Proposals Aim to Improve Job Climate, Help California’s Economic Recovery
The California Chamber of Commerce identified the following bills as job creators that will help improve the economy.
These bills are a part of CalChamber’s 2012 Renew Agenda and will help position California for economic recovery.
All nine job creator bills that passed the Legislature in 2012 were signed into law.
Click on the bill numbers below for more information.
Environmental Regulation
AB 890 (Olsen; R-Modesto) CEQA Reform — Improves safety and roadway conditions that expedite goods and people movement by exempting roadway projects from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process. Signed by Governor—Chapter 528.
AB 1073 (Fuentes; D-Sylmar) Project Streamlining — Promotes the use of cost-efficient energy by allowing a solar facility to convert from solar thermal technology to photovoltaic technology without having to file a new application. Signed by Governor, 5/23/12—Chapter 14 (urgency).
AB 1095 (B. Berryhill; R-Ceres) Reduces Regulatory Burdens — Ensures transparency and avoids costly litigation for business by creating a hearing board to resolve disagreements between businesses and the California Air Resources Board. Drastically amended 06/12/12 to abrogate principles agreed to in 2009 water package regarding the Delta. Support and job creator designation removed.
AB 1755 (Perea; D-Fresno) Reduces Energy Costs — Fairly allocates and reduces energy costs for business by authorizing a fixed per-customer charge among all rate payers. Senate Inactive File, 08/30/12.
AB 1771 (Valadao; R-Hanford) Reduces Energy Costs — Reduces energy costs and promotes renewable energy by considering specified hydroelectric generation facilities in the definition of a renewable energy resource. With 04/19/12 amendments, AB 1771 is no longer considered a job creator.
AB 2577 (Galgiani; D-Livingston) Alleviates Unnecessary Delays — Reduces project delays by ensuring timely public comments in the California Environmental Quality Act process. In Assembly Natural Resources Committee. Failed 05/11/12 deadline for non-fiscal bills to move to the floor.
SB 971 (Cannella; R-Ceres) Reduces Energy Costs — Reduces energy costs and promotes renewable energy by eliminating the penalty on utilities that use clean, renewable hydroelectric as part of their energy generation mix. In Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee. Failed 04/27/12 deadline to move to fiscal committee.
SB 1139 (Rubio; D-East Bakersfield) Creates Regulatory Certainty — Advances the state’s environmental policies and promotes job creation by reducing the regulatory burdens for the permitting process of carbon capturing and storage projects. Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee Suspense File. Failed 08/17/12 deadline to pass fiscal committee.
Education
SB 1402 (Lieu; D-Torrance) Better Workforce Development — Helps improve alignment of the state’s workforce needs and education resources by reauthorizing the Economic and Workforce Development program within the California Community College system. Signed by Governor—Chapter 361.
Economic Development
AB 1804 (Valadao; R-Hanford) Project Labor Agreements — Promotes job and economic growth by freeing up local funds through elimination of penalties on local government that prohibit project labor agreements. Failed passage in Assembly Local Government Committee, 04/11/12.
AB 2485 (Hueso; D-San Diego) Provides Development Opportunities — Promotes private-public partnerships by allowing the Department of Transportation to contract with private companies for the operation of rest areas in conjunction with the development of a retail establishment. In Assembly Transportation Committee. Failed 04/27/12 deadline to move to fiscal commitee.
SB 1161 (Padilla; D-Pacoima) Internet-Based Services — Provides certainty and creates a level playing field for California business by assuring that Voice over Internet Protocol- and Internet Protocol-enabled services will not be regulated at the state level but rather at the federal level. Signed by Governor—Chapter 733.
Labor and Employment
AB 1789 (Morrell; R-Rancho Cucamonga) Private Attorney General Act Exemption — Eliminates the threat of frivolous litigation with regard to ambiguous provisions of the Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Orders that have not been substantively reviewed or revised for the past 10 years. Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, 04/18/12.
AB 1844 (Campos; D- San Jose) Social Media Privacy — Before amendments, would have encouraged job growth through clarifying employers’ duties, or lack thereof, with regard to social media and social networking sites as applied to applicants and existing employees.With 07/05/12 amendment, support position added. With 04/26/12 amendments, support position and job creator status removed.
AB 2176 (Logue; R-Linda) Reduction of Frivolous Meal Period Litigation — Reduces costly litigation regarding meal periods for commercial drivers who transport hazardous materials. In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee. Failed 05/11/12 deadline for non-fiscal bills to move to the floor.
SB 1114 (Dutton; R-Rancho Cucamonga) Reduces Wage-and-Hour Competitive Disadvantage for California Employers — Lowers costly daily overtime requirement for California employers by requiring payment of overtime only after 10 hours in a workday. Failed passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee, 04/11/12
SB 1115 (Dutton; R-Rancho Cucamonga) Workplace Flexibility for Small Employers — Alleviates the burden of unnecessary regulations by allowing an employer with 10 or fewer employees to implement an alternative workweek schedule at the request of the employees. Failed passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee, 04/11/12.
SB 1362 (LaMalfa; R-Richvale) Reduction of Frivolous Meal Period Litigation — Reduces costly litigation regarding meal periods for commercial drivers who are regulated by federal law. In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. Failed 05/11/12 deadline for non-fiscal bills to move to the floor.
Legal Reform
AB 2043 (Wagner; R-Irvine) Increases Class Action Fairness — Helps prevent meritless class actions by allowing defendants an equal right to appeal a court order granting certification of a class. Failed passage in Assembly Judiciary Committee, 04/24/12.
SB 1374 (Harman; R-Huntington Beach) Reliance on State Agencies’ Written Advice — Protects employers from inappropriate litigation by affirming they can rely upon the state government to provide them with information regarding how to comply with the law. Failed passage in Senate Judiciary Committee, 05/08/12.
Regulatory Reform
AB 1612 (Lara; D-Los Angeles) Administrative Practices — Promotes government accountability and a transparent process by requiring proposed new residential building standards to include the cost of compliance, potential benefits of the proposed standard and the underlying model used to achieve those estimates. Signed by Governor, 9/23/12, Chapter 471.
AB 1982 (Gorell; R-Camarillo and Wagner; R-Irvine) Provides Accountability for Expensive Regulation - Provides certainty and flexibility for businesses by extending the time frame when they are required to comply with new regulations. Assembly Appropriations Committee Suspense File. Failed 05/25/12 deadline for fiscal committees to send bills to the floor.
AB 2091 (B. Berryhill; R-Ceres) Increases Regulatory Certainty - Provides certainty and the ability for businesses to meet government mandates by requiring that new technology required to implement a new regulation is available and affordable. In Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Protection Committee. Failed 04/27/12 deadline to move to fiscal committee.
SB 1099 (Wright; D-Inglewood) Creates Regulatory Certainty - Provides certainty for business by creating a predictable and easy-to-track implementation schedule for new regulations and provides language of new regulations online for easier access. Signed by Governor, Chapter 295.
Taxation
AB 1510 (Garrick; R-Carlsbad) Health Care Expenses Tax Deductions — Encourages job growth through freeing small businesses to invest in business growth instead of spending limited resources on health care expenses, by entitling individuals, including the self-employed, to a state tax deduction for contributions to a Health Savings Account (HSA) in conformity with federal tax law. Held in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee, 05/14/12.
AB 1605 (Garrick; R-Carlsbad) Tax Break for Small Businesses — Reduces upfront costs for small businesses by eliminating the minimum franchise tax for the first year the business is in operation. Held in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee, 05/14/12.
AB 1911 (Donnelly; R-Twin Peaks) More Manufacturing Jobs — Encourages employers to maintain and expand their manufacturing operations in California by providing a permanent, partial sales-and-use-tax exemption for purchases of manufacturing equipment. Held in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee, 05/14/12.
?AB 1972 (Huber; D-El Dorado Hills) More Manufacturing/R&D Jobs – Encourages employers to maintain and expand their manufacturing operations in California by providing a full sales-and-use-tax exemption for purchases of manufacturing and research and development equipment made through December 31, 2018. Held in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee, 05/14/12.
AB 2026 (Fuentes; D-Sylmar) Film Credit Extension — Protects jobs in the film industry by extending the film tax credit for two years, until July 1, 2017. Signed by Governor—Chapter 841.
SB 1167 (R. Calderon; D-Montebello) Film Credit Extension — Protects jobs in the film industry by extending the film tax credit for two years, until July 1, 2017. Held at Assembly Desk, 08/21/12.
SB 1197 (R. Calderon; D-Montebello) Film Credit Extension — Protects jobs in the film industry by extending the film tax credit for two years, until July 1, 2017. Signed by Governor—Chapter 840.
Tourism
AB 2113 (Hueso; D-San Diego) Enhanced Driver 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. Failed 05/25/12 deadline for fiscal committees to send bills to the floor.
AB 2245 (Smyth; R-Santa Clarita) CEQA Reform — Maximizes state funding and promotes tourism by exempting bike lanes in existing roadways from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process. Signed by Governor—Chapter 680.
SB 973 (Vargas; D-San Diego) Reduces Regulatory Burdens — Originally supported tourism by exempting events with a park use or special events permit from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process. With 05/02/12 amendments, allows a CEQA categorical exemption for an annual fireworks display. Removed from job creator list. CalChamber now has no position on the bill.