03/19/2024

News

Cal/OSHA Seeks Exemption from Economic Impact Analysis of Proposed Rules

All California’s agencies conduct important work that protects and provides for the public, and all are held accountable to the people by conducting the SRIA. Cal/OSHA’s process is not different and does not warrant a special exemption. SB 772 excuses Cal/OSHA from this important analysis, allowing regulations having a significant impact on the economy to avoid the close scrutiny that would reveal their true costs and any unintended consequences.

The bill’s proponents suggest that the cost and benefit analysis of a regulation is completely satisfied by the debate in the Legislature, advisory meetings, and the public notice and comment process required by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). This is not true – The regular rulemaking process does not adequately address economic impacts and alternative policy approaches.

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Senate Fiscal Committee Moves Multiple Tax Hike Bill without Vote

A bill proposing multiple tax hikes on state employers was sent directly to the full Senate without a vote on Monday by the Senate fiscal committee. SB 567 (Lara; D-Bell Gardens) was identified as a job killer because it will significantly increase taxes on California businesses, who already have one of the highest tax burdens in the country.

SB 567 (Lara; D-Bell Gardens) was identified as a job killer because it will significantly increase taxes on California businesses, who already have one of the highest tax burdens in the country.

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CalChamber Survey: California Voters Cite Roads, Jobs, Housing as Top Concerns

Given a choice among about 20 issues, nearly nine in ten voters believe that Sacramento officials are not spending enough time on fixing roads, highways and bridges in California. Eight in ten voters believe state leaders should be working harder to encourage economic development to attract new businesses to California, and about three quarters of voters want to see more attention paid to addressing high housing costs

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Committee Rejects Flexible Workweek Bill

California is one of only three states that requires employers to pay daily overtime after eight hours of work and weekly overtime after 40 hours of work. Even the other two states that impose daily overtime requirements allow the employer and employee to essentially waive the daily eight-hour overtime requirement through a written agreement.

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Minimum Wage Hike Implications for Employers

But the state minimum wage increase affects more than the nonexempt workers who received the minimum wage; the increase also affects the classification of employees as exempt versus nonexempt.

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California Economy: Still Outpacing the Nation

California has a lot to crow about. In the last four years the state has accelerated to become one of the fastest growing in the nation, according to the latest quarterly report from the California Chamber of Commerce Economic Advisory Council.

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California Tops Latest List of “Judicial Hellholes”

California has once again been identified as the No. 1 “Judicial Hellhole” in the nation, according to the latest ranking of the “most unfair” civil litigation courts by the American Tort Reform Foundation (ATRF). . . The report cites the latest data available from the Court Statistics Project of the National Center for State Courts, showing that more than a million new lawsuits are being filed annually in California’s state courts alone. Tens of thousands more are filed in federal courts here.

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CalChamber Releases List of New Employment Laws Affecting Businesses in 2016

The California Chamber of Commerce today released the list of new employment laws scheduled to take effect in 2016 or earlier that will have an impact on businesses in California.

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Drastically Reduced Lead Standard Lacks Scientific Foundation

A preliminary state proposal to drastically reduce a 25-year-old safe harbor standard for lead in consumer products has no scientific basis and is likely to lead to unnecessary warnings, the California Chamber of Commerce and an 82-member coalition is arguing.

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Air Board Asks Courts to Create New Tax

“In a landmark case before the Third District Court of Appeal, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) recently argued for creation of an unprecedented tax doctrine that could raise billions of dollars in new revenues. The ARB described the new revenue not as a tax or a fee (or any other recognized revenue-raising mechanism), but as a “byproduct” of a regulatory program.”

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CalChamber Releases 2015 Job Creator List

Since 2008, the CalChamber has identified bills that will improve the state’s job climate and stimulate the economy, designating these proposals as job creators. In general, the job creator bills include solutions that will enhance the state’s economy . . .

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Employment Law Trends White Paper

“A new white paper from CalChamber summarizes current employment law trends and offers practical advice for employers to minimize their potential workplace law liability. The white paper analyzes the “mixed bag” of employment law developments from new legislation and court decisions. “

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California Chamber of Commerce

“Although the council expects California’s economy to continue to grow, the state is not without its challenges. Growth has moderated recently, and the tremendous surge in tech-related hiring and associated construction projects is unlikely to be sustained longer term. Retailers and financial services firms are still posting only modest gains. Labor disputes at West Coast ports could push importers to make more permanent adjustments to their supply chains away from Los Angeles and Long Beach. Lower oil prices are weighing on the energy producers in Kern County, and a lack of water remains a challenge for farmers and residents alike. In addition, the state’s high costs of living, combined with sluggish wage and salary growth for middle-income households, has exacerbated the outmigration of residents. Few of these problems are truly new, however, and California seems to continuously prove that none of them are insurmountable.”

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California Supreme Court Issues Key CEQA Decision

The California Supreme Court ruled this week that evidence that a project may have a significant effect on the environment does not, in and of itself, preclude the use of a categorical exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

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CalChamber Backs Bill to Reduce Overwarning Under Proposition 65

The California Chamber of Commerce and large coalition of small businesses, trade associations and local chambers are supporting a bill that promotes using a scientific exposure assessment when deciding whether to warn under Proposition 65.

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