(May 15, 2023) Eight California Chamber of Commerce job killer bills are awaiting key action in the Legislature this week, as Friday marks the deadline for fiscal committees to hear and report their bills to their house Floor.

Job Killer Bills

The following job killer bills are awaiting action in the Senate or Assembly Appropriations committees this week:

• AB 524 (Wicks; D-Oakland): Exposes employers to costly litigation under the Fair Employment and Housing Act by asserting that any adverse employment action was in relation to the employee’s family caregiver status, which is broadly defined to include any employee who contributes to the care of any person of their choosing, and creates a de facto accommodation requirement that will burden small businesses. In Assembly Suspense.
• SB 12 (Stern; D-Canoga Park): Arbitrarily changes the State’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction goal from 40% of 1990 levels by 2030 to 55%. By the State’s own estimate this proposal will force 17 million gas powered cars off the road in the next 10 years. In Senate Appropriations.
• SB 365 (Wiener; D-San Francisco): Discriminates against use of arbitration agreements by requiring trial courts to continue trial proceedings during any appeal regarding the denial of a motion to compel, undermining arbitration and divesting courts of their inherent right to stay proceedings. In Senate Appropriations Suspense.
• SB 399 (Wahab; D-Hayward): Chills employer speech regarding religious and political matters, including unionization. Is likely unconstitutional under the First Amendment and preempted by the National Labor Relations Act. In Senate Appropriations.
• SB 525 (Durazo; D-Los Angeles): Imposes significant cost on health care facilities and any employer who works with health care facilities by mandating increase in minimum wage to $25.00. In Senate Appropriations Suspense.
• SB 616 (Gonzalez; D-Long Beach): Imposes new costs and leave requirements on employers of all sizes, by more than doubling existing sick leave mandate, which is in addition to all other enacted leave mandates that small employers throughout the state are already struggling with to implement and comply. In Senate Appropriations Suspense.
• SB 627 (Smallwood-Cuevas; D-Los Angeles): Imposes an onerous and stringent process to hire employees based on seniority alone for nearly every industry, including hospitals, retail, restaurants, and movie theaters, which will delay hiring and eliminates contracts for at-will employment. In Senate Appropriations
• SB 809 (Smallwood-Cuevas; D-Los Angeles): Imposes new, burdensome requirements on employers regarding consideration of conviction history in hiring decisions, including excessively punitive enforcement mechanisms. In Senate Appropriations Suspense.