Fiscal committees in both houses of the Legislature are the deciding ground this week for California Chamber of Commerce-supported job creator proposals.
A couple of bills already have been sent to the suspense file pending a review of their fiscal impacts. That pause in a bill’s advance through the legislative process is only temporary, however. By Friday, the fiscal committees will act on the bills on the suspense file and potentially move them along for a vote by the entire Senate or Assembly.
Another bill is scheduled to be considered by a fiscal committee today.
The CalChamber is encouraging members to contact their legislators, members of the appropriations committees in both houses and legislative leaders to express support for the following bills.
Creates Construction Jobs
AB 35 (Chiu; D-San Francisco) Creates Affordable Housing Opportunities. Promotes affordable housing by expanding the existing low-income housing tax credit program, making the state better able to leverage an estimated $200 million more in Federal Tax Credits. Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file; hearing set for August 27.
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. Assembly Appropriations Committee suspense file; hearing set for August 27.
Improved Legal Climate
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 that have proactively sought to become ADA compliant with an opportunity to resolve any identified violations as well as provide a tax credit for such improvements. Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing August 26.
Senate Floor
One job creator bill that aims to limit frivolous, costly litigation, AB 1506 (R. Hernández; D-West Covina), is awaiting a vote on the Senate Floor.
The bill provides employers with a limited opportunity to cure technical violations on an itemized wage statement that does not create any injury to an employee, by allowing the employer a limited time period to fix the violation before any civil litigation is pursued, so that an employer can devote its financial resources to expanding its workforce.
CalChamber is urging businesses to contact their Senate and Assembly representatives and ask them to supoprt AB 35, AB 1506, SB 249, and SB 251.
For more information on the 2015 job creator bills, visit www.CalChamber.com/JobCreators.
