Yesterday, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed his final budget, which included three California Chamber of Commerce-supported budget trailer bills that incorporated language from job creator bills.
- AB 1808 (Committee on Budget) extends and improves the Career Technical Education Incentive Grant program, which provides students with necessary training and education to prepare them for a variety of career options.
- AB 1809 (Committee on Budget) appropriates $10 million to create the California State Pathways in Technology program, to create public-private partnerships to prepare students for high-skilled, high-demand jobs in technology, manufacturing, health care and finance.
- SB 871 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) extends California’s tax incentive for motion pictures and television productions for an additional five years.
Career Technical Education
AB 1808 and AB 1809 contain similar provisions to CalChamber-supported and identified job creators, AB 1743 (O’Donnell; D-Long Beach) and SB 1243 (Portantino; D-La Cañada Flintridge) respectively.
The CalChamber supported the budget trailer bills because they include robust and ongoing funding for career technical education (CTE) and STEM programs. Permanent support for CTE from the CTE Incentive Grants and from the Strong Workforce program will bring certainty to the many districts and communities working to facilitate long-term planning, hiring and design for these important programs.
Reconciling these updated and new programs to deliver their goals for schools and employers will take diligent cooperation and focus by the Legislature, administration, Department of Education, community colleges, local school districts, and employers.
The CalChamber stands ready to assist in the implementation challenges, in the ultimate interest of improving high school completion and proficiency, and employer talent recruitment needs.
Extension of Film Tax Credits
SB 871 included provisions from job creator bills AB 1734 (Calderon; D-Whittier) and SB 951 (Mitchell; D-Los Angeles), extending California’s tax incentive for motion pictures and television productions for an additional five years. This tax incentive has proven effective in maintaining jobs in California and growing jobs in this industry.
In 2014, the State Legislature enacted an expanded motion picture and television production tax credit program, which has proven to be a success in keeping more film and television productions—and the jobs these productions generate—here in California.
The current program has a sunset date of July 1, 2020. However, planning for both motion picture and television productions typically occurs several years in advance, and productions rely on the certainty that the incentive will be available, as location decisions are made.
For the full text of the Budget Act and associated legislation, visit: www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Additional details on the 2018–19 State Budget can be found at www.ebudget.ca.gov.
