(September 12, 2008) Two California Chamber of Commerce-supported bills that will promote job creation have passed the Legislature and await action by the Governor.

• SB 1608 (Corbett; D-San Leandro) is compre­hensive reform that increases public access for individuals with disabilities while reducing unwarranted litigation, including by encouraging the use of state-certified disability access specialists and establishing court procedure for early judicial review of lawsuit claims.
  
• AB 1394 (Krekorian; D-Burbank), co-sponsored by the CalChamber, improves protections of trademark owner rights and consumer health and safety by strengthening California laws against trafficking of fake products such as auto parts, prescription drugs and children’s toys.
  Advancing Disability Access

SB 1608 responds to a significant ongoing state problem—a small, but widely destructive, atypical group of plaintiffs and lawyers using the disability laws and court system to systematically extract monetary settlements from businesses rather than to improve disability access. Too often these lawsuits result in businesses closing their doors.

SB 1608 sets up a process to encourage business owners to be proactive in complying and to obtain the assistance of state-certified access specialists to determine whether buildings comply.

The bipartisan, comprehensive reform legislation is designed to:

• promote and increase compliance with state and federal civil rights laws provid­ing for equal access for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations; and
• reduce unwarranted, unnecessary litigation that does not advance the goals of disability access.

Trademark Protections

AB 1394 strengthens the state’s anti-counterfeiting laws by clarifying ambiguities in current law that undermine enforcement efforts and bringing state law into greater conformity with federal law.

Counterfeiting and piracy drain the California economy of $34 billion per year in revenues. In Los Angeles County alone in 2005, counterfeiting and piracy resulted in losses of 106,000 jobs, $5.2 billion in business revenue and $483 million in state and local government tax revenue.

Ensuring California’s anti-counterfeiting standards are strong and effective will provide greater protections for trademark owners and consumers and will help prevent significant revenue losses sustained by California businesses, the state and local governments due to counterfeiting.

Action Needed

The CalChamber is encouraging businesses to contact the Governor and urge him to sign SB 1608 and AB 1394.

For a sample letter, visit www.calchambervotes.com.

Staff Contact: Kyla Christoffersen