CalChamber publishes “job killer” list for 2018

The California Chamber of Commerce added three more pieces of legislation last week to its “job killer” list for 2018. In total, the group has identified 24 bills – 18 new and 6 carried over from last year.

Except for one bill sponsored by the Assembly Committee on Budget, every bill was Democrat-sponsored. The list is meant to sound “the alarm when a bill will hurt employers and the economy.”

The bills run the gamut from Assembly Bill 1761 –  which, inspired by #MeToo revelations, would require hotels to decline service to patrons who harass employees and issue panic buttons to employees working alone in guestrooms – and ACA22, which would add a 10 percent tax on net earnings of more than $1 million, with the revenue being funneled toward programs such as the earned income tax credit and health care.

While CalChamber is traditionally one of the biggest spenders when it comes to lobbying in Sacramento, spending $2.8 million lobbying last year alone, it figures to face an uphill battle. Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee passed Senate Bill 1284 (mandates publishing pay data for certain companies) and SB1300 (makes certain litigation easier) Friday, while the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee will considered AB2351 (increases personal income tax by 1 percent) Monday.

However, CalChamber will find more success with longshot bills, such as AB1745, which would ban sales of combustion engine vehicles in 2040. Similarly, AB1745, which would create a single-payer government health care system, has been in legislative purgatory since last year and is likely dead.

For a full list of “job killer bills,” see CalChamber’s website.