Suspense File Outcomes Set Up Final Weeks in Legislature
August 11, 2016
More than 500 bills received an “aye” or “no” vote in a few short hours today as the Senate and Assembly fiscal committees took up “suspense file” measures that are keyed as having a notable fiscal impact on the state. In the Assembly alone, the proposed laws requested over $881 million in funding. From here, bills continue into the final weeks of floor debate in each house or are held in Committee without forward progress. The Legislature has until August 31 to act on the floor and send legislation to the Governor’s desk.
Bills are often passed from suspense with significant amendments that are not yet in print or with agreements between a bill author and stakeholders to make changes on the floor. Please contact the CSAC legislative staff with any questions on the following key bills or any others that CSAC is tracking.
HELD IN APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
AB 1575 (Bonta) Medical Marijuana – Support if Amended. This measure would make a number of revisions to the Medical Marijuana Regulatory and Safety Act (MMRSA).
AB 2678 (Gray) Fair Funding – Support. Would provide California’s network of fairs with a portion of the state’s share of sales and use tax revenue generated at fairgrounds.
SB 1170 (Wieckowski) Public contracts and water pollution prevention plans – Oppose. Prohibits a public entity from contracting out for the development of Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs) on public works projects.
PASSED TO FLOOR
AB 587 (Chau) Mobilehome Property Tax Amnesty Program – Oppose. Establishes a three-year tax and penalty abatement program for owners of mobilehomes who are unable to properly register their ownership interest with the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) because past taxes and fees. Waives all property tax penalties and interest that would otherwise be owed. Potential losses for local governments total $100 million statewide.
AB 717 (Gonzalez) Diaper Sales Tax Exemption – Oppose Unless Amended. Exempts infant and toddler diapers from state and local sales taxes, resulting in a loss of $35 million annually in state and local revenue.
AB 723 (Chiu) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) – Support. Allows the Department of Housing and Community Development, upon the Director’s determination, to permit CDBG non-entitlement jurisdictions that have not expended at least half of their existing CDBG awards (from 2012 and later) to apply for and receive a subsequent award.
AB 1561 (Garcia) Feminine Hygiene Products Sales Tax Exemption – Oppose Unless Amended. Exempts feminine hygiene products from state and local sales taxes, resulting in a loss of $20 million annually in state and local revenue, for five years.
AB 1643 (Gonzalez) Workers’ Compensation Apportionment – Oppose. Prohibits apportionment of workers’ compensation benefits from being based on pregnancy, menopause, osteoporosis, or carpal tunnel syndrome, or for a psychiatric injury occurring from disability or impairment caused by any of these conditions.
AB 2568 (Atkins) Integrated Health and Human Services Program – Support. Authorizes San Diego County, upon approval of the county board of supervisors, to operate an integrated and comprehensive health and human services agency.
AB 2636 (Linder) Electronic Copies of Marriage, Birth, and Death Certificates – Sponsor. Allows local jurisdictions to accept online requests for vital records when requestors complete a multilayered remote identity authentication to establish their identity and swear under penalty of perjury that they are authorized persons.
AB 2835 (Cooper) Public Employee Orientation and Unions – Oppose. Requires state and local agencies to provide in-person orientations to newly hired public employees within two months of hiring, with 30 minutes reserved for unions to present to employees in the first hour.
SB 32 (Pavley) Climate Change – Watch. Would extend California’s Climate Change targets beyond 2020, establishing a new target of 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.
SB 450 (Allen). Vote By Mail Elections – Support. Establishes system to conduct elections through vote-by-mail ballots for all registered voters as a means to create efficiencies for counties and voter engagement in specified contests.
SB 554 (Wolk) Delta Levee Maintenance – Support. Repeals the July 1, 2018 sunset date for the Delta Levee Subventions program, thus permanently establishing the state’s 75% maximum share for Delta levee maintenance costs in excess of $1,000 per mile. Measure passed with amendments from the Committee.
SB 817 (Roth) VLF Property Tax Allocation Adjustment – Support. Provides an adjustment in vehicle license fee allocations to the newest California cities in Riverside County, which serves as a foundation of general fund revenue for recently incorporated jurisdiction.
SB 879 (Beall) Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2016 – Support. Authorizes $3 billion in general obligation bonds, upon approval by voters, for a variety of affordable housing programs. Counties are eligible, by themselves or with a non-profit developer partner, to apply for funding from each of the programs. The Assembly Appropriations Committee adopted amendments to delay the bond measure until the 2018 statewide general election.
SB 881 (Hertzberg) Vehicle Violations – Oppose. Eliminates the courts’ ability to suspend a driver’s license for failure to pay on specific court ordered debt.
SB 1029 (Hertzberg) Reporting Mandate for Bond Issuance – Concerns. Requires state and local agencies to submit an annual report to the California Debt and Investment Advisory Committee (CDIAC) that includes debt issuances, outstanding debt, and use of proceeds over the reporting period. This is in addition to existing reports provided the State Controller’s Office and CDIAC. The measure passed with amendments requested by CSAC to provide stakeholder engagement in the development of the reporting methodology.
SB 1063 (Hall) Wage Differentials – Oppose. Amends the Equal Pay Act (SB 358, 2015) to prohibit employers from paying employees a wage rate less than the wage rate paid to employees of a different race or ethnicity for substantially similar work.
SB 1212 (Hueso) 2-1-1 Information and Referral Network – Support. Authorizes the California Public Utilities Commission to spend up to $1,500,000 to facilitate expansion of 2-1-1 services into counties that currently do not have 2-1-1 services
SB 1289 (Lara) Law Enforcement: Immigration – Oppose. Prohibits local law enforcement agencies and local governments from contracting with for-profit entities to detain immigrants.
SB 1383 (Lara) Short-Lived Climate Pollutants – Concerns. Requires ARB to approve a comprehensive strategy to reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants s in the state to achieve, from 2013 levels, a 40% reduction in methane, a 40% reduction in hydrofluorocarbon gasses (HFCs), and a 50% reduction in anthropogenic (i.e., non-forest) black carbon, by 2030.