A handful of California Chamber of Commerce-supported job creator bills remain eligible to advance in the legislative process this year following key deadlines.
Last Friday, May 1 was the deadline for bills to move from policy committees to fiscal committees in the house where the legislation originated. Friday, May 15 is the deadline for nonfiscal bills to pass policy committees.
The job creator bills still alive are listed below along with their current locations.
Creates Construction Jobs
AB 35 (Chiu; D-San Francisco) Creates Affordable Housing Opportunities. Expands the existing low-income housing tax credit program, making the state better able to leverage an estimated $200 million more in Federal Tax Credits. Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee hearing May 11.
AB 323 (Olsen; R-Modesto) Expedites and Reduces Cost for Roadway Repair and Maintenance Projects. Streamlines infrastructure development by extending until January 1, 2020 the current CEQA exemption for certain roadway repair and maintenance projects. Passed Assembly, April 27; awaits assignment to a committee in the Senate.
Improved Legal Climate
AB 54 (Olsen; R-Modesto) Disability Access Litigation Reform. Seeks to limit frivolous litigation regarding construction-related accessibility standards by incentivizing employers to obtain a Certified Access Specialist inspection by providing a tax credit for such inspections. Assembly Revenue and Taxation hearing May 11.
SB 67 (Galgiani; D-Stockton) Disability Access Litigation Reform. Seeks to limit frivolous litigation against small businesses and those that have sought to comply, by limiting remedies to injunctive relief and expanding the current period to correct any violation from 60 to 120 days. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing May 12.
SB 251 (Roth; D-Riverside) Incentivizing Disability Access and Education. Seeks to limit frivolous litigation and claims regarding construction-related accessibility claims by providing businesses who have proactively sought to become Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant with an opportunity to resolve any identified violations as well as provide a limited period in which to resolve technical violations that do not actually impede access.
Tourism
SB 249 (Hueso; D-San Diego) Enhanced Driver’s License. Encourages international trade and tourism by authorizing the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue enhanced driver licenses to U.S. citizens to expedite legal traffic at the border. In Senate Appropriations Committee.
Two-Year Bills
Following are bills that either missed deadlines to advance this year or whose authors have indicated they do not plan to pursue action this year. The bills will be eligible to be considered in January 2016.
AB 52 (Gray; D-Merced) Disability Access Litigation Reform. Seeks to improve access for disabled customers and limit frivolous litigation against businesses for construction-related accessibility claims by providing an opportunity for the businesses to timely resolve any potential violations. In Assembly Judiciary Committee.
AB 641 (Mayes; R-Yucca Valley) Expedites and Reduces Cost for Housing Projects. Streamlines and reduces regulatory burdens for the approval and construction of housing developments by providing an expedited review process under the California Environmental Quality Act. Failed passage in Assembly Natural Resources Committee, April 27.
AB 588 (Grove; R-Bakersfield) Reduces Frivolous Litigation. Seeks to limit frivolous litigation under the Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act, by allowing an employer a 33-day right to cure technical violations on an itemized wage statement that did not cause any injury to the employee. In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee.
AB 1252 (Jones; R-Santee) Protects Businesses from Proposition 65 Lawsuits. Provides needed relief to small businesses by prohibiting a person from bringing a Proposition 65 lawsuit against a business employing fewer than 25 employees. Failed passage in Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee, April 14. Reconsideration granted.
AB 1470 (Alejo; D-Salinas) Reduction of Costly Employment Class Action Litigation. Limits frivolous class action litigation against employers in California who are creating high-paying jobs by creating a rebuttable presumption that employees earning at least $100,000 and performing no manual labor and at least one exempt duty are exempt from overtime requirements. In Assembly Labor and Employment.
AB 1038 (Jones; R-Santee) Flexible Workweek. 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. Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment, April 22. Reconsideration granted.
