For the legislative and political week August 9-13
Welcome to the August 9-13 edition of the NFIB California Main Street Minute from your NFIB small-business-advocacy team in Sacramento.
- The California Legislature returns from its summer recess next week, August 16.
Podcasts
- Have you had a chance to check out one of NFIB California’s highly informative and entertaining podcasts yet? You can find them all here. Our latest guest is Assembly Member Suzette Valladares.
In the Media
- The Citizens Journal of Ventura County published NFIB California’s news release commenting on the latest Jobs Report from NFIB. And The Sacramento Bee interviewed State Director John Kabateck about the state’s staggering unemployment insurance debt.
Pork Out
- No Bacon for You—Last week’s media were full of stories about the coming bacon shortage in California. From the Los Angeles Times: “At the beginning of next year, California will begin enforcing an animal welfare proposition approved overwhelmingly by voters in 2018 that requires more space for breeding pigs, egg-laying chickens and veal calves.
- “National veal and egg producers are optimistic they can meet the new standards, but only 4% of hog operations now comply with the new rules. Unless the courts intervene or the state temporarily allows noncompliant meat to be sold in the state, California will lose almost all of its pork supply, much of which comes from Iowa, and pork producers will face higher costs to regain a key market.
- “It is important to note that the law itself cannot be changed by regulations and the law has been in place since the Farm Animal Confinement Proposition [Proposition 12] passed by a wide margin in 2018.”
Federally
- NFIB does not have a position on the bipartisan infrastructure package. We continue to follow and analyze.
- NFIB continues to focus opposition primarily on the second track – the $3.5 trillion budget resolution/reconciliation package.
- It is speculated that Speaker Pelosi will call the House of Representatives back to Washington to vote on the budget resolution this month. To be clear, the resolution itself will not have tax increases specifically outlined but instead requests the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee to raise revenue. Once the House and Senate both pass this budget resolution, the committees put pen to paper with possible tax increases to finance President Biden’s ambitious agenda. The final reconciliation package is expected to be unveiled later September; however, this timeline is fluid.
- Did you catch NFIB’s latest Jobs Report showing 49% of owners reported unfilled job openings and raising compensation at record high levels? You can read it here.
- Tomorrow, August 10, NFIB releases its monthly Small Business Economic Trends report, aka the Optimism Index.
- Look for it. The NFIB Federal Ballot launches Thursday, August 12. Questions include the following topics:
- Unemployment benefits
- Taxes at death
- IRS enforcement
- Scheduling mandates
- Regulation of Waters of the United States (WOTUS)
Next Main Street Minute August 16.
