Legislative Deadlines Loom

Today, May 22, marks the last day for policy committees to meet until the house of origin deadline. The following list highlights active bills that have advanced to one of two crucial junctures in the legislative process, the Appropriations Committees or the Floor.

Bills awaiting action in Appropriations may be placed on the Suspense File if they would impose significant costs on state General Fund. The Suspense file is often the final resting place for numerous measures. Bills must pass out of Appropriations by May 29.

Bills on the floor may be taken up at any time in the next two weeks and must leave their house of introduction by June 5.

For a full list of bills, their latest status and CSAC position letters, please visit www.counties.org/legislative-tracking

Assembly Appropriations

AB 88 (Gomez) – Oppose Unless Amended. 
Creates state and local sales tax exemption for energy efficient home appliances purchased by utility providers for low-income families. CSAC’s amendments request the bill exclude local sales and use taxes from the exemption.

AB 363 (Steinorth) – Support. 
Allows counties to collect ballots on election day prior to the closing of the poll to expedite tallying, saving overtime costs.

AB 717 (Gonzalez) – Oppose Unless Amended. 
Creates state and local sales tax exemption for infant and toddler diapers, creating a nearly $50 million gap each year statewide. CSAC’s amendments request the bill exclude local sales and use taxes from the exemption.

AB 800 (Gomez) – Oppose. 
Requires vote by mail ballots to include a postage-page return envelope. If this law was in place for the 2014 general election, additional postage costs would have totaled approximately $2.6 million statewide. (On Suspense)

AB 971 (Chang) – Support. 
Requires the state to pay their share of special elections called to fill a state legislative or congressional vacancy. (On Suspense)

Senate Appropriations

SB 661 (Hill) – Oppose. 
Unwinds the current county-lead assessment system for commercial air carrier-owned property and offers a state-led system run by the State Board of Equalization instead. (On Suspense)

Assembly Floor

AB 341 (Achadjian) – Support. 
Extends the deadline for mandated financial transaction and compensation reports that local agencies must submit annually to the State Controller’s Office. The adjustment better accommodates audit schedules and IRS reporting deadlines.

AB 851 (Mayes) – Support. Provide necessary updates to current statute governing the disincorporation of cities to reflect changes to local agency governance and fiscal authority in the last 30 years.

AB 1157 (Nazarian) – Support. 
Extends the sunset on the county-led property tax assessment system for commercial air-carrier owned property, preserving a system established in collaboration with the State Board of Equalization, commercial airlines, and county assessors for an additional year.

Senate Floor

SB 434 (Allen) – Support. 
Allows a county assessor to switch a mobile home from the vehicle license fee system to the property taxation if improvements to the mobile home have only left the original chasis in place.

SB 593 (Maguire) – Support. 
Reinforces county and city authority to levy hotel (transient occupancy taxes) on short-term vacation leases offer through online rental service companies, such as AirBnb or VRBO, to support local services provided to visitors and residents alike.