Today, Governor Gavin Newsom met the state Constitutional deadline to act upon nearly 1,200 bills that crossed his desk during this regular legislative session. However, lawmakers are still in Sacramento, with an Assembly floor session scheduled for tomorrow for a special session of the Legislature regarding gas prices.
The Governor vetoed 15.7% of the bills that reached his desk this year. By comparison, last year the Legislature approved 1,046 bills. In 2023, the Governor signed 890 bills and vetoed 156 bills, which was a 14.9% veto rate.
Here’s an update on CAPA’s bills of interest (see the attached report with the status of all the bills tracked this year):
Opioid Blockers/First Aid Kits: AB 1976 would require the Cal/OSHA Standards Board, before December 1, 2027, to draft a rulemaking proposal to revise a regulation on first aid materials to require all first aid kits in a workplace to include nasal spray naloxone hydrochloride. The bill would require the standards board to adopt revised standards for the standards described above on or before December 1, 2028. CAPA will monitor this rulemaking process. STATUS: Signed by the Governor
Opioid Blockers in Amusement Parks & Large Venues: AB 1996 would require each stadium, concert venue, and amusement park to ensure that the naloxone hydrochloride or other opioid antagonist is easily accessible and its location is known by emergency responders on the premises or otherwise widely known. This bill changes the Health and Safety Code section for SB 234 from last year, which defined “amusement park” as a gated facility requiring ticketed entry with more than one million visitors annually. STATUS: Signed by the Governor
Day Camp Regulations Report: AB 262 requires the Department of Social Services (CDSS) to prepare a report, informed by consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders, on approaches for children’s day camp health and safety regulation and oversight. The bill requires this work to be funded through the state budget. It is currently not in the budget so the soonest this work could begin is next summer. STATUS: Signed by the Governor
Delay for Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reporting: SB 219 would give the state a 6-month delay in developing regulations for corporate climate reporting. STATUS: Signed by the Governor
Subscription Autorenewals: AB 2863 requires that a consumer be able to cancel an automatically renewed subscription in the same manner that the consumer used to subscribe to the continuous service in the first place. STATUS: Signed by the Governor
Paid Sick Leave/Victims of Crime: AB 2499 entitles an employee of an employer with 25 or more employees who is a victim or who has a family member who is a victim of a crime to job protected leave to attend to their or their family member’s needs and ensure their safety. The bill permits both an employee victim and an employee who has a family member who is a victim to use sick leave for time off to obtain victim services. The total leave taken may be capped at 12 weeks. STATUS: Signed by the Governor
Political Communications in the Workplace: SB 399 will dramatically restrict employer communications in the workplace. Proponents say it is necessary to prohibit employers from forcing workers to sit through political rallies – but that has been illegal in California Labor Code since the 1930’s. Another argument supporters have made is that this bill would also prohibit employer intimidation for labor organizing. However, the National Labor Relations Act already guarantees collective bargaining rights. This is template legislation that Labor is pushing in many states. In fact, Colorado’s governor vetoed similar legislation in May saying it puts employers in the “impossible position” of determining what political speech is. CAPA Position: Oppose, STATUS: Signed by the Governor
Damages for Labor Code Violations: Under legislation passed last year, cities with elected city attorneys (such as Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco) can enforce labor code. AB 2738 would require courts to award legal fees (which include costs like expert witness) to winning plaintiffs. Current law gives a judge the discretion to award legal fees to the plaintiff. This sets a dangerous precedent and may financially incentivize private firms that contract with cities to file meritless claims to shakedown employers. The Governor issued a signing message with this measure noting that local enforcement of labor laws is authorized until 2029 and that this expansion needs to be monitored “to ensure this authority is being used as intended and evaluated for any unintended consequences.” CAPA Position: Oppose, STATUS: Signed by the Governor
Unless noted in the bill, all new laws take effect January 1, 2025.
