CalChamber-Opposed Bills Dead for Year
California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bills on a variety of subjects have missed this year’s deadline to move from legislative policy to fiscal committees and are dead for the year.
The following bills aren’t eligible to be acted upon again until January 2026.
AB 916 (Lee; D-San Jose) Ban on Antimicrobial Soaps. Sidesteps scientific process used by state to ensure protection of the public by banning antimicrobial soaps, resulting in potential wide-ranging negative impacts to consumers, immunocompromised individuals, food handlers, and others who depend on effective bacteria-killing products to stop the spread of disease. Makes food supply chain more vulnerable to food-borne disease spread. In Assembly Health Committee 3/25/2025; failed deadline.
AB 1157 (Kalra; D-San Jose) Statewide Rent Control. Imposes permanent statewide rent control on rental housing, including single-family homes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and individually owned condominiums, by capping annual rent increases at 2% plus the change in the cost of living, or 5%, whichever is lower. In Assembly Judiciary Committee 4/24/2025; failed deadline.
SB 667 (Archuleta; D-Pico Rivera) Train Length. Imposes an arbitrary one-size-fits-all limit on train length and does not allow railroads flexibility to take into account multiple driving factors. Ignores federal data showing dramatic improvement in rail safety. Federal preemption by Commerce Clause and federal law supported repeatedly by court rulings. In Senate Transportation Committee 4/2/2025; failed deadline.
AB 269 (Bennett; D-Ventura) Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program. Expands to dam removal projects eligibility to receive funding under program currently reserved for dam safety projects, potentially leaving the dam safety projects further underfunded. In Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee 2/10/2025; failed deadline.
AB 575 (Arambula; D-Fresno) Health Care Premiums Increase. Mandates health plans maintain specific coverage for obesity treatments, including intensive behavioral therapy and at least one anti-obesity medication without prior authorization, thereby increasing costs and exacerbating health care affordability issues. In Assembly Health Committee 2/24/2025; failed deadline.
SB 799 (Allen; D-Santa Monica) Creates Duplicative Tax Enforcement via the False Claims Act. Enables the Attorney General to duplicate (and potentially conflict with) the tax enforcement efforts of the tax agencies and also allows lawsuits by private counsel related to alleged tax fraud. Failed passage in Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee, 4/23/2025; failed deadline.