GOVERNMENT RELATIONS


A Look at Priority Legislation As 2020 California Legislative Session Closes


By Felipe Fuentes


and ended with COVID-19 related fits and starts. While the Senate and Assembly differed in their approach to handling the legislative session, both houses largely limited the Legisla- ture’s policy proposals and attention to the wildfires, pandemic response and related economic recession. As a result, there were far fewer bills affecting the general contractor community in 2020. For example, prior to the


T


COVID-19 emergency declaration, Democratic and Republican legislators introduced over 30 bills addressing various aspects of last year’s worker classification bill known as Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5). As the statewide COVID-19 emergency unfolded, all but one of these measures was dropped or defeated in the policy committee process.


Given all the uncertainty around


the pandemic and the ongoing fiscal issues facing the state treasury, the 2021 legislative session will likely be as challenging and volatile as this year. While a comprehensive list of bill results may be found at https://www. agc-ca.org/, the following is a short list of some of the priority legislation in which AGC was actively involved and AGC’s position on them.


SUPPORT SB 1474 – (Committee on


Business, Professions and Economic www.AGC-CA.org


he legislative session began


Development) Business and Professions. AGC co-sponsored legislation with


the state Licensure Board (CSLB) to create a “safe harbor” for contractor license renewals. Te proposal was adopted as a committee bill and requires the CSLB registrar to grant the retro- active renewal of a license if within 90 days of the expiration of the license; the eligible licensee must also submit a completed application for renewal and pay renewal and delinquency fees. Tis bill was signed into law by the


Governor. SB 1351 (Beall) Transportation


Improvement Fee (TIF): Revenue Bonds.


THIS WAS THE Amended late in the session, this


measure would have securitized the TIF with bonds and accelerated SHOPP projects in the short term. While this securitization scheme would have provided for less transportation funding initially, the amount of money available to potentially be borrowed against by the Legislature and Governor in down years would have also been reduced. Tis bill was vetoed by the Governor.


NEUTRAL SB 1159 (Hill) Workers’ Compen-


sation: COVID-19: Critical Workers. Te COVID-19 pandemic inspired


Continued on page 6


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