Legislative Report Card

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Legislative Report Card

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2023 Legislative Report Card

Local Public Policy

Simon Property Group Brea Mall Redevelopment Project Provides numerous benefits to the local business community by creating 380 new multifamily units as well as amenities alleviating the housing crisis here in Brea. Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by allowing people to live closer to where they work. Creates a small parklet as well for all Brea residents to enjoy and dozens of new storefronts. X Passed City Council vote. Construction to begin Summer 2023
Dwight Manley Gaslight Square Redevelopment Project Eliminates outdated land use designation of financial/office zoning. Removes 18,873 sq ft. of dated, worn down office/retail space and develops 8,000 sq ft. for a sit-down restaurant, retail/medical store space, and space for a quick serve restaurant/ coffee shop. X Passed City Council vote. Construction to begin Summer 2023
City of Brea Request for Support for Community Project Funding, City of Brea Arovista Park The city of Brea requested community project funding from the Federal Government to revitalize and modernize Arovista park in South Brea. X Funding was received and project is underway.
Brea Police Department Organized Retail Theft Provention Grant Program Funding Request The Brea Polic Department requested the Board of Sate and Community Correction's Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program consider providing Brea's finest with grant funding to help fund the proposed Integrated Crime Center. The integrated Crime Center would help prevent and solve crimes relating to retail theft, cargo theft, motor vehicle theft, and motor vehicle accessory theft. X Awaiting answer from Brea PD regarding success of funding request.
Brea Chamber American Panning Association's National Planning Award The Chamber recommended the Brea Parklets Feasibility and Technical Drawings for the American Planning Association's National Planning Award. X Notification will be sent from APA in late August

State Public Policy

SB 260 Weiner, S. Climate Corporate Accountability Act "SB 260 would require the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to adopt regulations requiring the reporting of greenhouse gas emission data throughout the entire supply chain to include activities such as business travel, employee commutes, procurement, waste, and water usage, regardless of location." X Died on Assembly Floor 08/31/2022
AB 1041 Wicks Employment: leave This bill will significantly expand the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) and paid sick leave to allow an employee to take protected and/or paid time off to care for any person of their choice. The existing provisions of CFRA are already challenging, confusing, and burdensome, and small employers who are struggling as a result of this pandemic are overwhelmed by the current law. Additionally, existing paid sick leave laws are difficult to administer. X Bill became law
AB 524 Wicks Discrimination: Family Caregiver Status This bill would prohibit employment discrimination on account of family caregiver status, as defined, and would recognize the opportunity to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination because of family caregiver status as a civil right, as specified. X Placed on Suspense File 08/14/2023
AB 1156 Bonta Workers' Compensation: Hospital Employees This bill expands the definition of "injury" for hospital employees providing direct patient care to include various conditions, including infectious diseases like COVID-19, creating presumptions that these injuries are work-related and arose during the course of employment. These presumptions would also extend for specific periods after employment termination. X In progress. Assigned to Assembly Insurance Committee
AB 1000 Reyes Qualifying Logistics Use This bill would prohibit local agencies from approving certain logistics developments within 1,000 ft. from sensitive receptors, except under specific circumstances. It mandates cumulative air quality impact assessments and requires public information disclosure on warehouse projects. Individuals affected by violations, as well as the Attorney General, can take action to prevent violations. X Dialed in Appropriations Committee 04/26/2023. Held for reconsideration.
SB 330 Niello Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (Reform) This bill mandates that notices of alleged Labor Code violations, excluding safety-related provisions, must present relevant facts, legal references, and supporting authorities. If the alleged violation allows an employer to remedy it, the notice must inform the employer of their right to address the issue. Additionally, if 10 or more employees are involved, the notice must be verified under penalty of perjury. This change expands perjury provisions, leading to a state-mandated local program. X Failed in L., P.E., & R Committee 04/20/2023. Held for reconsideration.
SB 616 Gonzalez Sick Days: Paid Sick Days Accrual and Use: Unpaid Sick Leave for Railroad Employees This bill proposes changes to sick leave accrual regulations. It requires employees to accumulate no less than 56 hours of sick leave by their 280th calendar day of employment or each year and allows employers to fulfill this by offering 56 hours or 7 days of paid sick leave. The bill also increases the authorized limit on carryover sick leave to 56 hours or 7 days per year of employment, redefines "full amount of leave" as 7 days or 56 hours, and raises the accrual thresholds to 112 hours or 14 days. X Passed Sen. Appropriations Committee Vote. Placed in Suspense File
SB 723 Durazo Employment: Rehiring and Retention: Displaced Workers This bill proposes a redefinition of "laid-off employee" to encompass those who worked for the employer for over 6 months, experienced separation due to factors like public health directives, government shutdown orders, business decline, or economic reasons on or after March 4, 2020. It eliminates references to the COVID-19 state of emergency, effecting related modifications. The bill also removes the repeal date of December 31, 2024, thereby rendering these provisions ongoing. X Passed Sen. Appropriations Committee Vote. Next Hearing set for 08/23/2023
SB 627 Smallwood-Cuevas Displaced Workers: Notice: Retention and Transfer This bill introduces measures to prohibit chain employers from closing covered establishments without providing a 60-day displacement notice to affected workers and their representative. Additionally, it mandates that chain employers offer covered workers the chance to transfer within 25 miles to available positions for a year post-closure. The bill establishes preferential transfer lists, ensures a fair offer acceptance period, and enforces record retention. It prevents adverse action against workers asserting their rights. X Passed Senate Floor Vote. Placed on Suspense File 07/12/2023
SB 33 Glazer Commercial financing: disclosures The bill removes the January 1, 2024, sunset provision that applies to a disclosure requirement of the cost of a commercial financing transaction expressed as an annualized rate. This bill is intended to provide small business owners with information about the actual cost of financing.  X Passed Senate Banking Committee. On Assembly Floor
SCA 7 Umberg Employment: Workers' Rights Enshrines the right to organize and negotiate with employers in the California Constitution. Invalidates new laws and ordinances that violate the rights above. SCA 7 will constitutionally protect the right of workers to come together in a workplace and negotiate with their employer over terms and conditions of employment. This goes for both public and private sector employees. X In Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee since 06/26/2023
SB 873 Bradford Prescription Drug Cost Sharing This bill seeks to reform the state's prescription drug rebate system by sharing rebates with patients at the point-of-sale, thereby reducing out-of-pocket costs and improving medication adherence rates. It would require an enrollee's or insured's defined cost sharing for each prescription drug to be calculated at the point of sale based on a price that is reduced by an amount eual to 90% of all rebates recieved, or to be recieved, in connection with the dispensing or administration of the drug. X In Assembly Appropriations Committee. Next hearing on 08/23/2023
SB 220 Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review Income taxes: credits: corporate tax rate: minimum franchise tax: critical needs fund The bill would conform to the student loan forgiveness provisions under the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). This would allow the exclusion of certain student loan discharge of indebtedness from gross income. It would also raise the corporate minimum tax rate in California to 10.99% X In Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee since 05/25/2023
SB 1044 Durazo State of Emergency: Retaliation This bill would prohibit an employer, in the event of an emergency condition from taking or threatening adverse action against any employee for refusing to report to, or leaving, a workplace or worksite within the affected area because the employee has a reasonable belief that the workplace or worksite is unsafe. The bill would also prohibit an employer from preventing any employee, including employees of public entities, as specified, from accessing the employee’s mobile device or other communications device for seeking emergency assistance, assessing the safety of the situation, or communicating with a person to confirm their safety. Originally opposed but changed position to neutral after amendments were made to the bill before passage. Bill became law as of January 1st, 2023
CPRA Regulatory Process The letter was written by CalChamber and signed by many business organizations and advocacy groups. It asked to have the implementation of the regulatory standards passed under the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) go into effect on July 1st, 2023 instead of the original date of January 1st, 2023. The CPRA was not yet fully analyzed by the California Consumer Protection Agency and so the full slate of rergulatory rules stemming from the bill were not yet written. X The law went into effect January 1st, 2023
California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection Fire Hazard Severity Zones Public Comment Period CAL FIRE wanted to update the map for Fire Hazard Severity Zones for the State Responsibilty Areas but provided only 45 days of public comment period during December of 2022, the holiday season. All this without presenting the methodoligy used in the making of the new map. The letter was meant to extend the public comment period. X New maps came into effect January 1st, 2023

Federal Public Policy

H.R. 5376 Yarmuth Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 This bill includes the following: Corporate Tax Reform, Excise Tax on Repurchase of Corporate Stock, Funding the IRS and Improving Taxpayer Compliance, Lower prices through drug price negotiation, Prescription Drug Rebates, Improvements on Maximum Out-of-Pocket Cap for Medicare Beneficiaries,Continued Delay of Implementation of Prescription Drug Rebate Rule, and other smaller provisions. The full summary can be found by clicking on the text. X Became law effective January 1st, 2023
U.S. Chamber Railroad Strike Aversion This coalition letter was written to Congressional leadership to urge Congress to intervene and avert a rail transportation shutdown. The shutdown would have cost the economy $2 billion/day. X Railroad strike was averted after President Biden invoked the Railway Labor Act of 1926.
Looman, U.S. Dept. of Labor Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Request for Comments Regarding Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Department of Labor (DoL) proposed a rule change regarding the classification of Independent Contractors (IC). This rule change would have effected who employers could classify as IC and as employees. It would have created more confusion and instability within the labor market. X The rule change was shelved for a later date.
Federal Trade Commission Rule Change to ban almost all noncompete clauses nationwide The FTC's proposed rule change to ban noncompetes nationwide for most sectors of the economy. X Rule is being redrafted. Comment period is currently closed
Congress Protect R&D, Pro-Growth Interest Deductibility Standard and Full Expensing Maintain deductions for research, development and innovation, including deductions for equipment purchases. X Letters current being accepted