2019 Job Creators List

The California Chamber of Commerce has released its list of job creator bills, calling attention to 9 bills that will stimulate the economy and improve the state’s jobs climate.

Since beginning the list in 2008, CalChamber has strongly supported policies to improve California’s business climate and nurture the economy.

The list of 2019 job creator bills follows:

AB 23 (Burke; D-Inglewood) Workforce Coordination. Establishes the Business Workforce Coordination Unit, which will help provide California with a workforce that is employment-ready and trained in industry sectors that have the greatest workforce needs. Vetoed.

AB 371 (Frazier; D-Discovery Bay) Creates Incentives for Freight Efficiency. Creates opportunity for growth in the freight sector by creating incentives for cost-effective transition to clean fleet technology and requiring agencies to ensure a sustainable California freight industry. Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee 5/16/19.

AB 906 (Cooley; D-Rancho Cordova) Creation of Statewide, Economic Development Strategy. California faces significant economic challenges, and this bill requires the creation of a statewide, economic development strategy that will improve California’s economic competitiveness. Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee 5/16/19.

AB 1195 (O’Donnell; D-Long Beach) Encourages Technological Innovation. Allows credit under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard to innovative crude technologies, including carbon capture and sequestration, energy storage, and renewable natural gas or biogas. Creates jobs by encouraging the development of new technology to meet California’s ambitious climate change goals. Vetoed.

AB 1303 (O’Donnell; D-Long Beach) Career Technical Education. Before amendments, increased funding for the Career Technical Education Incentive Grant program, which provides students with relevant, industry-aligned skills training and instruction to prepare them for California’s changing job market. As amended 6/24/19 to deal with school facilities, CalChamber has no position.

AB 1545 (Obernolte; R-Big Bear Lake) Small Business Penalty Relief. Recognizes the challenges small businesses face in implementing complex state rules by allowing adjustment of civil penalties based upon specific mitigating factors. Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee 5/16/19.

SB 601 (Morrell; R-Rancho Cucamonga) License Relief for Disaster Victims. Allows state agencies that issue business licenses to establish a procedure to reduce licensing fees for businesses affected by emergencies to help California businesses rebuild after disasters. Signed. Chapter 854, Statutes of 2019.

SB 621 (Glazer; D-Contra Costa) CEQA Streamline for Affordable Housing. Streamlines litigation and thereby lowers the cost to construct affordable housing projects meeting specified environmental criteria and certified under an environmental impact report by requiring that any CEQA actions challenging such projects be resolved by a court within 270 days. This reduction in litigation and costs will expedite these projects, provide more housing, and additional jobs. In Assembly Natural Resources 6/6/19. Failed deadline.

SB 659 (Borgeas; R-Fresno) CEQA Attorney’s Fees. Minimizes frivolous CEQA litigation challenging housing projects, thereby helping to streamline their construction and reducing costs, by requiring a court to award reasonable attorney’s fees to a prevailing respondent or real party in interest in CEQA cases challenging the development of infill housing. This reduction in litigation and costs will expedite these projects, provide more housing, and additional jobs. Held in Senate Appropriations Committee 5/16/19. Failed deadline.