FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Federation of Independent Business/California
Contact: Shawn Lewis (916) 342-9315; [email protected]
NFIB Statements on AB 67; SB 654; SB 1383; and SB 1387
These bills add cost and complexity for California small businesses
SACRAMENTO, Calif., August 31, 2016 – With the Legislature considering AB 67; SB 654; SB 1383; and SB 1387 today, NFIB California State Executive Director Tom Scott issued the following statements on behalf of our 22,000 small business members:
“AB 67 (Gonzalez) picks winners and losers in defining certain types of grocery and retail establishments which would be compelled to pay employees double their regular rate for working on Thanksgiving Day. Dubbed the “Double Pay on the Holiday Act,” this bill may have good intentions, but ignores the impact this mandate would have on employers already coping with additional taxes, mandates and regulations from this Legislature. Although supporters of this bill will cite the double pay only applies to a small number of business types, we view this as a first step toward expanding this policy to additional calendar days and to ultimately apply to more industries and small businesses across the state.”
“SB 654 (Jackson) directly targets small businesses at a time when California already mandates a long list of family-friendly leaves of absence on employers. NFIB opposes this bill because it creates a significant hardship for small businesses with a limited number of employees who do not have the ability to operate with even one or two staff members on leave for over a month. It is also important to note that although the bill applies to employers with more than 20 employees—it aggregates the number of employees you have at multiple locations, creating challenges for small business owners with multiple locations which may only have a few employees at each site.”
“SB 1383 (Lara) creates an inconsistent, new climate change policy which will further increase the cost of doing business in California, especially for our agricultural economy. This mandated 40% reduction in methane and 50% reduction in anthropogenic black carbon gas represents a direct assault on California’s dairy industry and will hurt manufacturing by creating an arbitrary limit on natural gasses which dissipate quickly. NFIB opposes this bill because it will lead to job loss and potentially increased pollution as this industry is forced to relocate in neighboring states with more relaxed environmental laws.”
“SB 1387 (De León) represents an affront to local control by setting a troubling precedent inviting state regulators to override decisions made by locally-elected officials who understand the unique needs of their communities and constituents. There is a reason the South Coast Air Quality Management District regulates the reduction of pollution from stationary sources, while the California Air Resources Board regulates moving sources – this bill seeks to conflate the authority of CARB solely for political purposes. The SCAQMD has led the nation with market-based incentive programs to reduce pollution in the region, but this bill would seek to undermine these efforts by taking local control and putting it in the hands of Sacramento politicians. NFIB opposes this legislation and the inevitable costs it would result in for small businesses.”
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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB has 350,000 dues-paying members nationally, with over 22,000 in California. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. To learn more visit www.NFIB.com/california
