Welcome to the April 13-17 edition of the Main Street Minute from your small-business-advocacy team in Sacramento.

The Legislature

Last week (April 6-10) was another calm-before-the-storm one, but that will soon change.

NFIB has a list of 65 bills we will support, oppose, or monitor. Once it finally gets assigned to a committee, Assembly Bill 1900 will emerge as the marquee issue of 2026.

“This bill, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, would create the California Guaranteed Health Care for All program, or CalCare, to provide comprehensive universal single-payer health care coverage and a health care cost control system for the benefit of all residents of the state,” according to the bill’s language.

AB 1900 is Assemblyman Ash Kalra’s third go at pushing such legislation. His first attempt, Assembly Bill 1400 during the 2021-2022 session of the Legislature, passed Health and Appropriations committees before dying on third reading in the full Assembly.

In 2024, he pulled his second attempt, Assembly Bill 2200, for lack of support. How AB 1900 will fare this year, an election year, remains to be seen, but NFIB and our coalition partners will lobby with all our individual and collective might to stop it.

You can help, click here to make your voice heard on AB 1900. The Power of the Small Business Voice gets heard and is highly regarded among policymakers.

NFIB members have been quite clear on the single-payer idea.

— 89% voted ‘No’ when asked on their 2024 state member ballot, “Should California abolish private insurance plans and replace them with a government-run ‘single payer’ healthcare system.”

— 93% voted ‘No’ when asked on their 2018 state member ballot, “Should California raise various taxes (such as payroll taxes) to impose a statewide Single-Payer Healthcare system?

Speaking of Making the Small Business Voice Heard

NFIB California Policy Director Tim Taylor will have a busy beginning of the week.

Today (April 13), he will testify in support of Assembly Bill 2336, which “would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2031, exclude from gross income the first $25,000 of overtime pay received by a taxpayer during the taxable year. The bill would also exclude from gross income the first $25,000 received by a taxpayer as proceeds from a defined benefit plan.” Check out Taylor’s letter of support here.

The next day  (April 14), Taylor will testify in support of Senate Bill 885, at the invitation of the bill’s author, Sen. Tony Strickland. “This bill would prohibit a state agency from taking final action to adopt a major regulation until … the state agency submits a proposal to the Legislature recommending legislation to authorize the adoption of the major regulation and the Legislature enacts a law expressly authorizing the state agency to adopt that major regulation,” according to the bill’s language. The hearing will be held by the Senate Governmental Organization Committee. Taylor’s letter of support can be read here.

In Case You Missed It

NFIB Joins Coalition Fighting Lawsuit Abuse

Calendar

— May 4 & 5: Small Business Leadership Day at the Capitol

— May 4: County election officials must begin or have begun mailing ballots to voters by this date

— May 18: Last day to register for the June 2 Primary Election

— May 29: Last day for bills to pass their house of origin

— June 2: Primary Election for eight state constitutional offices, four Board of Equalization seats, all 52 congressional seats, all 80 assembly seats, and 20 (even-numbered districts) state senate seats. Governor’s proclamation here.

— June 15: Deadline (by midnight) to pass new state budget

— July 2-August 3: Legislature on Summer Recess

— August 31: Legislature adjourns its 2026 session

September 30: Last day for governor to sign or veto bills sent to him.

National

Highlights from Federal Government Relations Principal Louis Bertolotti’s weekly report

— The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Courthouse News and others reported on the Research Center’s March jobs report, which showed that the Small Business Employment Index fell 1.9 points to 101.6.

— NFIB Director of Federal Government Relations Josh McLeod joined “The Frank Mottek Show” on KABC Radio to discuss the 20% Small Business Deduction.

— RealClear Politics published an op-ed from NFIB member Randi Thompson of Nevada urging lawmakers to support the Credit Card Competition Act: “The average American family now spends close to $1,800 more each year through increased prices as a result of swipe fees.”

Next Main Street Minute: April 20. All Main Streets Minutes can be found on the NFIB website here. Pull down the California tab in the upper-right-hand corner.