For the legislative and political week September 19-23
Welcome to the September 19-23 edition of the NFIB California Main Street Minute from your NFIB small-business-advocacy team in Sacramento.
Care Court Now Law
- As reported in last week’s Main Street Minute, Senate Bill 1338 was one of the few pieces of legislation small business and its coalition partners asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign. Read our request letter here. Last Wednesday (September 14), Newsom made SB 1338 law by putting his John Hancock on it.
- “Newsom’s office first rolled out his Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court proposal in March. This new court system would make it easier for loved ones, first responders and mental health workers to force severely mentally ill Californians into psychiatric treatment and housing,” reports CalMatters.
- NFIB has assiduously stayed away from most social issues, preferring instead to burnish the reputation it has for knowing of what it speaks on the 75 issues of small business importance. This one page, Why Doesn’t NFIB Take a Position on this Issue, sums it up.
- But, as our coalition letter put it, “Homelessness has become an all-too-common feature of our communities, impacting public safety and public health. SB 1338 is a bold step toward reversing the tide of homelessness in California.”
Good Budgetary Revenues Ending Soon, but Not the New Spending
- Along with SB 1388 above, Assembly Bill 1951 was one of the few remaining bills awaiting gubernatorial action that small business supported. It would have made permanent the existing partial sales-and-use tax exemption for manufacturing research development. But such was not to be. Interestingly, in his veto message of the bill, the governor gave a glimpse into the whole budgetary situation coming next year.
- “With our state facing lower-than-expected revenues over the first few months of this fiscal year, it is important to remain disciplined. The Legislature sent measures with potential costs of well over $20 billion in one-time spending commitments and more than $10 billion in ongoing commitments not accounted for in the state budget. Bills with significant cost pressures, such as this measure, should be considered as part of the annual budget process. For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.”
Legislation Limbo
- The governor still has not acted on the following bills, all but one of which NFIB opposes. He has until September 30.
— Assembly Bill 1041 would expand the class of people for whom an employee may take paid and unpaid leave for.
— Assembly Bill 1601 would penalize a call center employer for relocating his or her operation.
— Assembly Bill 1949 adding another reason to request leave time—bereavement.
— Assembly Bill 2164, which NFIB supports, would provide small businesses with a financial pathway to become more accessible to the handicapped.
— Assembly Bill 2183 would thwart the secret ballot election process in union elections.
— Assembly Bill 2188 would create an unprecedented, protected class for marijuana users and undermine an employer’s ability to provide a safe and drug-free workplace.
— Assembly Bill 2693 would extend COVID-19 notice requirements that are no longer appropriate as the state moves into the endemic phase of COVID-19 in 2023.
— Assembly Bill 2777 dealing with statute of limitations on sexual assault claims.
— Assembly Bill 2784 on plastic container waste, which is needless now that Senate Bill 54 is law.
— Senate Bill 1044 would prohibit an employer from acting against an employee who left work because he or she felt unsafe.
— Senate Bill 1127 would fundamentally alter longstanding rules and timeframes for determining eligibility for workers’ compensation claims.
NFIB California Podcast
- In the latest NFIB California podcast, State Director John Kabateck sits down with Tim Murphy, president and CEO of the Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange, to discuss, Where the Future of Commercial Construction in California Lies.
NFIB California in the News
- “It’s basically instituting a specific panel made up of mostly pro-union advocates and workers and with very little small business voices involved to determine wages, benefits, and other circumstances for employees of fast food enterprises,” Kabateck told the Southern California Record about Assembly 257, which Governor Newsom signed into law. “They will not leave a stone unturned until they unionize every business and every sector in the Golden State. That should be alarming to all of us.”
NFIB National
Highlights from NFIB Legislative Program Manager Caitlin Lanzara’s weekly report
- Last week, NFIB awarded the Guardians of Small Business to 255 Members of Congress in the House and Senate. Press Releases: House and Senate. Guardians of Small Business Award list: NFIB.com/GuardianAwards.
- On September 15, NFIB hosted a webinar, “The Threat Landscape – How a managed security approach can effectively navigate cybersecurity risks and bring real value to your business with Dylan Baylosis.” Watch it here.
- The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 term will begin in a few weeks, and they will be hearing several cases that could make major differences for small businesses. Here are four cases where NFIB submitted amicus briefs arguing for the interests of small businesses against unfair regulations and stifling mandates.
Next Main Street Minute September 26.
