The State's legislative cycle is now complete for 2011 and Gov. Jerry Brown will have signed, vetoed, or pocket approved all the bills that made it out of the Legislature.
Most of these bills arrived at his desk on party line votes.
The governor vetoed four bills that the California Chamber of Commerce had identified as "job killers" (AB 1155, AB 325, AB 559 and SB 104).
In all, the state chamber identified 30 "job killer" bills in this year's legislative cycle. Five made it to Gov. Brown's desk, and he signed one into law. AB 22 will limit private employers' ability to use consumer credit reports for legitimate employment purposes.
He also signed SB 911, which limits the ability of Charter cities, such as Carlsbad, to choose whether or not to use project labor agreements on local construction projects.
The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce wrote a letter to the governor in support SB 475, a bipartisan bill that removes the requirement of project labor agreements on public infrastructure projects.
The Government Affairs Committee voted to recommend the Board of Directors take a position of support on HR 2599, the PACE Assessment Protection ACT, which would assist home owners in financing solar and other green home projects through their property taxes.
The Chamber is made up of mostly small-business owners and representatives and a few larger businesses.
We all have our own thoughts on politics and legislation. However, the Chamber, as an organization, looks at policy from the standpoint whether or not it will help our hurt business.
More information is available in the Chamber's Public Policy manual. If you would like to get more involved and more informed on issues as they arise, consider joining the Government Affairs Committee. The meetings held on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 a.m. at the Chamber office.
How
'Job Killers' fared
Vetoed
AB 1155: Would have increased costs and lawsuits in the workers' compensation system by eroding the apportionment provision that protects an employer from paying for disability that did not arise from work.
AB 325: Would have added to California's reputation of being an overly litigious state by creating a private right of action and mandating an employer to provide an employee with up to three days of unpaid bereavement leave.
AB 559: Would have unreasonably increased business litigation costs by limiting judicial discretion to reduce or deny exorbitant attorneys fees in fair employment and housing claims that should have been raised in a limited civil proceeding.
SB 104: (Vetoed on June 28, 2011) Would have essentially eliminated a secret ballot election and replaced it with the submission of representation cards signed by more than 50 percent of the employees, and left employees susceptible to coercion and manipulation by labor organizations. In working to defeat the bill, CalChamber argued that the current provisions of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA) adequately protect the rights and interests of employees and employers, as well as unions. In his veto message Governor Brown reminded the bill's supporters that while Governor in 1975 he signed the nation's first agricultural labor relations act, the ALRA. Under its protections, tens of thousands of agricultural workers have voted for unionization or otherwise expressed their choices as to how their interests should be advanced, the veto message stated.
Signed
AB 22: Will limit private employers' ability to use consumer credit reports for legitimate employment purposes, such as for screening potential hires who have direct and unsupervised access to any amount of cash and/or valuable non-financial assets. CalChamber argued that this bill will place California companies at a competitive disadvantage to other states.
Most of these bills arrived at his desk on party line votes.
The governor vetoed four bills that the California Chamber of Commerce had identified as "job killers" (AB 1155, AB 325, AB 559 and SB 104).
In all, the state chamber identified 30 "job killer" bills in this year's legislative cycle. Five made it to Gov. Brown's desk, and he signed one into law. AB 22 will limit private employers' ability to use consumer credit reports for legitimate employment purposes.
He also signed SB 911, which limits the ability of Charter cities, such as Carlsbad, to choose whether or not to use project labor agreements on local construction projects.
The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce wrote a letter to the governor in support SB 475, a bipartisan bill that removes the requirement of project labor agreements on public infrastructure projects.
The Government Affairs Committee voted to recommend the Board of Directors take a position of support on HR 2599, the PACE Assessment Protection ACT, which would assist home owners in financing solar and other green home projects through their property taxes.
The Chamber is made up of mostly small-business owners and representatives and a few larger businesses.
We all have our own thoughts on politics and legislation. However, the Chamber, as an organization, looks at policy from the standpoint whether or not it will help our hurt business.
More information is available in the Chamber's Public Policy manual. If you would like to get more involved and more informed on issues as they arise, consider joining the Government Affairs Committee. The meetings held on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 a.m. at the Chamber office.
How
'Job Killers' fared
Vetoed
AB 1155: Would have increased costs and lawsuits in the workers' compensation system by eroding the apportionment provision that protects an employer from paying for disability that did not arise from work.
AB 325: Would have added to California's reputation of being an overly litigious state by creating a private right of action and mandating an employer to provide an employee with up to three days of unpaid bereavement leave.
AB 559: Would have unreasonably increased business litigation costs by limiting judicial discretion to reduce or deny exorbitant attorneys fees in fair employment and housing claims that should have been raised in a limited civil proceeding.
SB 104: (Vetoed on June 28, 2011) Would have essentially eliminated a secret ballot election and replaced it with the submission of representation cards signed by more than 50 percent of the employees, and left employees susceptible to coercion and manipulation by labor organizations. In working to defeat the bill, CalChamber argued that the current provisions of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA) adequately protect the rights and interests of employees and employers, as well as unions. In his veto message Governor Brown reminded the bill's supporters that while Governor in 1975 he signed the nation's first agricultural labor relations act, the ALRA. Under its protections, tens of thousands of agricultural workers have voted for unionization or otherwise expressed their choices as to how their interests should be advanced, the veto message stated.
Signed
AB 22: Will limit private employers' ability to use consumer credit reports for legitimate employment purposes, such as for screening potential hires who have direct and unsupervised access to any amount of cash and/or valuable non-financial assets. CalChamber argued that this bill will place California companies at a competitive disadvantage to other states.