SB CAL Letter

From: Scott Hauge
Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2006 1:50 PM
To: Scott Hauge
Subject: SB CAL Letter

Dear SB-Cal Supporter:

As I promised last week please see a review of what Small Business California has done this past year to represent your interest in Sacramento. To those of you who have joined Small Business California, thank you. For those of you who have not joined, we hope you will do so.
Please click on http://www.smallbusinesscalifornia.org/. You also may want to forward this email to others you know in the Small Business Community.

Small Business California has come a long way over the last two years in establishing a voice for grass roots small businesses. The email tree we have put in place to about 2400 small businesses has developed a reputation for providing the most current information about issues in Sacramento that affect small businesses.

We have become a trusted source of information not only to the media in California but around the nation. It also has generated thousand of letters and emails to legislators and the Governor supporting our positions.

Scott Hauge, President
Small Business California
Your Small Business Voice


Here are the bills that SB-Cal played a significant role in getting passed (or vetoed) this legislative session:

2006 Activities- Supported Bills
-SB 1436 [Figueroa] (SB-Cal sponsored) Will assist small businesses in complying with state regulation and requires state agencies to designate a liaison for small businesses to work with. It also requires the department of Technology Services to create and maintain a user friendly website. Passed and signed by the Governor
-AB 2098 [Liu] (SB-Cal sponsored) Creates an Electronic Funds Task Force to examine California's current payment dispersal practices and determine opportunities for increased cost savings and user friendliness utilizing new EFT technology. Passed and signed by the Governor.. -AB 32 [Pavley/Nunez] Landmark emissions reduction legislation. SB-Cal was the first CA business organization to support this legislation and we lobbied in Sacramento to insure passage, noting the importance of balancing emissions reduction with incentives for CA businesses to exchange profits lost through wasted energy for investments that will pay for themselves through lower energy costs. This bill puts the CA Clean Tech sector on the forefront to maximize innovation and new job creation in the race to supply the world with alternative energy technologies. We had language added to the bill requiring that Small Business be involved in implementation of the bill.
-AB 1835 [Lieber] Increase in the minimum wage. While this is controversial, SB-Cal supported it when it appeared that it was going to the ballot. Had it gone to the ballot it would have included indexing every year. SB-Cal tried to get a tip credit included, but failed. Passed and signed by the Governor
-SB 437 [Escutia] increased health insurance coverage for children in California. Passed and signed by the Governor
-AB 2330 [Arambula] Requires the Small Business Advocate to do a study of the cost of state regulations for small business. Passed and signed by the Governor
-AB 3058 [Arambula] Provides assistance to small businesses in developing a disaster plan. Passed and signed by the Governor
-AB173 [Maldonado] This bill would have allowed individuals who put money into a health savings account to take a state tax deduction aligned with the federal tax deduction, which is available. Failed in the Assembly
-AB 2277 [Villines] This bill would require posters that the employer must post to be in plain understandable language. Failed in Assembly
-AB2217 [Villines] Allow employers the ability to schedule their workweek so that overtime is paid after 40 hours. Failed in Assembly

Bills Opposed
-SB 815 [Perata] Doubling of temporary disability payments on workers compensation claims. This bill would have dramatically increased workers comp rates over three years. Passed but vetoed by the Governor
-AB 409 [Yee] Another Workers’ Comp bill, this would have removed the caps on chiropractor and physical therapist visits. Pulled by the Author
-AB1209 [Yee] Workers Comp bill would have dismantled Medical Provider Networks. Pulled by the author.

Other Activities
-Part of core group for Small Business Recognition day with the Governor
-Assisted in putting on Small Business forums around the state for Senator Peratta.
-Raised objections to a change in the Experience Modification by the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau. This would have cost a number of small businesses around the state millions of dollars.
-Attended Governors Health Summit and will playa role in the development of the Governors development of universal coverage
-Attended a press conference with the Governor announcing his Executive Order to increase Business Transportation and Housing Agency's contracting with small businesses for transportation contracts.
-Spoke with the Governor and speaker Nunez at the signing of the minimum wage bill.
-November 1st, Small Business California will be honored in Washington D.C. by the Center for Small Business and the Environment for our activity around AB32. That day we will also be part of a hearing in the Senates Office.