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The Good, Bad, and Ugly Bills of the 2021-2022 Session of the California State Legislature

The Good, Bad, and Ugly Bills of the 2021-2022 Session of the California State Legislature

September 1, 2022 Last Edit: March 19, 2026

The Good, Bad, and Ugly Bills of the 2021-2022 Session of the California State Legislature

NFIB, either by taking the lead or as part of a coalition, was able to help pass bills helpful to small business while stopping harmful ones. Below are the worst and best. More bills NFIB fought for or against can be found here.  Good
  • Assembly Bill 80 partially conforms state tax law to the federal tax law regarding the forgivability of PPP loans. Now law. 
  • Assembly Bill 150 creates an elective tax that passthrough entities can use as a workaround of the State and Local Tax (SALT) limitation. Now law. 
  • Assembly Bill 2164 provides small businesses with a financial pathway to become more accessible to the handicapped. Now law.
Bad
  • Assembly Bill 1993 would have required all California businesses to demand their employees and independent contractors receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Defeated. 
  • Assembly Bill 654 would have blacklisted businesses by requiring the state Dept. of Public Health to publish on its website a list of every workplace in the state where a COVID-19 outbreak has occurred. Defeated. 
  • Assembly Bill 1177 called for the creation of a state-owned bank. Defeated.
Ugly
  • Assembly Bill 1400 would have seized control of every aspect of health coverage – even federal programs – and put it under the total control of the state at a cost of between 4 billion to 2 billion a year. Defeated. 
  • Assembly Bill 257 completely upends the fast-food franchise industry by taking wage and other workplace decisions out of the hands of the franchisee and giving it to a new state agency. Law on hold pending outcome of ballot referendum drive. 
  • Senate Bill 1044 prohibits an employer from taking action against an employee who walked off the job because he or she felt unsafe, and Senate Bill 1949 added another reason for taking leave time–bereavement. Both bills now law.
 
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