from Kevin Pedrotti, Legislative Advocate for the Golden State Builders Exchanges
Legislature
It was busy committee week and next week will be equally busy as the legislature works towards policy committee deadlines. Below are the major issues for GSBE this past week:
AB 400 (Ma) – Paid Sick Leave- Creates the Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act of 2011, which requires employers to provide paid sick days for an employee who works for seven or more days in a calendar year accrued at a rate of no less than one hour for every 30 hours worked. Passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Previous legislation has died in the Appropriations Committee. Opposed by GSBE.
AB 780 (Calderon) – Fixed Priced Contracts – Failure to include a provision in the 2009 tax increase to address fixed price contracts has resulted in contractors having to unfairly absorb the tax increase for the last year and half. AB 780 provides that, in the event of a future increase or decrease in the state sales tax, public works contracts must provide for an adjustment in a contract that was entered into prior to the tax change to compensate the contractor for the increase that was not factored into the contract and compensate the public agency in the event of an unanticipated decrease in the sales tax. AB 780 was placed on the Revenue and Taxation suspense file and should be passed next week with some technical amendments to clarify the bill. Supported by GSBE.
AB 1330 (Furutani) –CTE -Would give students an option to take one course in visual or performing arts, foreign language, or career technical education (CTE), for purposes of fulfilling the high school graduation requirements. This bill is very beneficial to enhancing the decline of California’s career technical education programs. Passed the Assembly Education Committee. Supported by GSBE.
SB 829 (De Saulnier) – CAL OSHA - Would make a number of changes to existing law governing the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board, the appellate process which it governs. This bill makes sweeping changes to and imposes new burdens and fees to the procedures of the Cal/OSHA Appeals Board, disadvantaging employers and increasing costs to the board and to employers. Passed the Senate Labor Committee. Opposed by GSBE.
Regulatory Reform
SB 357 (Dutton) - Regulations: obsolete equipment- Requires a state agency, in adopting a regulation, to estimate the costs to the state in lost revenues resulting from a regulation that would make equipment obsolete that would otherwise have a remaining depreciable life. Passed the Senate Governmental Organization Committee. Supported by GSBE.
SB 401 (Fuller) – Regulation Sunset - Specifies that every regulation proposed by a state agency after January 1, 2012, shall include a provision repealing the regulation in five years. Passed the Senate Governmental Organization Committee. Supported by GSBE.
SB 560 (Wright) – Regulations: small business - This bill makes a number of reforms to help small businesses grow by encouraging more realistic regulations and requiring a genuine assessment of the actual costs of regulations to the business community. Passed the Senate Governmental Organization Committee. Supported by GSBE.
SB 591 (Gaines) – Administrative Regulations: reductions - Requires state agencies to determine how many regulations it imposes and reduce the total number of regulations it has identified by 33% according to specified priorities. Requires review of regulations to determine burden on regulated persons. Failed the Senate Governmental Organization Committee. Supported by GSBE.
SB 688 (Wright) – Regulations: legislative approval - Requires a state agency to notify the fiscal and appropriate policy committees of the Legislature if the estimated cumulative statewide cost impacts of a regulation exceed $10 million for affected businesses, and delays the effective date for such a regulation. Passed the Senate Governmental Organization Committee. Supported by GSBE.
SB 724 (Dutton) – CARB - Establishes deadlines by which the Air Resources Board (ARB) must act on applications for the certification of on- and off-road vehicles, engines, and equipment families; requires ARB to develop, by July 1, 2012, simplified forms for different types of certification applications; and permits ARB to approve an application for certification of on- or off-road vehicles, engines, and equipment families that have been certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency without requiring additional testing. Passed the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. Supported by GSBE.
Construction Enforcement Coalition
The Construction Enforcement Coalition met this week. There was a review of the Capitol event on March 30th, an update on agency officials of new appointments by the Governor, and efforts to keep progressing on adequate enforcement of unlawful activities. It was reported three more associations joined the coalition: Associated Builders and Contractors of California, Independent Roofing Contractors of California, Inc. and the California American Fire Sprinkler Association.
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