduces Rental Housing Supply. AB 1506 (Bloom; D-Santa Monica) Discourages new construction and decreases the rental housing supply by allowing cities and counties to adopt rent control measures without any limitations through the repeal of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (a California law that created a statewide formula for local governments to follow if they elect to implement rent control) and expanding rent control to single-family homes and condominiums. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Housing and Community Development 3/16/17; Failed Deadline

Lowers Vote Requirement for New Tax Increases. ACA 4 (Aguiar-Curry; D-Winters) Adds complexity and uncertainty to the current tax structure and pressure to increase taxes on real property by giving local governments new authority to enact special taxes, including parcel taxes, to fund construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or replacement of public infrastructure or affordable housing, or the acquisition or lease of real property for public infrastructure or affordable housing, and lowering the vote threshold to impose such new taxes from two-thirds to 55%. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Local Government and Assembly Appropriations 4/24/17

Targeted Retail Industry Tax Increase. ACA 11 (Caballero; D-Salinas) Exposes the retail industry to increased taxes by imposing a quarter-cent sales tax increase to fund affordable housing and homeless shelters, without creating greatly needed market rate housing. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Housing and Community Development 8/22/17

Outlaws Certain Local Land Use Initiatives. AB 890 (Medina; D-Riverside) Eliminates Californians’ local initiative power to pursue changes in land use by giving exclusive authority to city councils and county board of supervisors to adopt or amend land use plans, change specified land use or zoning designations, or allow more intensive land uses within existing land use or zoning designations. Oppose.

To Governor

Creates Disincentive to Develop or Own Residential Hotels. AB 423 (Bonta; D-Oakland) Places residential hotels in the City of Oakland in an untenable position by forcing them to stay in business despite a business hardship or inability to meet future code mandates for capital improvements. Oppose.

Assembly Inactive File 9/11/17

Creates Disincentive to Housing Development. AB 915 (Ting; D-San Francisco) Before amendments, increased the cost of housing development by requiring local governments to count the added density bonus units when they calculate the total number of affordable units required for the development, thereby forcing a developer to include an additional number of affordable units in exchange for a density bonus. Opposition removed based on August 21, 2017 amendments. No Position.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Promotes Local Agencies’ Compliance with Housing Accountability Act. AB 678 (Bocanegra; D-Pacoima) Seeks to ensure that local agencies comply with the provisions of the Act by requiring a local agency to make relevant findings if it denies a project, clarifying provisions of the Act, and imposing added penalties on agencies that violate the Act. Support.

To Governor

Discourages No Growth/Development Ordinances. AB 943 (Santiago; D-Los Angeles) Discourages no growth/development ordinances and promotes new housing construction by requiring that an ordinance to curb, delay, or deter growth or development in certain areas of a city and/or county, and under certain conditions, receive a 55% vote to become effective. Support.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Stimulates Additional Housing Production. AB 1515 (Daly; D-Anaheim) Encourages housing project approvals by specifying that a housing development is deemed consistent with local plans and ordinances if there is substantial evidence such that a reasonable person could conclude that the project is consistent. Support.

To Governor

Accountability of Local Agencies for Housing Development Project Decisions. SB 167 (Skinner; D-Berkeley) Promotes accountability for decisions and approval of projects by imposing additional requirements on local agencies when disapproving or conditionally approving a project and imposing penalties for violation of the Act. Support.

To Governor

Unnecessarily Complicates Real Estate Transactions. AB 1059 (Gonzalez Fletcher; D-San Diego) Increases the cost and complications of real estate transactions by prohibiting dual agency real estate agents and firms in commercial real estate. Oppose.

Assembly Judiciary 3/30/17; Failed Deadline

Prevailing Wage on All Development Projects. AB 199 (Chu; D-San Jose) Before amendments, increased housing costs and discouraged development by imposing prevailing wage on all development projects (private and public). Opposition and job killer tag removed due to April 6, 2017 amendments. No Position/Former Job Killer.

To Governor

Erodes Housing Affordability. AB 1505 (Bloom; D-Santa Monica) Before amendments, increased the cost and reduced the supply of housing by authorizing local governments as condition of development to impose a costly and inflexible price-controlled inclusionary housing requirement and, in doing so, legislatively repealed an established court decision upholding developers’ ability to set initial rental rates for new dwelling units. Opposition removed due to May 1, 2017 amendments. Neutral.

To Governor

Expands Prevailing Wage. SB 418 (Hernandez; D-West Covina) Before amendments, increased housing costs and discouraged development by imposing prevailing wage on more projects through defining a public subsidy as de minimis only if it is both less than $275,000 and less than 2% of the total project cost. Opposition removed due to June 20, 2017 amendments. No Position.

To Governor

Employer Liability. AB 450 (Chiu; D-San Francisco) Before amendments, placed employers in a no-win situation between federal immigration enforcement and state enforcement by punishing employers—rather than providing tools and resources for employees when federal immigration enforcement appears at their workplace regardless of whether a violation of law has been committed by the employer. Opposition removed due to September 8, 2017 amendments. No Position.

To Governor

Access to Employer Records. AB 978 (Limón; D-Goleta) Inappropriately allows organizations unaffiliated with the employer to access an undefined and potentially unlimited scope of employer internal documents and circumvents the rulemaking process now underway to provide for access by employees to their employer’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP). Oppose Unless Amended.

To Governor

Increased Cal/OSHA Costs on Employers. SB 772 (Leyva; D-Chino) Blatant attempt to impose excessive costs on employers without transparency and without consideration of alternative methods for Cal/OSHA regulations to meet policy objectives, by exemption from Major Regulation statutory requirements for economic analysis of the most costly regulations. Oppose.

Assembly Floor 9/7/17

Small Business Penalty Relief. AB 442 (Frazier; D-Discovery Bay) Recognizes challenges small businesses face in implementing workplace regulations, and provides relief for employers from Cal/OSHA violations that are nonserious and that the employer remedies. Support.

Assembly Labor and Employment 2/27/17; Failed Deadline

Contains Costs for Business. AB 1679 (Burke; D-Inglewood) Protects business from the rising cost of automobile insurance by providing an alternative and less costly approach to California Department of Insurance method of establishing reasonable repair rates, and clarifies the information provided by the insurance company when an insurable repair is undertaken. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/17/17; Failed Deadline

Public Shaming of California Employers. AB 1209 (Gonzalez Fletcher; D-San Diego) Imposes new data collection mandate on California employers to collect and report data to the Secretary of State regarding the mean and median salaries of men and women in the same job title and job description, determine which employees perform “substantially similar” work, and then have that report posted on a publicly accessible website, where such employers will receive undue scrutiny and criticism for wage disparity that is not unlawful and justified by a bona fide factor. Oppose/Job Killer.

To Governor

Unfair Scheduling Mandate. AB 5 (Gonzalez Fletcher; D-San Diego) Burdens small and large employers with a scheduling mandate that requires employers to offer additional hours of work to employees before hiring a new employee or contractor and exposes employers to multiple threats of costly litigation for technical violations that do not cause an employee any harm. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Appropriations 4/20/17; Failed Deadline

Imposes New Maternity and Paternity Leave Mandate. SB 63 (Jackson; D-Santa Barbara) Unduly burdens and increases costs of small employers with as few as 20 employees by requiring 12 weeks of protected employee leave for child bonding and exposes them to the threat of costly litigation. Oppose/Job Killer.

To Governor

Significant Expansion of California Family Rights Act. SB 62 (Jackson; D-Santa Barbara) Before amendments, increased costs, risk of litigation and created less conformity with federal law by expanding the family members for whom leave may be taken, which will provide a potential 24-week protected leave of absence for employers to administer. Gutted and amended March 20, 2017 to a different subject area. Job killer and oppose tag removed. No Position/Former Job Killer.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Significant Cost Increase on Employers and Costly Litigation. AB 1565 (Thurmond; D-Richmond) Unnecessarily accelerates the minimum salary threshold for exempt employees, which will significantly increase costs, especially on small employers who currently have a delayed increase under the current minimum wage scheduled increases. Oppose.

Senate Inactive File 9/16/17

Labor Commissioner Enhanced Authority. SB 306 (Hertzberg; D-Van Nuys) Unnecessarily allows the Labor Commissioner or employee to seek injunctive relief before completing an investigation and determining retaliation has occurred, as well as exposes employers to a daily $100 penalty, capped at $20,000 for a posting violation. Oppose.

To Governor

Expansion of Liability. AB 1701 (Thurmond; D-Richmond) Unfairly imposes liability onto a direct contractor, as defined, for the wage-and-hour violations of a subcontractor that the direct contractor did not cause. Oppose.

To Governor

Increased Litigation. AB 1008 (McCarty; D-Sacramento) Before amendments, exposed employers to increased litigation under the Fair Employment and Housing Act for utilizing relevant criminal history of an applicant in its employment decisions to maintain safety in its workplace. Opposition removed due to September 8, 2017 amendments. No Position.

To Governor

Pregnancy Discrimination. AB 569 (Gonzalez Fletcher; D-San Diego) Creates a new mandate in the Labor Code, prohibiting employers from taking any adverse employment action against an employee due to the employee’s use of various medical options for reproductive health, even though the Fair Employment and Housing Act currently provides these protections to employees, thereby creating inconsistencies and confusion amongst employers with regard to interpretation and enforcement of these competing provisions. Oppose.

To Governor

Mandated Paid Internships. AB 387 (Thurmond; D-Richmond) Increases costs on health professionals by requiring such employers to pay individuals who are completing internships necessary for licensure, registration, or certification minimum wage, which may ultimately limit employers willing to offer such internship opportunities. Oppose.

Assembly Inactive File 6/1/17; Failed Deadline

Exposure to Litigation. AB 168 (Eggman; D-Stockton) Exposes employers to costly litigation for inquiring into an applicant’s prior salary or failing to provide a pay scale upon demand, even though the employee has not suffered any harm or wage loss as a result of the violation. Oppose.

To Governor

Labor Code Private Attorneys General (PAGA) Act Reform. AB 281 (Salas; D-Bakersfield) Reduces costs to business by reforming PAGA to allow an employer the right to cure a violation before a financially devastating representative action is filed, and if civil litigation is filed, requires the employee seeking penalties on behalf of others to actually have suffered from the alleged violation. Support.

Assembly Labor and Employment 2/13/17; Failed Deadline

Flexible Workweek. AB 1173 (Harper; R-Huntington Beach) Provides employers with the opportunity to accommodate employees’ needs as well as business demands by allowing employees to request a voluntary, flexible workweek agreement that can be repealed by the employee at any time with proper notice. Support.

Assembly Labor and Employment 3/9/17; Failed Deadline

Reliance on Agency Advice. SB 524 (Vidak; R-Hanford) Reduces litigation and encourages compliance with labor laws by allowing employers to rely in good faith on written advice received and published by the Labor Commissioner regarding the interpretation of California’s complex labor and employment laws and regulations. Support/Job Creator.

Failed Passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations 4/26/17; Failed Deadline

Mandated Gratuity Payments. AB 1099 (Gonzalez Fletcher; D-San Diego) Mandates an entity, as defined, to provide an opportunity for a consumer to tip an individual through the use of credit or debit card, which may create confusion, litigation, and interference with innovation in the marketplace. Oppose.

Senate Labor and Industrial Relations 6/14/17; Failed Deadline

Discrimination Against Arbitration Agreements. SB 33 (Dodd; D-Napa) Unfairly discriminates against arbitration agreements contained in consumer contracts for goods or services with a financial institution, as broadly defined, which is likely preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act and will lead to confusion and unnecessary litigation. Oppose/Job Killer.

To Governor

Gender Pricing Mandate. AB 1576 (Levine; D-San Rafael) Unfairly exposes companies to costly, frivolous litigation with an automatic $4,000 in statutory damages for alleged gender pricing discrimination based upon different consumer prices for female versus male products that businesses will be forced to settle to avoid costs or spend significant legal fees demonstrating those differences are based upon objective, nongender-related specific factors. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Inactive File 6/5/17; Failed Deadline

Unfair Competition Litigation. AB 814 (Bloom; D-Santa Monica) Unnecessarily expands the significant authority to issue pre-litigation subpoenas to city attorneys in cities with more than 750,000, even though the District Attorney and Attorney General have this authority and there is no need to expand it to any further agencies. Oppose.

Senate Inactive File 9/16/17

Increased Litigation. AB 889 (M. Stone; D-Scotts Valley) Unnecessarily prohibits the use of protective orders and confidentiality provisions in settlement agreements to protect private information of litigants from public disclosure when any alleged danger to public health or safety is alleged, which will interfere with settlement of cases, increase the use of judicial resources, and extend litigation. Oppose.

Assembly Inactive File 6/1/17; Failed Deadline

ADA Reform. AB 913 (Gray; D-Merced) Reduces frivolous Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) litigation by prohibiting a “high-frequency litigant” from filing any new construction-related accessibility claims without first obtaining permission from the court and allowing a defendant the opportunity to obtain a dismissal of the action if it was filed for an improper purpose. Support.

Failed Passage in Assembly Judiciary 3/28/17; Failed Deadline

Reduction of Evidentiary Standards for Elder Abuse. AB 859 (Eggman; D-Stockton) Increases unnecessary litigation for alleged elder abuse by allowing the opportunity for a plaintiff to reduce the evidentiary standard from clear and convincing evidence to preponderance of evidence if evidence is lost or destroyed. Oppose.

To Governor

ADA Reform. AB 1148 (Steinorth; R-Rancho Cucamonga) Aligns statute to the intent of legislation last year by clarifying the definition of “commercial property” regarding notices concerning construction-related accessibility standards and Certified Access Specialist (CASp) inspections that must be included in a lease agreement. Support.

Signed 7/21/17—Chapter 87 (Urgency)

Wage Garnishment. SB 16 (Wieckowski; D-Fremont) Imposes a significant administrative burden on employers and creates potential liability for unlawful withholding of employee wages if the employer miscalculates the amount to withhold by creating a new formula for wage garnishment due to private student loan debt. Oppose.

Failed Passage in Assembly 6/29/17

Electronic Contracts. AB 380 (Dababneh; D-Encino) Reduces waste and streamlines the car purchase/leasing process by allowing consumers to elect to utilize electronic contracts and signatures. Support.

Senate Judiciary 5/10/17; Failed Deadline

Bans Discounts. AB 709 (McCarty; D-Sacramento) Before amendments, caused retailers lost revenues by banning coupons and other discount programs for the sale of tobacco products and imposed additional civil penalties for violations. Opposition removed due to August 31, 2017 gut and amend to a different subject area. No Position.

Senate Rules 9/1/17

Automatic Renewal and Continuous Services. SB 313 (Hertzberg; D-Van Nuys) Protects the ability of business to offer free gifts or trials while allowing consumers who signed up online to cancel online. Negotiated amendments removed opposition. No Position.

To Governor

Connected Devices. SB 327 (Jackson; D-Santa Barbara) Imposes onerous, duplicative and premature data security and notification mandates on manufacturers and retailers of devices which connect to the internet. Oppose.

Senate Inactive File 6/1/17; Failed Deadline

Internet Service Providers. AB 375 (Chau; D-Monterey Park) Drastically restricts the ability of internet providers to use broad categories of information without providing any new protections for consumers. Oppose.

Senate Inactive File 9/16/17

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). SB 347 (Jackson; D-Santa Barbara) Creates inconsistencies with federal law and risks stunting UAS growth and its associated economic benefits by restricting operations and navigation of UAS and delegating regulation to the California Department of Transportation. Oppose.

Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection 6/12/17; Failed Deadline

Licensee Private Information. AB 1513 (Kalra; D-San Jose) Inappropriately makes the contact information for all home healthcare licensees available to labor organizations for the stated purpose of unionizing. Oppose.

To Governor

Electronic Device Privacy. AB 165 (Cooper; D-Elk Grove) Rolls back important protections of the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA) by ending the application of the CalECPA to a local educational agency. Oppose.

Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection 1/30/17; Failed Deadline

Personal Information Breach Protection. AB 241 (Dababneh; D-Encino) Protects consumers who use government services by requiring government agencies to provide theft prevention and mitigation services to California residents if certain personal information is breached and conforms these requirements with existing private sector data breach requirements. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Identify Theft. AB 1297 (Chau; D-Monterey Park) Appropriately penalizes the criminals who cause the most significant harm by enhancing the punishment for perpetrators of identity theft based on the number of affected victims. Support.

Assembly Public Safety 3/13/17; Failed Deadline

Breach Notification. AB 1359 (Chau; D-Monterey Park) Significantly increases the exposure risk for sensitive information by expanding the entities that receive notification of a breach. Oppose.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/16; Failed Deadline

Rental Car Liability. SB 466 (Bates; R-Laguna Niguel) Protects rental car companies from civil liability when they assist law enforcement in finding missing children by permitting the company to access the GPS information in a vehicle that is subject to an AMBER alert. Support.

Signed 7/31/17—Chapter 163

Rental Car Returns. AB 1185 (O’Donnell; D-Long Beach) Protects the assets of a rental car company by updating the time frame that allows the company to determine in a timely manner the status of a company vehicle when it is past the return date while still protecting the privacy of customers during the rental period. Support.

Senate Judiciary 5/24/17; Failed Deadline

Expanded Polystyrene Ban. SB 705 (B. Allen; D-Santa Monica) Increases cost of prepared food, overly burdens the restaurant industry, and threatens loss of jobs by banning food service containers made from expanded polystyrene foam as of January 1, 2020. Oppose/Job Killer.

Senate Inactive File 6/1/17; Failed Deadline

Burdensome Mandate on Beverage Containers. AB 319 (M. Stone; D-Scotts Valley) Drives up the cost of beverages and imposes impractical technology requirements by requiring that the cap of a single-use plastic beverage container be tethered or affixed to the container. Oppose.

Assembly Natural Resources 2/21/17; Failed Deadline

Sidesteps the Safer Consumer Products Program Process. AB 958 (Ting; D-San Francisco) Politically rather than scientifically identifies certain chemicals used in food packaging as priority products under the Safer Consumer Products program, and directs the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to adopt regulations with regard to those chemicals, unless it determines there is insufficient data to conduct and complete the priority product evaluation and regulatory process. If DTSC makes the foregoing determination, it must pursue the data necessary to conduct and complete the evaluation and regulatory process. Oppose Unless Amended.

Senate Appropriations 8/21/17

State-Only Labeling. SB 258 (Lara; D-Bell Gardens) Imposes a state-only labeling requirement on manufacturers of cleaning products that expands ingredient disclosure requirements on-label and online, and requires employers to provide to employees the information disclosed online by manufacturers through certain California occupational safety and health procedures. Concerns.

To Governor

Greater Transparency in Proposition 65 Cases. AB 1583 (Chau; D-Monterey Park) Promotes transparency and fairness by allowing the alleged Proposition 65 violator to obtain the factual basis for the Certificate of Merit through normal civil discovery procedures. Support.

To Governor

Promotes Greater Transparency and a Level Playing Field in Proposition 65 Cases. AB 1621 (T. Allen; R-Huntington Beach) Reduces litigation costs and levels the playing field by requiring private enforcers of Proposition 65 to provide the alleged violator with the factual basis for the Certificate of Merit at the same time the information is provided to the Attorney General, a district attorney, or city attorney or prosecutor; making the basis for the certificate of merit discoverable; and authorizing a court to award reasonable attorney’s fees to a defendant who has prevailed in a final determination of the action. Support.

Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials 3/30/17

State-Only Labeling. AB 1575 (Kalra; D-San Jose) Before amendments, would have driven up the cost to businesses using professional cosmetic products by requiring state-only ingredient disclosure on the labels of such products, which failed to protect confidential business information, exacerbated the “overwarning” problem, and undermined existing worker protection laws. Opposition removed due to June 21, 2017 amendments. Neutral.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Divestiture. AB 946 (Ting; D-San Francisco) Unfairly targets businesses in which to divest from state retirement funds on principles unrelated to fiduciary responsibility to the retirees. Oppose.

Assembly Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security 3/27/17; Failed Deadline

Investment Report. AB 20 (Kalra; D-San Jose) Broadly targets businesses and inappropriately discourages certain investments by requiring the boards of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) to develop a report on companies associated with the Dakota Access Pipeline. Oppose.

To Governor

New Recycling Bureaucracy for Food Service Plastic Packaging. AB 1659 (Low; D-Campbell) Increases plastic packaging manufacturers’ costs by establishing a new bureaucracy requiring producers of food service packaging to form one or more food service plastic packaging stewardship organizations for plastics resins 1-7, and submit a plastic packaging stewardship plan for each plastic resin distributed, sold, or used in the state. Oppose.

Assembly Natural Resources 4/3/17; Failed Deadline

New Recycling Organization for Beverage Containers. SB 168 (Wieckowski; D-Fremont) Increases beverage container manufacturers’ costs and creates uncertainty by establishing a new organization requiring them to develop and submit a plan and budget for recycling of beverage containers similar to that of the Used Mattress Recovery and Recycling Act, including the establishment of a stewardship fee to fund the costs of implementing the program. Oppose.

Senate Inactive File 6/1/17; Failed Deadline

Small Business Penalty Relief. AB 912 (Obernolte; R-Big Bear Lake) Recognizes the challenges small businesses face in implementing complex state rules by allowing adjustment of civil penalties based upon specific mitigating factors. Support/Job Creator.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Regulatory Reform. AB 12 (Cooley; D-Rancho Cordova) Promotes greater accountability, improved efficiency and modernization of regulations by requiring agencies to review and update their regulations. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Regulatory Reform. AB 77 (Fong; R-Bakersfield) Strengthens the accountability, transparency and oversight of the state’s regulatory process by the Legislature, which paves the way to effective and least burdensome regulations. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Business Penalty Relief. AB 1005 (Calderon; D-Whittier) Recognizes challenges businesses face in implementing myriad business regulations by allowing a business to fix the violation before an administrative penalty is imposed. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Regulatory Review. SB 555 (Morrell; R-Rancho Cucamonga) Brings accountability and transparency to regulations that California businesses must comply with, to open opportunities that could improve the regulatory climate for business through regulatory review. Support.

Failed Passage in Senate Governmental Organization 3/28/17; Reconsideration Granted; Failed Deadline

Small Business. AB 657 (Cunningham; R-Templeton) Helps small business navigate state regulations by increasing ability to contact small business liaisons in each agency. Support.

Signed 7/21/17—Chapter 81

Targeted Tax on High Earners. AB 1356 (Eggman; D-Stockton) Unfairly increases the personal income tax rate to 14.3%, the highest in the country, on one category of taxpayers (including sole proprietors), who already pay over half of the income tax revenue to the general fund, forcing them to mitigate costs through means including reducing workforce, in order to fund higher education that will benefit all of California. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Higher Education 3/30/17

Targeted Tax on Sweetened Beverages. AB 1003 (Bloom; D-Santa Monica) Unfairly imposes a targeted excise tax on distributors of sweetened beverages to fund health-related programs for all, which will force distributors to reduce costs through higher prices to consumers or limiting their workforce. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Rules 4/26/17

Targeted Tax on Opioids. AB 1512 (McCarty; D-Sacramento) Unfairly imposes an excise tax on opioid distributors in California, which will increase their costs and force them to adopt measures that include reducing workforce and increasing drug prices for ill patients who need these medications the most, in order to fund drug prevention and rehabilitation programs that will benefit all of California. Oppose/Job Killer.

Assembly Revenue and Taxation 4/19/17

Multiple Tax Increases on California Employers. SB 567 (Lara; D-Bell Gardens) Proposes multiple tax increases on California employers, including requiring payment of capital gains on the inheritance of a family business as well as eliminating a deduction for corporations with regard to CEO compensation, when California already has the highest personal income tax and sales tax rates in the country, as well as one of the highest corporate tax rates, which will discourage job growth in California. Oppose/Job Killer.

Senate Inactive File 6/1/17

Targeted Tax on Alcohol. AB 479 (Gonzalez Fletcher; D-San Diego) Unfairly imposes an additional targeted excise tax on manufacturers, importers, and wholesalers of distilled spirits and a floor tax, that will increase their costs and force them to reduce in other areas, including labor. Oppose/Job Killer.

Failed Passage in Assembly Revenue and Taxation 5/8/17; Reconsideration Granted

Estate Tax. SB 726 (Wiener; D-San Francisco) Creates the opportunity to impose a state estate tax that will significantly harm family-owned or closely held businesses that are transferred upon death, and will add another layer of taxes on Californians. Oppose.

Senate Governance and Finance 3/29/17

Expansion of Manufacturing Sales Tax Exemption. AB 600 (Cooper; D-Elk Grove) Expands the existing manufacturing sales tax exemption to allow more businesses and manufacturing equipment to qualify, which will incentivize manufacturers to stay in California and grow their manufacturing presence here. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17

Elimination of Deduction for Punitive Damages. SB 66 (Wieckowski; D-Fremont) Increases California employers’ tax exposure and leverages such employers into costly settlements by eliminating the existing deduction for punitive damages, which would also create a lack of conformity with federal law. Oppose.

Assembly Revenue and Taxation 6/12/17

Manufacturing and Research Tax Credit. SB 600 (Galgiani; D-Stockton) Enhances the existing manufacturing and research-and-development incentive program to draw to the state high-paying jobs from across multiple industry segments and to fuel our economic expansion by extending the sunset date for the credit, expanding who qualifies and expanding the useful life definition. Support.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/25/17

Taxpayer Refund. AB 433 (Bocanegra; D-Pacoima) Eases the refund process for taxpayers by allowing a business or person the ability to assign the right to claim a refund for any sales tax in excess of $50,000, to the taxpayer. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Property Tax Assessment. AB 652 (Flora; R-Ripon) Eliminates confusion by clarifying that property is not provided a base year value for purposes of assessment until construction is complete. Support.

Signed 7/21/17—Chapter 80 (Tax Levy)

Offers in Compromise. AB 525 (Aguiar-Curry; D-Winters) Provides an avenue for taxpayers to resolve certain tax liabilities by extending the sunset date to allow the Board of Equalization to continue to enter into offers to compromise on tax liability. Support.

To Governor

Notice of Parcel Tax. AB 448 (Daly; D-Anaheim) Provides timely notice by requiring any local agency within 30 days of the approval of a new parcel tax to provide notice of the parcel tax to any property owner that does not reside within the jurisdiction of the agency. Support.

Senate Governance and Finance 6/8/17

Reduction of Penalties. AB 449 (Calderon; D-Whittier) Relieves taxpayers of financial penalties who mistakenly fail and who have paid all their taxes in full to obtain a reduction of the penalty for failure to furnish information to the Franchise Tax Board from 25% to 15%. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Minimum Franchise Tax Payments. AB 1085 (Calderon; D-Whittier) Provides flexibility to business by providing options for a business to pay the minimum franchise tax: by the 4th month of the year, in three equal installments over the year, or two equal installments. Support.

Senate Governance and Finance 6/14/17

Relief from Penalties. SB 11 (Gaines; R-El Dorado Hills) Protects against inappropriate assessment of penalties for a late tax payment for sales-and-use tax to the Board of Equalization (BOE) when the failure to make a payment was due to the BOE’s website. Support.

To Governor

Tax Administration. AB 1171 (Obernolte; R-Big Bear Lake) Alleviates the burden on the accelerated filing deadline for 2016 taxes by providing relief from penalties for partnership filings that are filed by October 2017. Support.

Senate Governance and Finance 6/8/17

Tax Credits. AB 1347 (Ridley-Thomas; D-Los Angeles) Limits the effectiveness of a tax credit by requiring any taxpayer to provide the tax credit to satisfy “supplier diversity goals,” defined as procurement of supplies from minority-owned business entities, and reduces the amount of a credit based upon the taxpayer’s satisfaction of the diversity goals, as well as subjects the taxpayer to penalties. Oppose Unless Amended.

Assembly Revenue and Taxation 3/13/17

Relief from Penalties. SB 375 (Bradford; D-Gardena) Relieves a taxpayer from any penalty for failure to file a timely tax return or provide information to the Franchise Tax Board if the taxpayer was not previously required to file a tax return or has not been assessed any penalties in the prior four tax years. Support.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/25/17; Failed Deadline

Notice to Taxpayers. SB 348 (Leyva; D-Chino) Educates taxpayers by requiring an election official to include in each county voter information guide information regarding the process for initiating a validation action challenging a levy or special tax. Support.

Assembly Local Government 6/14/17

5G Wireless Rollout. SB 649 (Hueso; D-San Diego) Maintains California’s leading edge of new technology by providing more uniform permit cost and procedure for 5G small cell installation in public rights of way. Support.

To Governor

Tourism Stimulus. SB 187 (Berryhill; R-Twain Harte) Helps reverse California’s unprecedented decline in recreational fishing participation, which will increase jobs and tourism in the areas that depend on sport fishing, by changing the way fishing licenses are issued. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Tourism Stimulus. AB 478 (Waldron; R-Escondido) Helps reverse California’s unprecedented decline in recreational fishing participation, which will increase jobs and tourism in the areas that depend on sport fishing, by changing the way fishing licenses are issued. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Tourism Stimulus. AB 986 (Gallagher; R-Yuba City) Helps reverse California’s unprecedented decline in recreational fishing participation, which will increase jobs and tourism in the areas that depend on sport fishing, by reducing fishing license fees for veterans. Support.

Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 4/26/17; Failed Deadline

U.S.-China Tourism Year. ACR 50 (Chu; D-San Jose) Encourages continued travel between China and the United States that is expected to result in $5 billion to the California economy from Chinese visitors. Support.

To Enrollment

Transportation Funding Package. SB 1 (Beall; D-San Jose) Improves California’s transportation system by providing long-term revenues to fix roads, freeways and bridges across California and put more dollars toward transit and safety. Support.

Signed 4/28/17—Chapter 5 (Urgency)

Lowers Vote Requirement for Tax Increases. SCA 6 (Wiener; D-San Francisco) Adds complexity and uncertainty to the current tax structure and pressure to increase taxes on commercial, industrial and residential property owners by giving local governments new authority to enact special taxes, including parcel taxes, by lowering the vote threshold from two-thirds to 55%. Oppose/Job Killer.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 5/25/17

Streamlines Licensing. SB 182 (Bradford; D-Gardena) Eases burdens on transportation network companies by allowing drivers to obtain a single business license to operate in the state. Support.

To Governor

Streamlines Regulations. SB 145 (Hill; D-San Mateo) Streamlines regulations for autonomous vehicles by eliminating the additional burdensome step of the Department of Motor Vehicles requirement to notify the Legislature upon receipt of an application seeking approval to operate an autonomous vehicle. Support.

To Governor

Provides Clarity. AB 1222 (Quirk; D-Hayward) Provides clarity for businesses who use two-way wireless communications devices that are essential to performing job duties by updating the definition of “electronic wireless communication device.” Support.

To Governor

Stifles Innovation. SB 802 (Skinner; D-Berkeley) Before amendments, would have stifled innovation of autonomous vehicles by prohibiting Level 4 and 5 autonomous vehicles from testing in California unless they are battery electric vehicles or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Now creates a task force to review policies as they relate to new types of motor vehicles. Opposition removed due to April 20, 2017 amendments. Neutral.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Conservation. AB 1654 (Rubio; D-Baldwin Park) Ensures that business has a seat at the table with state water authorities in developing water use efficiency and long-term conservation regulations that will affect competitiveness. Support was contingent on the passage of companion bill, AB 968 (Rubio), which was held in Assembly Appropriations so CalChamber now has no position. Amendments stripped bill to intent language. Expected to be part of water conservation package. No Position.

Senate Rules 7/17/17

Water Conservation. AB 1668 (Friedman; D-Glendale) Before amendments, potentially damaged the viability of commercial, industrial and institutional businesses by imposing a one-size-fits-all water management plan without regard to local conditions. Opposition removed due to August 29, 2017 amendments. Neutral

Senate Rules 9/15/17

Water Conservation. SB 606 (Skinner; D-Berkeley) Before amendments, potentially damaged the viability of commercial, industrial and institutional businesses by imposing a one-size-fits-all water management plan without regard to local conditions. Opposition removed due to August 29, 2017 amendments. Neutral.

Assembly Floor 9/13/17

Water Use. AB 968 (Rubio; D-Baldwin Park) Ensures that business has a seat at the table with state water authorities in developing water use efficiency and long-term conservation regulations that will affect their competitiveness. Companion bill to AB 1654 (Rubio). Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Expanded State Authority. AB 1667 (Friedman; D-Glendale) Jeopardizes business operations by granting extensive new authority to the State Water Board and the Department of Water Resources to impose new water use mandates on water districts. Oppose.

Senate Natural Resources and Water 7/11/17; Failed Deadline

Expanded State Authority. AB 1669 (Friedman; D-Glendale) Increases the cost of doing business in the state through new mandatory indoor and outdoor water use reductions without consulting the business community on the viability of such requirements. Companion bill to AB 1668 (Friedman). Oppose.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Delta Conveyance. AB 791 (Frazier; D-Discovery Bay) Delays design, permitting and construction of twin tunnels and adds years to the completion of water conveyance throughout the state by adding additional data requirements that provide no added benefits to the public process or environment. Oppose.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline

Delta Conveyance. AB 792 (Frazier; D-Discovery Bay) Places additional roadblocks to the construction of much-needed water conveyance by imposing another permit requirement from an additional agency. Oppose.

Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife 3/20/17; Failed Deadline

Delta. AB 793 (Frazier; D-Discovery Bay) Potentially imposes Delta maintenance and repair obligations on water ratepayers without commensurate benefits. Oppose.

Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife 3/2/17; Failed Deadline

Water Tax. SB 623 (Monning; D-Carmel) Unfairly imposes a discriminatory tax on businesses to fund projects for which they receive no benefit. Oppose.

Assembly Rules 9/1/17

Land Use. SB 252 (Dodd; D-Napa) Before amendments, curtailed landowners’ use of private property by imposing more restrictions on well permits. Opposition removed due to July 17, 2017 amendments. Neutral.

To Governor

Water Conveyance. AB 1000 (Friedman; D-Glendale) Prohibits new water projects in a specific part of the state by adding more unnecessary and unreasonable permit requirements for water conveyance. Oppose.

Held in Senate Appropriations Suspense File 9/1/17

Certification Programs. AB 1529 (Thurmond; D-Richmond) Unfairly gives preference to union-based certification programs over those provided by other vendors who meet regulations developed by the State Water Resources Control Board or California Building Standards Commission. Oppose.

Senate Inactive File 9/15/17

Water Rights. AB 313 (Gray; D-Merced) Provides a fair dispute resolution process for water rights complaints by removing the authority from the State Water Board to the Office of Administrative Hearings. Currently, the State Board is the permitting agency as well as the appellate body. Support.

To Governor

Water Efficiency. SB 564 (McGuire; D-Healdsburg) Reduces water use by providing a funding mechanism for property owners to purchase water efficient equipment and drought tolerant landscaping. Support.

To Governor

Goals. AB 554 (Cunningham; R-Templeton) Creates an incentive to continue to pursue desalination projects as a viable means to create additional water supply by establishing a desalination goal. Support.

Held in Assembly Appropriations Suspense File 5/26/17; Failed Deadline