Job Killer Bills Miss Key Legislative Deadline

Three of the five remaining California Chamber of Commerce Job Killer bills missed the May 24 deadline to pass the house in which they were introduced.

Although these bills have the potential to resurface later in the legislative session, the likelihood is low for two of the bills while a vote in the next week or two is possible for a third.

Due to amendments agreed to with the author, the CalChamber is removing the job killer tag on AB 2499 (Schiavo; D-Chatsworth).

Stalled Bills

The following job killer bills failed to pass before the May 24 deadline:

• ACA 16 (Bryan; D-Los Angeles): Has far-reaching negative consequences that would impair government operations, stunt development for new housing, infrastructure and clean energy project development and the strong potential to destabilize California’s economy. This constitutional amendment still is likely to come up for a vote in the next couple of weeks.

• SB 1327 (Glazer; D-Contra Costa): Implements a discriminatory 7.25% tax on the revenue generated from the sale of digital advertising. The bill is likely unconstitutional and will lead to costly litigation for the state.

• SB 1497 (Menjivar; D-Los Angeles): Imposes an ill-defined tax on a broad set of entities that will increase costs for goods and services in California.

Amended to Remove Job Killer Tag

AB 2499 (Schiavo; D-Chatsworth) will be amended to remove certain qualifying reasons for leave that are not related to safety, narrow the accommodations provisions, and limit the amount of time off an employee can take for certain reasons. The Appropriations Committee had also amended the threshold of applicability to apply to employers with 25 or more employees, which is consistent with existing law. Before amendments, it significantly expanded the 12-week leave related to crimes and lowered the threshold of applicability to employers with just five employees.

Opposed Bills Stopped

Additionally, three CalChamber-opposed bills also failed to pass their house of origin. The following bills are dead for the year:

• AB 2648 (Bennett; D-Ventura): Prohibits the state from purchasing and all food services inside state facilities from offering any single-use plastic bottled beverages despite this packaging having one of the highest recycling rates in the country and despite the negative impacts to both the environment and state budget from using less efficient and more expensive packaging.

• AB 3155 (Friedman; D-Glendale): Sets disturbing precedent by creating liability without proof for oil well owners/operators if individuals who lived within 3,200 feet of a wellhead develop certain health conditions.

• SB 1494 (Glazer; D-Contra Costa): Eliminates an important economic development tool by prohibiting local governments from entering into sales tax sharing agreements with businesses. SB 1494 failed passage on a vote of 17-11 on May 23; reconsideration was granted.