Business and Labor

Economic Development

SB 47* (Ackerman-R) Manufacturing investment tax credit

Extends the manufacturing investment tax credit and exemption indefinitely.

(In Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

Similar bills are SB 137 (Morrow-R), SB 454 (Vasconcellos-D), and SB 2X (Poochigian-R), which are all in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.

SB 114 (Torlakson-D) Auto dealerships and big box stores

Eliminates the authority of a redevelopment agency or local agency to provide any form of financial assistance to a vehicle dealer or big box retailer that is relocating from the territorial jurisdiction of one community to the territorial jurisdiction of another community within the same market area.

Chapter 781, Statutes of 2003

SB 172 (Ducheny-D) Enterprise zones

Redesignates the Brawley manufacturing enhancement area as an enterprise zone.

(In Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

A similar bill is AB 11 (Garcia), which is in Assembly Appropriations Committee.

SB 527 (Vasconcellos-D) California Economic Strategy Panel

Expands the mission of the existing California Economic Strategy Panel to include developing a system of accountability to measure the performance of all state policies, programs and tax expenditures intended to stimulate the economy.

(In Assembly Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee)

SB 639 (Torlakson-D) Jobs and housing

Extends the sunset dates of the Inter-Regional Partnership State Pilot Project to improve the balance of jobs and housing and requires the Inter-Regional Partnership to submit an interim report by July 31, 2004 and a final report by July 31, 2008.

Chapter 501, Statutes of 2003

SB 926* (Knight-R) Economic development

Renames the State Office of Military Base Retention the Office of Military Support and transfers the functions of that office and the California Spaceport Authority from the State Department of Housing and Community Development to the State Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.

(On Assembly Third Reading File)

SB 998 (Bowen-D) Economic stimulus

Enacts the California Economic Stimulus and Public Infrastructure Security and Investment Bond Act to frame a program for economic stimulus and infrastructure investment.

(In Senate Governmental Organization Committee)

SB 1029 (Ashburn-R) Enterprise zones

Requires the State Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency to consider geographic location and community size in designating an enterprise zone and expands the number to 44.

(In Senate Housing and Community Development Committee)

SCA 14 (Vasconcellos-D) California Economic Strategy Panel

Makes the California Economic Strategy Panel a constitutionally established entity.

(In Senate Rules Committee)

SR 21 (Knight-R) Boeing 7E7 Jetliner Project

Declares the Senate's support for selection of a site within the State of California as the final assembly facility for the 7E7 Jetliner, and welcomes and encourages management of The Boeing Company to bring this important project to California.

Adopted by the Senate

A similar resolution, HR 33 (Runner-R), which was Adopted by the Assembly, expressed the Assembly's support for the project.

AB 251 (Parra-D) Economic development

Requires an interagency task force to develop a unified state economic development strategy.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 410 (Haynes-R) California Neighborhood Initiative

Establishes the California Neighborhood Initiative within the State Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency and allows up to 25 California Renewal Communities.

(In Assembly Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy Committee)

AB 411 (Haynes-R) California new markets

Creates the California New Markets Venture Capital Program and requires the State Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency to enter into agreements with eligible companies to guarantee the debentures of the companies to support investment in small enterprises located in low or moderate income geographic areas.

(In Assembly Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee)

AB 437 (Matthews-D) Inter-Regional Partnership state pilot project

Requires local jurisdictions within the five Inter-Regional Partnership counties and a Jobs-Housing Opportunity Zone that participate in the pilot project be given priority eligibility in the award of state competitive grants and other economic incentives for projects within the pilot project area.

(In Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee)

AB 439 (Matthews-D) Enterprise zones

Increases from 15 percent to 25 percent the area by which an enterprise zone meeting specified criteria may be expanded.

(In Assembly Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee)

AB 480 (Ridley-Thomas-D) State economy

Allows the Joint Committee on Preparing California for the 21st Century, in collaboration with the University of California and other entities, to issue to the Governor and the Legislature a report relative to the status of the state's minority, disabled persons, and women-owned or operated businesses and their impact on the state's economy.

(In Senate Rules Committee)

AB 516 (Matthews-D) Enterprise zones

Expands the type of enterprise zones eligible for a five-year extension to include those located in rural areas that were designated after 1990.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 531* (Kehoe-D) Economic development

Authorizes $10 billion in state general obligation bonds to fund loans and grants for local infrastructure and economic development projects.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 584 (Ridley-Thomas-D) Urban revitalization

Enacts the Urban Economic Revitalization Act of 2003 to stimulate urban communities financial contribution to the state's economy.

(In Assembly Rules Committee)

AB 592 (Ridley-Thomas-D) Enterprise zones

Allows a city or county to apply to the State Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency to reconfigure up to 10 percent of the existing geographic boundary of an enterprise zone.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 708 (Correa-D) Enterprise zones

Authorizes the State Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency to extend the designation period for enterprise zones created after 1990 from 15 years to 20 years.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 723 (Matthews-D) Jobs-housing opportunity zones

Authorizes cities and counties to create infrastructure financing districts in designated jobs-housing opportunity zones to finance public facilities in the five-county Inter-Regional Partnership area of northern California.

(In Senate Local Government Committee)

AB 803 (Matthews-D) Regulations: impact on business

Requires state agencies to solicit comment from individuals and organizations with expertise in economics to consider potential economic impacts on the state businesses when proposing to adopt, amend, or repeal existing administrative regulations. These individuals and organizations may be associated with state universities and economic research institutes.

(In Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

AB 922 (Maze-R) California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank

Requires the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to consider various factors in the selection of infrastructure projects to fund, which will have the effect of giving priority to projects that have the greatest need for economic development.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1035 (Aghazarian-R) Enterprise zones: Stanislaus County

Requires the State Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency to designate as an enterprise zone an area within Stanislaus County that meets specified criteria.

(In Senate Housing and Community Development Committee)

AB 1183 (Ridley-Thomas-D) California and Mexico border economic infrastructure

Establishes the California and Mexico Border Economic Infrastructure Financing Authority, also known as the CalMex Border Economic Infrastructure Financing Authority, to be composed of a specified membership, within the Office of the State Treasurer. It requires the authority to issue revenue bonds for the construction and improvement of infrastructure projects within Imperial County and within 100 kilometers of the border between Imperial County and Mexico.

(In Assembly Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee)

AB 1189 (Wiggins-D) Public contracts

Enacts the "California First" Procurement Act to express the intent of the Legislature that California-based business bidders have precedence over non-California based business bidders in the application of any bidder preference for which non-California based business bidders may be eligible.

(In Assembly Rules Committee)

AB 1270* (Dutton-R) Manufacturing equipment investment

Expands the availability of the sales and use tax exemption and the personal income tax and corporation tax credit for investment in manufacturing equipment to electricity generation.

(In Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1532 (Nakano-D) Economic development: technology programs

Transfers responsibility for the California Spaceport Authority and California Space Enterprise Program from the State Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency (TTCA) to the State Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, as specified. Requires the Secretary of Labor Workforce to lead the preparation of the economic development strategic plan and convene the California Economic Strategy Panel rather than the TTCA.

Chapter 627, Statutes of 2003

AB 1551 (Kehoe-D) San Diego biotechnology industry

Makes legislative declarations relating to the biotechnology industry in the San Diego region, and authorizes state and local entities to enter into agreements with a specified training center with the San Diego Multiuse Biotechnology Training Center.

Chapter 628, Statutes of 2003

AB 1756* (Assembly Budget Committee) Apprenticeship training

Requires the California Apprenticeship Council to distribute training grants to approved apprenticeship programs in 2003-04 rather than starting in 2004-05.

Chapter 228, Statutes of 2003

AB 1757 (Assembly Budget Committee) State Technology, Trade, and Commerce Agency

Abolishes the State Technology, Trade, and Commerce Agency, and transfers specified duties to other state agencies, as specified.

Chapter 229, Statutes of 2003

ACR 37 (Parra-D) Economic forecasting model

Requests the University of California, Merced, to develop, not later than July 1, 2004, a feasibility study and plan for the establishment of an economic forecasting model with a primary focus on the Central Valley.

(In Assembly Higher Education Committee)

ACR 46 (Cox-R) Legislation affecting businesses

Requests Members of the Legislature to refrain from proposing legislation that hinders or restricts California businesses from operating or employing Californians in California, in an effort to make California more economically competitive.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

World Trade and Tourism

SB 623 (Ducheny-D) International trade

Provides that when there is sufficient state and private funding, offices of foreign relations in other countries shall be established with nonstate funds, as specified.

(On Senate Unfinished Business File)

SB 817 (Ducheny-D) Trade and commerce: programs

Requires the Governor to, within existing resources, establish the Office of Foreign Affairs and International Protocol within the Governor's office, as specified.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

SJR 19 (Soto-D) North American Free Trade Agreement

Requests the President and Congress of the United States to take appropriate action to amend the North American Free Trade Agreement to provide that foreign investors may not file suits under Chapter 11 of the agreement against a signatory to the agreement concerning environmental and human health and safety laws that do not discriminate in their treatment of domestic and foreign investors.

(In Senate Banking, Commerce and International Trade Committee)

AB 249 (Matthews-D) California/Mexico Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

Requires the Governor, upon the availability of sufficient nonstate resources, to contract with the University of California, at the option of the Regents of the University of California, to establish the California/Mexico Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, to be located at the California House in Mexico City.

(In Senate Banking, Commerce and International Trade Committee)

AB 287 (Firebaugh-D) Tourism: marketing plan

Requires the California Travel and Tourism Commission to consult with certain entities and recommend strategies and a timeline for revising the annual tourism marketing plan to include promoting the state's artistic, cultural, historical and ethnic resources.

Chapter 204, Statutes of 2003

AB 969 (Correa-D) California Tourism Expansion Act of 2003

Authorizes the City of Anaheim and the City of Garden Grove to create a pilot project to be known as the Tourism Development Council.

(In Senate Local Government Committee)

AB 1178 (Wiggins-D) California Office of Export Development

Requires the California Office of Export Development to coordinate its trade promotional activities with the United States Department of Commerce.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1613 (Assembly Jobs, Economic Development And The Economy Committee) International trade and investment offices

Authorizes the Secretary of the State Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency to accept private donations in excess of $10,000 per quarter per donor for the purposes of promoting trade and investment.

(In Senate Banking, Commerce and International Trade Committee)

AB 1642 (Ridley-Thomas-D) Tourism

Authorizes the creation and appointment of the Los Angeles County Tourism Advisory Committee by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and allows for the creation of the Los Angeles County Tourism Marketing District.

(In Senate Governmental Organization Committee)

AB 1756* (Assembly Budget Committee) State government

Enacts the statutory language in the area of the state budget concerning general government issues. Among other things, authorizes the State Tourism Commission to collect and deposit self-assessments on the tourism industry.

Chapter 228, Statutes of 2003

AB 1757 (Assembly Budget Committee) State agencies

Abolishes the State Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency and the Office of Criminal Justice Planning and transfers specified duties to other agencies.

Chapter 229, Statutes of 2003

Small Business

SB 405 (Florez-D) Small business development corporations

Authorizes the executive director of the California Office of Small Business to establish a single account within the California Small Business Expansion Fund, instead of a separate account for each of the existing eleven small business financial development corporations (SBFDCs), that may be used to satisfy the obligations of SBFDCs that previously received any monies from the fund.

(Failed passage in Senate Governmental Organization Committee)

SB 516* (Speier-D) Subchapter "S corporations"

Prevents a corporation with gross receipts of more than $20 million from electing to be an "S corporation".

(In Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 293 (Daucher-R) Health care coverage: small business

Creates the Small Business Employees Access to Health Care Coverage Act, establishing a voluntary program in which a small business may limit, as specified, the amount its full-time employees are required to contribute toward the cost of their health care coverage. Allows a participating small business to authorize its full-time employees to work up to five extra hours each week, with those earnings applied towards the employee's health care contribution amount.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 480 (Ridley-Thomas-D) Business development

Authorizes the Joint Committee on Preparing California for the 21st Century, in collaboration with the University of California and other entities, to issue to the Governor and the Legislature a report relative to the status of the state's minority, disabled persons', and women-owned or operated businesses and their impact on the state's economy.

(In Senate Rules Committee)

AB 606 (Liu-D) Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation

Requires the Director of the State Department of Industrial Relations, or his/her designee, and the Governor's Advocate for Small Business to meet at least two times annually with employees and representatives of small business, solely on issues related to California's workers' compensation system.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

AB 716 (Chan-D) Small business financial development corporations

Makes various substantive and clarifying changes to the California Small Business Financial Development Corporation Law program that offers, among other things, loan guarantees to small business. Is intended to clarify the nature of the relationship between the two funds supporting the Small Business Loan Guarantee Program, delete conflicting statutory names for the same trust fund accounts, delete an unnecessary account, address conflicting provisions regarding financial development corporations' accepting private funds, clarify that the trust fund does not need to be collateralized, and delete an accomplished agency mandate from 1997.

Chapter 178, Statutes of 2003

AB 1061 (Firebaugh-D) Unemployment insurance: Employment Training Panel

Enhances small business access to Employment Training Panel programs and resources, and specifies legislative intent to assist small suppliers in the aerospace and defense industry.

Chapter 844, Statutes of 2003

AB 1325* (Houston-R) Small business

Requires each state agency that is required to designate a small business liaison to post on its web site the name and telephone number of its small business liaison and the small business advocate. Makes changes in the California Small Business Development Center Program.

(In Assembly Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee)

Labor Relations

SB 57 (Burton-D) Minimum wage

Indexes the state's minimum wage to the California Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, beginning on January 1, 2004, and annually thereafter.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 75 (Burton-D) Agricultural labor relations

Amends provisions of existing law relating to mandatory mediation and conciliation procedures for agricultural workers and employers.

Chapter 870, Statutes of 2003

SB 158 (Alarcon-D) Displaced public transit employees

Establishes a bidding preference for public transit service contractors and subcontractors who agree to retain, for a period of at least 90 days, employees of the previous contractor or subcontractor.

Chapter 103, Statutes of 2003

SB 179 (Alarcon-D) Contracts for labor or services

Provides that any person or entity that enters into specified contracts for labor or services, that knows or should know that the contract does not provide sufficient funds to comply with various laws, violates state law, and provides for a rebuttable presumption, as provided.

Chapter 908, Statutes of 2003

SB 197 (Burton-D) Registered nurses: wages and hours of employment violations

Provides treble civil penalties for acute care hospitals that are operated for profit and who fail to give registered nurses meal or rest periods.

(On Assembly Inactive File)

SB 210 (Burton-D) Minors: artistic employment contracts

Seeks to further strengthen California's Coogan Law to benefit child performers.

Chapter 667, Statutes of 2003

SB 360 (Romero-D) Public works: prevailing wages: exclusions

Extends the exemption deadline for certain residential and low-income housing projects from the provisions of prevailing wage law.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

SB 390 (Romero-D) State Department of Industrial Relations

Revises the description of the functions of the State Department of Industrial Relations to include the improvement of wage earner benefits in addition to the improvement of working conditions and the advancement of opportunities for profitable employment.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 478 (Dunn-D) Victims of crime: work absences for judicial proceedings

Enables employees who are crime victims, the immediate family members of crime victims, the registered domestic partners of crime victims, and the children of the registered domestic partners of crime victims to be absent from work to attend scheduled judicial proceedings.

Chapter 630, Statutes of 2003

SB 534 (Romero-D) Employment rights

Prohibits the use of short-handled tools and hand weeding, as specified, for weeding, thinning or hot-capping in agricultural operations.

(Failed passage on Assembly Floor; reconsideration granted. Placed on Assembly Inactive File.)

SB 535 (Romero-D) Wages: multiple employers

Permits an employee to opt-out of a plan for the payment of wages at a central place or places and designate an alternate place to receive wages by providing written notice to the State Labor Commissioner of his/her intent to opt-out of the plan.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 573 (Alarcon-D) Employee wages and working hours: violators

Requires the State Labor Commissioner (LC), in consultation with the State Franchise Tax Board and the Joint Enforcement Strike Force on the Underground Economy to establish, by July 1, 2004, a trigger for LC recommendation of an employer tax audit to state tax authorities, and to impose specified notification, recommendation and recordkeeping requirements on the LC regarding that trigger once established.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 578 (Alarcon-D) Public contracts: sweatshop labor

Enacts non-sweatshop labor guidelines to state procurement policies that ensure that goods and services purchased by the State of California be produced in workplaces that adhere to minimum standards for protecting workers.

Chapter 711, Statutes of 2003

SB 586 (Alarcon-D) Wages: penalties

Requires the State Labor Commissioner (LC) to, in addition to any award ordered by the LC, impose on an employer found to owe back wages a penalty equal to one percent of the total amount owed by the employer.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 661 (Cedillo-D) Labor: definition

Revises the definition of "labor" for purposes of payment of wages, to include labor, work, or service, as specified, if the labor to be paid for is performed personally by the person demanding or seeking payment.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 730 (Burton-D) Prevailing rate of per diem wages: determinations

Provides specified time periods relating to the determination and appeal of prevailing wage rate and coverage determinations.

(On Senate Unfinished Business File)

SB 755 (Torlakson-D) Permanent amusement rides

Prohibits minors or intoxicated persons from operating or attending to permanent amusement rides.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 777 (Escutia-D) Whistleblowers

Provides additional "whistleblower" protections for refusal to perform unlawful conduct and for an employees' acts on a previous job. Requires the State Attorney General to maintain a whistleblower hotline for corporate crime and regulatory misconduct and to refer calls to the appropriate investigative or regulatory agency.

Chapter 484, Statutes of 2003

SB 796 (Dunn-D) Employment

Allows employees to sue their employers for civil penalties for employment law violations. Intended to augment the enforcement abilities of the State Labor Commissioner by creating an alternative "private attorney general" system for labor law enforcement.

Chapter 906, Statutes of 2003

SB 868 (Dunn-D) Prevailing wages

Revises the definition of per diem wages to include worker protection and assistance programs or committees, and industry advancement and collective bargaining administrative fees.

Chapter 905, Statutes of 2003

SB 927 (Alarcon-D) Personal services contracts: employee compensation

Applies existing personal services contracts provisions and requirements to wages and benefits of employees of subcontractors providing the same types of services in state-leased facilities where the state leases a substantial portion of the occupied floorspace of the facility.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 966 (Alarcon-D) Public works and prevailing wages: contractor's costs

Permits a contractor to recover increased costs from an awarding body that result from the classification of the work as a "public work" after the job has begun.

Chapter 804, Statutes of 2003

SB 974 (Alarcon-D) Public contracts: preferences

Establishes parameters in the Public Contract Code to measure a "socially responsible business" and provides those businesses a bid preference in procuring public contracts.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 996 (Alarcon-D) Living wage

States legislative intent that, when funds become available, the State Division of Labor Statistics and Research shall annually update a 2002 study titled, "Living Wages: The Issues and the Impact," with specified requirement relating to the potential economic impact of a statewide living wage mandate on employees, employers, contractors and the government.

(At Assembly Desk)

SB 1010* (Poochigian-R) Employment law

Repeals specific employment laws relating to wages and mandated benefits, and makes findings and declarations regarding the economic crisis confronting the state and its businesses.

(Failed passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee; reconsideration granted)

SB 1034 (Murray-D) Contracts: recording companies

Imposes a fiduciary duty on a recording company to accurately account for royalties earned under a recording artist contract.

(In Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media Committee)

SCR 49 (Burton-D) Prevailing wage rates: chartered cities

Reaffirms the intent of the Legislature that the state prevailing wage law applies broadly to all projects subsidized with public funds, including the projects of charter cities, as the law addresses important statewide concerns.

Resolution Chapter 135, Statutes of 2003

SB 1X* (Poochigian-R) State economy: suspension of statutes

Provides that various statutes enacted in the 2001-02 Regular Session of the Legislature, relating to workers' compensation, labor standards, and agricultural labor relations, shall not become operative until the date the Governor issues a proclamation declaring that the California economy has fully recovered from the recession that began in 2000.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

AB 76 (Corbett-D) Employment discrimination

Rejects a 2002 court of appeal decision which held workers in California are not protected against workplace sexual harassment perpetrated by customers, vendors, and other third parties, and thus harmonizes state and federal law regarding harassment by such persons.

Chapter 671, Statutes of 2003

AB 89 (Bogh-R) Prevailing wages: payroll records: digitized copies

Provides that a certified copy of an employee's payroll record includes a printout of a digitized image of an original payroll record if the printout is provided by a bank or a financial institution that scanned the original payroll record.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 98 (Koretz-D) Employment: meal periods and rest periods

Codifies anticipated action by the State Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) by providing that if the IWC adopts or amends the wage order pertaining to commercial motor vehicle operation, the IWC may exempt employees covered by valid collective bargaining agreements from provisions of the wage order relating to meal and rest periods.

Chapter 327, Statutes of 2003

AB 135 (Reyes-D) On-air broadcast employees

Implements the Broadcast Industry Freedom of Contract Act by prohibiting the inclusion of specified restrictive terms or clauses in employment contracts between broadcast employers and on-air employees.

(On Senate Inactive File)

AB 196 (Leno-D) Discrimination

Expands the definition of sex to include gender, actual or perceived, for purposes of defining unlawful employment discrimination.

Chapter 164, Statutes of 2003

AB 223 (Diaz-D) Employment

Overturns a recent holding of the State Supreme Court regarding the award of attorneys fees and costs, following the unsuccessful appeal of a State Labor Commissioner (LC) decision or award to the trial court, and specifies that an employee is successful in the appeal of a LC award so long as the employee recovers an amount greater than zero.

Chapter 93, Statutes of 2003

AB 244 (Maze-R) Wages: overtime

Eliminates various statutory requirements relating to hours worked, daily overtime, alternative workweek schedules, meal periods, and days of rest.

(Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 274 (Koretz-D) Employment

Creates a rebuttable presumption that an adverse employment action closely following an employee's exercise of a protected legal right is retaliatory.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 276 (Koretz-D) Penalties for Labor Code violations

Increases the fines and civil penalties for specified violations of the Labor Code, and earmarks a portion of the increased penalties to a fund dedicated to educating employers about their obligations under state labor law.

Chapter 329, Statutes of 2003

AB 324 (Diaz-D) Public works: labor compliance programs

Codifies state regulations requiring a labor compliance program on a public works project be approved by the Director of the State Department of Industrial Relations, and modifies the formula that provides reimbursement for increased costs associated with labor compliance programs, pursuant to the School Bonds Acts.

Chapter 834, Statutes of 2003

AB 330 (Parra-D) Working conditions

Exempts from the meal period requirement in existing law, certain employees in the wholesale baking industry who are covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement, as specified.

Chapter 207, Statutes of 2003

AB 453 (Yee-D) Public works contracts: compensation of contractors

Provides that a contractor is entitled to recover the reasonable costs of labor, equipment, and materials on a public works contract if that contract is determined to be invalid due to a defect or defects in the competitive bidding process caused solely by the contracting public entity.

Chapter 678, Statutes of 2003

AB 570 (Chu-D) Garment manufacturers: fees

Authorizes the State Labor Commissioner to distribute the full amount of a specified fund to pay garment workers for damages or relief awarded resulting from violations of State Industrial Welfare Commission orders or the Labor Code.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 572 (Yee-D) Employment

Increases penalties and liability for employers who commit adverse employment actions against employees who report or refuse to perform unsafe work, as specified. Establishes certain procedures for filing, investigating and determining complaints of occupational health and safety discrimination and requires the State Labor Commissioner to establish additional procedures for processing these complaints.

(Failed passage in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 581 (Chu-D) Curriculum: labor relations

Requires the State Department of Education to consider a labor relations curriculum in the next cycle in which the history-social science curriculum framework and its accompanying instructional materials are adopted.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 643 (Mullin-D) State Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board

Revises the procedures by which members of the State Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board are appointed and permitted to retain membership upon the expiration of their term, and revises membership criterion.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 796 (Bogh-R) Occupational safety and health: fines

Establishes a refund plan for civil and administrative penalties imposed against public police and fire departments and requires that, if a police of fire department does not apply for a refund, the unclaimed funds from the civil and administrative penalties be given to designated public entities to be used to fund grants for specific purposes, upon appropriation by the Legislature.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 807 (Leno-D) Public works: prevailing wage

Provides that an employer may only credit pension or other contributions against their prevailing wage obligations when the employer makes such contributions on at least a quarterly basis.

Chapter 839, Statutes of 2003

AB 852 (Lieber-D) Prevailing rate of per diem wages: determinations

Establishes a mechanism for the determination of prevailing wage rates on nonpublic works projects, where a public and private entity voluntarily agree by contract that the employees will receive prevailing wages.

Chapter 343, Statutes of 2003

AB 1028 (Bermudez-D) California Apprenticeship Council

Reauthorizes the California Apprenticeship Council to adopt industry-specific training criteria for use by apprenticeship programs.

Chapter 842, Statutes of 2003

AB 1060 (Lieber-D) Life insurance: employees

Prohibits an employer from obtaining a life insurance policy on an employee unless it first obtains the clearly expressed consent of the employee in writing and in the employee's own words, as specified, and unless it transmits that consent to the insurer. Specifies that violation of this provision is a crime.

(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1093 (Lieber-D) Living wage

Establishes a living wage to be paid to employees of the state and specified service contractors and subcontractors doing business with state government. Provides that specified employees and contracts are exempted.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1132 (Koretz-D) Employment

Amends enforcement and appeal procedures following the confiscation of goods unlawfully manufactured in the home by establishing a procedure whereby the destruction and disposal of such goods does not require court authorization if there is no challenge to the confiscation.

Chapter 214, Statutes of 2003

AB 1133 (Koretz-D) Employment

Imposes an automatic penalty equal to 100 percent of the original judgment for every six months that employers do not pay wage and hour judgments rendered against them.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1136 (Maddox-R) Unemployment: wage information

Authorizes, under certain conditions, the disclosure of wage information to consumer reporting agencies for the purpose of verifying information provided by an individual in connection with a credit or employment transaction.

(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1140 (Cox-R) Public works: refuse hauling

Repeals the provision of California law defining "public works" to include the hauling of refuse from a public works site to an outside disposal facility with respect to contracts involving any state agency, including the California State University, the University of California, or any political subdivision of the state.

(Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1147 (Houston-R) Employment: public transit meal periods

Exempts employers that provide contracted services to public transit operators from the meal period and rest period requirements of the law.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1223 (McCarthy-R) Employment: mass layoffs, relocations, and terminations

Repeals existing law requiring employers to give workers and specified government agencies notice of a mass layoff, relocation or termination.

(Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 1229 (Simitian-D) Sexual harassment

Makes an employer liable for unlawful sexual discrimination against individuals who are qualified for, but are denied an employment opportunity or benefit, where the individual who is granted the opportunity or benefit received it because that individual submitted to sexual advances or requests for sexual favors.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1243 (Houston-R) Apprenticeship agreements

Provides that certain provisions of state law relating to apprenticeships will not serve to invalidate specified federally-approved apprenticeship programs or restrict the geographic eligibility for dispatch of apprentices.

(Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 1288 (Lieber-D) Employment services: aliens

Provides an exception, for specified charitable organizations, from the requirement that organizations verify an individual's legal status or authorization to work.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1310 (Dutton-R) Public works: prevailing wages

Modifies the methodology and information considered in ascertaining the general prevailing wage rate of per diem wages and creates an exemption from prevailing wage law for prefabricated work performed off-site.

(Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1344 (Garcia-R) Prevailing wages: exclusions: real property transfers

Excludes from prevailing wage requirements any project that is funded, in whole or in part, by a qualified transfer, as defined, by a city, county, or redevelopment agency of qualified real property, as defined, to a nonprofit corporation.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1345 (Reyes-D) On-air broadcast employees

Enacts the Broadcast Industry Freedom of Contract Act to prohibit the inclusion of specified restrictive terms or clauses in employment contracts between broadcast employers and on-air employees.

(On Assembly Inactive File)

AB 1418 (Laird-D) Labor: violations

Establishes minimum penalties relating to violations of prevailing wage requirements, and requires the Contractors State License Board to make information regarding specified contractors available on its web site for willful violations of labor laws.

Chapter 849, Statutes of 2003

AB 1421* (Cogdill-R) Public works: prevailing wage

Repeals recent legislation relating to the payment of prevailing wages on public works projects, and establishes an exemption from existing prevailing wage law for projects of community facilities districts of specified charter cities.

(Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 1459 (Houston-R) Labor standards: local jurisdiction

Repeals legislation enacted last session, allowing local government entities to impose labor standards more stringent than those required by state law on local projects that receive state funding.

(Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 1471 (Haynes-R) Safety in employment

Repeals existing provisions in state law relating to safety in employment.

(Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 1506 (Negrete McLeod-D) Public works: projects funded by bonds: prevailing wages

Requires the body awarding a contract for a public works project financed in any part with funds made available by the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century to adopt and enforce a labor compliance program.

Chapter 851, Statutes of 2003

AB 1529 (Pavley-D) Labor standards: meal and rest periods

Provides that the provisions of law pertaining to meal periods and rest periods for employees apply to nurses, medical center employees, and employees of health clinics, employed by a public institution that issues doctorate degrees in health care professions, subject to specified exceptions.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1536 (Goldberg-D) Discrimination

Amends the Fair Employment and Housing Act in the manner in which unlawful practice claims are processed.

Chapter 447, Statutes of 2003

AB 1539 (Houston-R) Prevailing wages: sole proprietorships

Exempts from the prevailing wage requirements any sole proprietorship whose only employee is the sole proprietor.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1617 (Montanez-D) Harassment: investigations

Specifies the reasonable steps an employer should take to investigate allegations of harassment and to prevent harassment, including, among other things, using a trained and experienced investigator, taking corrective action that effectively disciplines the harasser and does not adversely affect the victim, and reviewing whether any prior corrective action had been effective.

(In Assembly Judiciary Committee)

AB 1643 (Ridley-Thomas-D) Employment

Establishes a new classification for specified employment law purposes, in addition to existing classifications for "employee" and "independent contractor," for a "contract service provider," as defined.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1688 (Goldberg-D) Car washes

Establishes a system to regulate the employment of workers in the car washing and polishing industry.

Chapter 825, Statutes of 2003

AB 1715 (Assembly Judiciary Committee) Employment arbitration agreements

Precludes involuntary waiver of civil rights laws in the workplace.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1719 (Assembly Labor And Employment Committee) Employment

Strengthens the notification and reporting requirement sin existing law regarding complaints filed with the State Department of Occupational Safety and Health. Extends the sunset for the state's electrician certification program. Specifies the organization authorized to establish an alternative dispute resolution procedure for licensed jockeys.

Chapter 884, Statutes of 2003

AB 1722 (Assembly Labor And Employment Committee) State Agricultural Labor Relations Board

Requires, for the State Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB), the Governor to appoint two legal advisors for each board member upon recommendation of that board member, to serve at the pleasure of the recommending board member and to receive a salary to be fixed by the ALRB with the approval of the State Department of Personnel Administration.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1723 (Assembly Labor And Employment Committee) Meals and rest periods, mass layoffs, and relocations

Requires the State Employment Development Department to make available information relating to mass layoffs, relocations, and terminations, and makes changes to existing law regarding employee meal and rest periods.

(Held at Senate Desk)

AB 1752* (Assembly Budget Committee) Human services

Is the human services 2003-04 budget trailer bill. Among other provisions, makes statutory changes necessary to achieve savings contained in the 2003-04 Budget relative to the CalWORKs program, employment training program, and Workforce Investment Act.

Chapter 225, Statutes of 2003

ACR 72 (Koretz-D) Labor History Week

Recognizes the passage of AB 1900 (Nakano-D), Chapter 366, Statutes of 2002, that established the first week of April as Labor History Week throughout the public schools and encourages school districts to commemorate that week with appropriate educational exercises.

(From printer)

ACR 79 (Lieber-D) Equal Pay Day

Declares April 15, 2003 as Equal Pay Day and urges California citizens to recognize the full value of women's skills and significant contributions to the labor force. Urges Congress to protect the rights of all American women and provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex and for other purposes.

Resolution Chapter 51, Statutes of 2003

Workers' Compensation

SB 125 (Chesbro-D) Workers' compensation: leave of absence for disability

Extends leave-of-absence, without the loss of salary, for up to one year, in lieu of temporary disability benefits to county coroners, deputy coroners, and county welfare fraud investigators or inspectors, due to an illness or injury arising out of and in the course of their employment.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 176 (Johnson-R) Workers' compensation insurance: classification: notice

Requires workers' compensation insurance rating organizations to provide written notification, as specified, to policyholders when the rating organization imposes a change in the policyholder's classification assignment.

Chapter 121, Statutes of 2003

SB 228 (Alarcon-D) Workers' compensation

Repeals the treating physician's presumption of correctness for all dates of injury. Requires all employers to adopt a utilization review system. Establishes a new carve-out program. Makes changes to existing payment requirements. Establishes a Medicare-based official medical fee schedule.

Chapter 639, Statutes of 2003

SB 365 (Johnson-R) Workers' compensation

Revises the causation requirement in workers' compensation for purposes of compensability and expands the circumstances under which an injury would not be compensable where an employee's criminal activity is the cause of the injury.

(Failed passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee; reconsideration granted)

SB 366 (Johnson-R) Psychiatric injuries: compensation: proof

Requires employees to prove, by clear and convincing evidence, that their psychiatric injuries are work related for purposes of compensability.

(Failed passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee; reconsideration granted)

SB 375* (Margett-R) Personal income and corporation taxes: tax credit

Authorizes a credit for each taxable year, beginning on or after January 1, 2003 and before January 1, 2008, in an amount not to exceed 50 percent of the amount paid by a taxpayer during the taxable year for workers' compensation, provided that the taxpayer or taxpayer's business did not experience an increase in the number of workers' compensation claims in that taxable year.

(In Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SB 414 (McClintock-R) Workers' compensation: injuries

Revises the definition of injury as it pertains to workers' compensation to mean any injury or disease, which is certified by a physician using medical evidence based on objective medical findings.

(Failed passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee; reconsideration granted)

SB 714 (Battin-R) Workers' compensation: apportionment

Requires apportionment determinations by the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board to be based on specified medical documentation and creates a statutory presumption regarding apportionment where an employee has a prior permanent disability award.

(Failed passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee; reconsideration granted)

SB 731 (Brulte-R) Workers' compensation: local inmates: temporary disability

Establishes, for specified local inmates, the maximum rate of temporary disability benefits to which they would be entitled if injured during the course of work duties while incarcerated.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 758 (Poochigian-R) Workers' compensation

Makes vocational rehabilitation voluntary rather than mandatory at the option of the employer and repeals the provision in existing law which entitles an injured worker to a one-time cash settlement in lieu of workers' compensation vocational rehabilitation benefits.

(Failed passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee; reconsideration granted)

SB 759 (Poochigian-R) Workers' compensation: penalty claims

Places a 90-day statute of limitations on the filing of a claim for penalties resulting from unreasonable delay or denial of compensation payments and prohibits employees from filing additional claims under more than one penalty provision in existing law.

(Failed passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee; reconsideration granted)

SB 867 (Burton-D) Workers' compensation: disability evaluation

Authorizes the Industrial Medical Council to appoint an acupuncturist as a qualified medical evaluator, but requires that the acupuncturist meet specified requirements. Deletes a provision of existing law that states that the inclusion of acupuncturists in the definition of "physician" shall not be construed to authorize acupuncturists to determine disability under specified provisions of the workers' compensation law or the law providing for nonindustrial disability.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 893 (Morrow-R) Workers' compensation: permanent disability schedule

Requires that "objective medical findings" be considered for purposes of permanent disability ratings for workers' compensation and requires that the medical reports used to determine permanent disability ratings be based on specified medical publications.

(Failed passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee; reconsideration granted)

SB 1007 (Speier-D) Workers' compensation: insurance policies

Expands the definition of "common trade or business" for the purposes of association or trade group workers' compensation insurance policies to include manufacturing facilities as identified in the North American Industry Classification System.

Chapter 641, Statutes of 2003

SB 1071 (Vincent-D) Workers' compensation: official medical fees

Authorizes a diagnostic or other medical imaging center to contract for reimbursement rates different from those in the medical fee schedule.

(Proposed Conference Report on Senate Floor)

SB 1X* (Poochigian-R) State economy: suspension of statutes

Provides that various statutes enacted in the 2001-02 Regular Session of the Legislature, relating to workers' compensation, labor standards and agricultural labor relations shall not become operative until the date the Governor issues a proclamation declaring that the California economy has fully recovered from the recession that began in 2000.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

AB 87* (Bogh-R) Workers' compensation: disaster service workers: funding

Establishes the Workers' Compensation for Disaster Service Workers Fund which will be continuously appropriated to provide payments to volunteer disaster service workers who are injured while performing volunteer duties.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 136 (Kehoe-D) Workers' compensation: disability: leave of absence

Extends disability benefits to all firefighters, police officers, or sheriffs disabled by injury or illness arising out of and within the course and scope of employment, for the period of disability, but not exceeding a maximum of up to two years.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 149 (Cohn-D) Workers' compensation: asbestosis

Extends the statute of limitations for claims for workers' compensation death benefits in the case of firefighters whose death results form asbestosis.

Chapter 831, Statutes of 2003

AB 227 (Vargas-D) Workers' compensation

Authorizes the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (Bank) to issue up to $1.5 billion worth of bonds at any one time in order to generate funds to be borrowed by the California Insurance Guarantee Association. Increases maximum fine for workers' compensation fraud. Requires the State Insurance Commissioner to take into account the projected savings from the changes enacted this session in determining the advisory pure premium rates. Provides that employer assessments shall account for the total costs for the administration of the workers' compensation program. Repeals existing provisions of law relating to vocational rehabilitation and, instead, provides for a supplemental job displacement benefit.

Chapter 635, Statutes of 2003

AB 431 (Mountjoy-R) Workers' compensation

Requires courts to liberally construe workers' compensation laws only after a determination that an injury is specific and results in serious physical or bodily harm. Requires an employee to prove, by a preponderance of evidence, that a cumulative injury was substantially caused by actual activities of employment.

(Failed passage in Assembly Insurance Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 595 (Dutton-R) Workers' compensation

Gives the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation in the State Department of Industrial Relations the sole authority to develop a durable medical equipment fee schedule.

(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 596 (Dutton-R) Workers' compensation

Requires the pharmaceutical fee schedule to apply to all medicines and medical supplies dispensed or prescribed regardless of whether these medicines or medical supplies are dispensed or prescribed by a physician, pharmacist, or by another source.

(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 597 (Dutton-R) Workers' compensation: fee schedule

Requires the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation in the State Department of Industrial Relations to adopt an outpatient surgery facility fee schedule on or before July 1, 2004.

(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 606 (Liu-D) Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation

Requires the Director of the State Department of Industrial Relations, or his/her designee, and the Governor's Advocate for Small Business to meet at least two times annually with employees and representatives for small business, solely on issues related to California's workers' compensation system.

(In Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

AB 900* (Jerome Horton-D) Horse racing: workers' compensation

Makes changes to existing horse racing law which prescribes the amount deducted from the pari-mutuel pools, as specified, in order to address the increase in workers' compensation costs within the California horse racing industry.

(On Assembly Unfinished Business File)

AB 968 (Correa-D) Workers' compensation: bioterrorism

Makes clear that any injury suffered by an employee as a result of a vaccination administered to prevent infection by a biochemical substance or blood-borne infectious disease arises out of and in the course of employment for workers' compensation.

(Senate adopts Conference Report)

AB 1099 (Negrete McLeod-D) Insurance: fraud: information

Includes the State Employment Development Department among the agencies authorized to request and receive information regarding workers' compensation fraud.

Chapter 636, Statutes of 2003

AB 1262 (Matthews-D) Workers' compensation insurance: claims adjusters

Requires insurers to certify that their claims adjusters meet minimum standards. Requires the State Department of Insurance to adopt applicable regulations setting forth those standards.

Chapter 637, Statutes of 2003

AB 1327 (Wyland-R) Disability compensation

Provides that only businesses that employ 50 or more individuals within a 75-mile radius of the work site of the individual requesting leave are subject to the temporary disability insurance work program. Requires an employee to work at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period prior to the period for which the individual is requesting the family temporary disability leave.

(Failed passage in Assembly Insurance Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 1357 (Matthews-D) State Compensation Insurance Fund

Allows the Governor to appoint members to the board of directors of the State Compensation Insurance Fund who are not policyholders thereof.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1362 (Kehoe-D) Workers' compensation: disability: leave of absence

Expands 4850 (disability-related) benefits paid to certain public safety officers and firefighters.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1434 (Wyland-R) Alternative Workers' Compensation program: agreements

Authorizes private employers and unions in any industry to establish alternative workers' compensation programs, also known as "carve outs," via the collective bargaining process.

(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1480 (Richman-R) Workers' compensation

Requires additional physician reporting to employers. Alters medical treatment payment time frame. Restructures administrative penalties for delayed and contested claims. Changes statute of limitation on medical payment penalties.

(Failed passage in Assembly Insurance Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 1481 (Richman-R) Workers' compensation: permanent disability: reports

Requires physicians to use established medical guidelines when evaluating an injured worker. Amends apportionment language so that injuries can not cumulatively total more than 100 percent for a given body part.

(Failed passage in Assembly Insurance Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 1482 (Richman-R) Workers' compensation: medical services: fee schedule

Requires the Administrative Director (AD) of the Division of Workers' Compensation in the State Department of Industrial Relations to revise the Official Medical Fee Schedule (OMFS) to include an outpatient facility fee schedule, pharmacy services, ambulance services, and home health care services. Requires the AD to use the resource-based relative value scale. Prohibits medical providers from balance billing above the OMFS and codifies the Kunz decision.

(Failed passage in Assembly Insurance Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 1557 (Vargas-D) Workers' compensation

Provides that an employee shall not be entitled to an increase in workers' compensation for unreasonable delay in the provision of medical treatment for periods of time necessary to complete the utilization review process, as required by SB 228 (Alarcon-D).

Chapter 638, Statutes of 2003

AB 1580 (Cogdill-R) Workers' compensation: local inmates

Deletes various provisions and benefits of current law pertaining to workers' compensation benefits paid to former inmates of city and county jails.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1581 (Cogdill-R) Workers' compensation: merit credits

Requires that an experience rating plan include merit credits that decrease a policyholder's rates based upon its record of job safety.

(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1582 (Koretz-D) Abusive work environments

Makes it unlawful employment practice to subject an employee to an abusive work environment, as defined, and specifies that any employer, as defined, is vicariously liable for a violation committed by its employee, but prescribes certain affirmative defenses.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1756* (Assembly Budget Committee) State government

Is the General Government Omnibus 2003-04 Budget trailer bill.

Chapter 228, Statutes of 2003

Unemployment Insurance

SB 569 (Alarcon-D) Unemployment insurance: benefits: compensation

Establishes an alternate base of earnings for unemployment insurance benefit determination. If benefits cannot be established by the current system, then the most recent completed quarters of the benefit year can be used.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 576* (Alarcon-D) Unemployment insurance: extended benefits

Revises the state's "trigger" mechanism for its participation in a federal-state extended unemployment insurance benefits program.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 595 (Johnson-R) State Employment Development Department

Requires the State Employment Development Department (EDD) to furnish reports to employers of their unemployment insurance (UI) reserve account statuses quarterly, authorizes EDD to provide such information electronically, and requires EDD to notify employers of discrepancies between a claimant's address as reported on an UI claim and what the EDD has on record for that claimant within five business days.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 727 (Kuehl-D) Family temporary disability insurance program

Provides conforming, clarifying, and technical changes to the recently enacted family temporary disability insurance program.

Chapter 797, Statutes of 2003

SB 962 (McClintock-R) Unemployment compensation: addresses

Requires the State Employment Development Department to take reasonable steps, as described, to verify unemployment insurance claim eligibility. Requires EDD to upgrade its computers to expedite claim payment and enhance fraud detection using federal Reed Act monies authorized for that purpose.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SR 17 (Burton-D) Unemployment insurance

Urges Congress to establish an additional 13-week extension for unemployment insurance benefits, fully funded by the federal government. Urges Congress to provide that the insured unemployment rate may be determined on a substate or regional basis, and to allow counties and cities with an unemployment rate that is substantially higher than the overall state unemployment rate to qualify for additional weeks of unemployment insurance benefits provided for by federal law, even if the state is not eligible for that extension.

(In Senate Rules Committee)

AB 237 (Bermudez-D) Unemployment insurance: unemployment compensation benefits

Requires the State Employment Development Department to conduct a study of its process of granting unemployment insurance benefits to temporary employees of the community colleges and to report the findings to the Legislature by January 1, 2005.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 331 (Kehoe-D) Unemployment benefits: waiting period

Waives the current one-week unpaid waiting period for unemployment benefits when an individual's unemployment is due to an unforeseen lockout by the employer during a labor dispute.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1061 (Firebaugh-D) Unemployment insurance: Employment Training Panel

Seeks to enhance small business access to Employment Training Panel programs, which are funded by unemployment insurance, as specified, and to assist projects designed to serve small suppliers in the aerospace and defense industry.

Chapter 844, Statutes of 2003

AB 1136 (Maddox-R) Unemployment: wage information

Authorizes, under certain conditions, the disclosure of wage information to consumer reporting agencies for the purpose of verifying information provided by an individual in connection with a credit or employment transaction.

(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1430 (Shirley Horton-R) Unemployment compensation: election workers

Increases the amount of calendar year earning that an election poll worker may reasonably expect to earn in order to be exempt from unemployment insurance benefits from $200 to $1,000.

Chapter 183, Statutes of 2003

AJR 1 (Koretz-D) Unemployment insurance benefits

Memorializes the President and Congress of the United States to enact legislation that retroactively extends and increases the number of weeks of federal unemployment insurance benefits available to unemployed workers.

(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

Financial Institutions

SB 1 (Speier-D) Financial institutions: nonpublic personal information

Creates the California Financial Privacy Information Act that limits a financial institution's ability to share consumers' nonpublic personal information.

Chapter 241, Statutes of 2003

SB 374 (Margett-R) Escrow agents: fidelity bond coverage

Authorizes a licensed escrow agent licensee in good standing to provide a private fidelity bond as an alternative to participation as a member of the Escrow Agents' Fidelity Corporation, and establishes procedures in that regard. The private coverage will be available for real property escrows or personal property escrows, but excludes viatical settlement escrows.

(In Senate Banking, Commerce and International Trade Committee)

SB 505 (Perata-D) Payments: postmarks

Enacts the Postmark Payment Act. Provides that if specified payments to financial institutions and credit card issuers required to be made on or before a prescribed date are delivered after that date by the United States Postal Service (USPS), the payments are deemed to have been received on the date of postmark stamped by the USPS on the envelope or other cover in which the payment was mailed.

(In Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 901 (Dunn-D) Low-income credit unions: community reinvestment

Authorizes the establishment of low-income credit unions and requires the Commissioner of the State Department of Financial Institutions to implement regulations by October 1, 2004.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SJR 20 (Florez-D) Regulation of financial institutions

Requests the Congress of the United States to hold hearings to explore and study the growing scope of federal preemption of regulation of financial institutions and the effects on American consumers and the 75 percent of the banks in the United States that are state chartered banks, and if necessary, to consider legislation that will prevent the unilateral expansion of jurisdiction over financial institutions by federal regulators without the specific endorsement of the U.S. Congress.

(In Senate Banking, Commerce, and International Trade Committee)

AB 73 (Lowenthal-D) Unsolicited checks

Requires financial institutions that send loan or credit offers in the form of unsolicited checks, unsolicited convenience checks, or other unsolicited negotiable instruments to provide consumers with a mechanism that enables them to "opt-out" or not receive future offers.

(In Senate Judiciary Committee)

AB 169 (Chavez-D) Finance lending

Exempts a bridge loan made by a venture capital company from the provisions of the Finance Lenders Law, if the loan meets certain conditions.

Chapter 163, Statutes of 2003

AB 313 (Dutra-D) Mortgage lending

Deletes the sunset date which, if allowed to become effective, repeals provisions in the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act permitting residential mortgage lenders to broker mortgages with other lenders, and revises the requirements on when the payment of interest on residential mortgages accrues after disbursement of loan proceeds.

Chapter 554, Statutes of 2003

AB 403* (Correa-D) Check sellers and proraters: exemptions

Specifies additional duties and best practices for nonprofit community service organizations providing debt-counseling services. Provides $150,000 from the State Corporations Fund to be used for enforcement of consumer protections in credit counseling statutes.

(On Assembly Unfinished Business File)

AB 479 (Maldonado-R) Escrow agents

Revises licensing, penalty and surety fund requirements for escrow companies.

Chapter 382, Statutes of 2003

AB 1031 (Correa-D) Financial institutions

Enhances penalties for violation of corporate security laws and gives the Commissioner of the State Department of Corporations (DOC) greater authority to discipline broker-dealers and investment advisors licensed by DOC, and makes other related changes.

Chapter 473, Statutes of 2003

AB 1226 (Montanez-D) Corporation Tax Law: credit unions: study

Directs the Office of the Legislative Analyst (LAO) to study certain credit unions to determine whether statutory changes are needed relating to community reinvestment, conflict of interest laws and required capitalization. Directs the LAO to study the feasibility of taxing certain credit unions.

(In Assembly Banking and Finance Committee)

AB 1355 (Wiggins-D) Financial institutions

Authorizes the Commissioner of the State Department of Financial Institutions to impose civil money penalties for acts that violate applicable laws relating to financial institutions.

Chapter 445, Statutes of 2003

AB 1498* (Wiggins-D) State Assistance Fund: membership

Changes the membership of the board of the State Assistance Fund for Enterprise, Business, and Industrial Development Corporation and makes various other substantive and technical changes.

(On Assembly Unfinished Business File)

AB 1664 (Montanez-D) Bank Customer Bill of Rights Act

Enacts the Bank Customer Bill of Rights that prohibits banks from engaging in various acts, including selling private credit information about a customer to a marketing business without the customer's consent, charging customers using the bank's automated teller machine cards an overdraft penalty that is $30 or more without providing a specified notice, issuing a credit card that has an interest rate that is greater than two percent above the prime rate, and charging a customer with a higher than average interest rate on a loan, if the customer qualifies for a lower interest rate and the bank has not made the customer aware of that fact.

(In Assembly Banking and Finance Committee)

AB 1774 (Assembly Banking And Finance Committee) Financial institutions

Enables the State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) to deliver fingerprints of any person involved with any licensee to law enforcement agencies for certain purposes. Clarifies DFI's authority to regulate the types of corporations in which banks and trust companies can invest. Makes various technical changes and corrections.

Chapter 404, Statutes of 2003

AB 1775 (Assembly Banking And Finance Committee) Money transmitters

Increases the amount of shareholders equity that transmitters of money abroad must maintain.

Chapter 456, Statutes of 2003

Miscellaneous

SB 31 (Figueroa-D) Home inspectors

Requires a certified home inspector to conduct a home inspection with the degree of care that a reasonably prudent certified home inspector would exercise and requires certified home inspectors to provide the client certain, specified disclosures prior to conducting a home inspection.

(On Assembly Inactive File)

SB 122 (Escutia-D) Unfair competition

Authorizes, subject to specified exceptions, a party to request court review and approval of a settlement or compromise of an unfair competition action brought or proposed to be brought by a private party on behalf of the general public. Requires that the plaintiff in those actions serve a specified notice on each defendant in the action and submit a copy of the complaint to the State Bar of California. Specifies set off requirements applicable to unfair competition actions. Makes its provisions contingent upon AB 95 (Corbett) being enacted and becoming effective on or before January 1, 2004 and repeals specified provisions of that bill.

(Failed passage on Assembly Floor)

SB 220 (Romero-D) Business organizations

Authorizes the Secretary of State and the State Department of Corporations to accept for filing documents presented in electronic form, including facsimile. Expands the definition of "signature" to include signature in a facsimile document presented for filing with the Secretary of State or the State Department of Corporations.

Chapter 273, Statutes of 2003

SB 283 (Sher-D) Commercial law: secured transactions

Provides technical cleanup and clarifying changes to the new Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which was enacted by SB 45 (Sher), Chapter 991, Statutes of 1999. Provides that a person's sale of his or her right to payment of lottery winnings or other game of chance is a security interest that is perfected when it attaches. Makes technical/clarifying changes to the Government Code and Vehicle Code relating to forms used to file UCC financing statements.

Chapter 235, Statutes of 2003

SB 335 (Romero-D) Corporations

Enacts the Corporate Three Strikes Act to require all corporations or partnerships (except religious nonprofits) formed in California or qualified to transact intrastate business, which have been convicted of specified federal or state felony crimes, to file electronically with the Secretary of State an annual statement of any criminal convictions against the entity during the previous year, as specified.

(Failed passage in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 355 (Florez-D) Corporate Securities Law

Provides that it is a crime to employ, directly or indirectly, any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud in connection with the offer, purchase, or sale of any security, or to engage, directly or indirectly, in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or will operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person in connection with the offer, purchase, or sale of any security.

(In Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 363 (Figueroa-D) State Department of Consumer Affairs: boards

Extends the sunset date for the California Council for Interior Design for two years to January 1, 2006. Increases the license renewal fee for geologists and geophysicists from $200 to $400 and increases the renewal fee for a specialty geologist or a specialty geophysicist from $50 to $100. Requires State Structural Pest Control Board applicants to submit set of fingerprints for purposes of a criminal history record check. Makes minor changes regarding the Funeral Directors and Embalmers Law and the Cemetery Law. Extends the sunset date on the Joint Legislative Sunset Review Committee until January 1, 2012.

Chapter 874, Statutes of 2003

SB 364 (Figueroa-D) Contractors and engineers

Requires the Contractors' State License Board to attain fingerprint cards from applicants for licensure for purposes of conducting criminal history background checks. Deletes the title "manufacturing engineer" from the Professional Engineers Act.

Chapter 789, Statutes of 2003

SB 443 (Figueroa-D) Contractors

Requires a court to sentence repeat offenders of unlicensed contracting activity to the county jail unless the court finds unusual circumstances for imposing a lesser jail sentence or only a fine.

Chapter 708, Statutes of 2003

SB 506 (Sher-D) Pharmaceuticals: wholesalers and manufacturers

Requires the Board of Pharmacy to collect certain information from wholesalers and manufacturers of specified drugs and devices used for food producing animals beginning on January 1, 2006, and to notify the public that such information is available.

(In Assembly Agriculture Committee)

SB 523 (Escutia-D) Corporate liability

Provides that a corporation and a limited liability company liable for civil penalties up to $1 million in an action brought by the Attorney General or a district attorney or city attorney if the corporation or limited liability company has knowledge of certain acts and fails to notify the Attorney General or the appropriate government agency and shareholders or investors.

Chapter 477, Statutes of 2003

SB 640 (Burton-D) Expatriate corporations

Establishes the California Taxpayer and Shareholder Act of 2003, which, pursuant to legislative findings and declarations, prohibits a state agency from entering into any agreement or contract with a publicly held expatriate corporation, as defined, or its subsidiary, unless the corporation provides specified shareholder rights and other legal and financial arrangements or the contract serves a compelling public interest.

Chapter 657, Statutes of 2003

SB 649 (Kuehl-D) Mining

Prohibits operators of surface mines in this state who are not in compliance with the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act from selling California-mined materials to local agencies. Increases the annual reporting fees on mined operators. Creates a new fee for precious metals ($5 per ounce of gold and $0.10 per ounce of silver), which will be deposited into a new subaccount and used for the remediation of abandoned mines.

Chapter 794, Statutes of 2003

SB 695 (Ortiz-D) Commercial locator services

Requires commercial locator services to cross-reference an active restraining order database before releasing any data or information, including over the Internet, that helps identify, verify, or locate an individual.

(In Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 735 (Ackerman-R) Corporations: board meetings

Deletes the sunset on a provision of the Corporations Code that allows board members of specified corporations to participate in a meeting through teleconferencing or similar communications equipment.

Chapter 168, Statutes of 2003

SB 736 (Speier-D) Sellers of travel

Revises the Seller of Travel Law to make several improvements to its coverage, operation, and administration, and make the law permanent by removing its current January 1, 2006 sunset date.

Chapter 196, Statutes of 2003

SB 766 (Florez-D) Securities fraud

Provides that a person may be found liable for participating in securities fraud even if that person did not directly engage in market activity. Specifies that in cases filed on or after January 1, 2004, or in which a judgment has not been entered before that date, a person is not required to be a Market participant for purposes of the civil remedy provided for in this bill. Provides that a person may be found liable for participating in the making of a false statement if he or she meets the same mental state requirement (recklessness) as the person who made the false statement.

(Failed passage on Senate Floor; reconsideration granted. Placed on Senate Inactive File.)

SB 821 (Alarcon-D) Business ethics

Requires the Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to participate in a task force to develop a plan for integrating instruction in business ethics into their business programs. The task force is to report to the Legislature and give advice on this integration. The Regents of the University of California and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities are encouraged to take part. Establishes the Golden State Business and Social Responsibility Award to honor students completing graduate business programs and showing a commitment to socially responsible leadership.

Chapter 593, Statutes of 2003

SB 889 (Johnson-R) Unfair Competition Law

Prohibits private actions under the Unfair Competition Law against businesses having fewer than 50 employees, unless the private plaintiff was individually harmed by the allegedly unfair act or practice.

(Failed passage in Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 890 (Johnson-R) Unfair Competition Law

Provides that, in any representative Unfair Competition Law action brought by a plaintiff that has not suffered a distinct and palpable injury from the alleged unlawful act, 85 percent of the judgment or settlement shall be deposited in the State Restitution Fund for allocation to crime victims.

(Failed passage in Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 912 (Ackerman-R) Unfair Competition Law

Prohibits private lawsuits brought in the public interest under the Unfair Competition Law if they are based on violations already identified by the enforcing regulatory agency, with a specified exception, or if the violations already are the subject of civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings.

(Failed passage in Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 1022 (Perata-D) Third-party debt collectors

Requires third-party debt collectors to provide debtors with a notice of their rights under state and federal law regulating debt collection.

Chapter 259, Statutes of 2003

SB 1034 (Murray-D) Recording companies

Imposes a fiduciary duty on a recording company to accurately account for royalties earned under a recording artist contract.

(In Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media Committee)

SB 1079 (Senate Business And Professions Committee) Professions and vocations

Revises various provisions of law pertaining to the California State Architects Board, State Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, and the State Board of Geologists and Geophysicists.

Chapter 325, Statutes of 2003

SB 1080 (Senate Business And Professions Committee) Professions and vocations

Makes specified changes pertaining to the State Board of Accountancy, the State Bureau of Security and Investigative Services and the State Department of Real Estate.

Chapter 807, Statutes of 2003

AB 69 (Correa-D) Unfair Competition Law

Limits substantially the circumstances when a consumer may act on behalf of the general public.

(Failed passage in Assembly Judiciary Committee; reconsideration granted)

Similar legislation is AB 102 (Pacheco-R), AB 599 (Dutton-R), and AB 754 (Bogh-R), which are in the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

AB 71 (Jerome Horton-D) Tobacco licensing

Enacts the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Licensing Act of 2003 (Act), which imposes licensing requirements on tobacco manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and importers. Requires manufacturers to pay a one-time fee and imposes additional civil and criminal penalties on individuals and businesses who violate tobacco-related, anti-contraband laws and laws prohibiting tobacco-related sales to minors.

Chapter 890, Statutes of 2003

Similar legislation is SB 433 (Ortiz-D), which is in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.

AB 95 (Corbett-D) Unfair competition: private actions

Provides that, at the time of service of a complaint or demand letter in any private action brought in the public interest to enforce the Unfair Competition Law (UCL), the plaintiff shall serve the defendant with a notice of the defendant's rights in UCL actions, including a right to court review of any settlement or other pre-trial disposition of the action.

(On Senate Third Reading File)

AB 103 (Reyes-D) Pharmaceutical manufacturers

Requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to disclose to the State Department of Health Services information about gifts made to any person authorized to prescribe, dispense, or purchase prescription drugs.

(Failed passage on Assembly Floor; reconsideration granted. Placed on Assembly Inactive File.)

AB 146 (Kehoe-D) Petroleum products: unfair practices

Prohibits a petroleum product refiner, distributor, manufacturer or transporter (provider) from preventing brand-name gasoline franchises from purchasing the same brand-name gasoline from other locations or vendors, and generally prohibits providers from selling gasoline to different franchisees at different wholesale prices.

(In Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

AB 202 (Corbett-D) Birds: pet shops

Prohibits a pet shop from possessing an unweaned bird unless it employs a person who has completed an avian certification program and prohibits a pet shop from selling a bird unless it is weaned, or a vendor from selling a bird at a swap meet or bird mart, unless the bird is weaned.

Chapter 887, Statutes of 2003

AB 282* (Bermudez-D) Barbering and cosmetology

Exempts the practice of threading from the practices of barbering and cosmetology.

Chapter 66, Statutes of 2003

AB 309 (Chu-D) Contracts: foreign languages

Requires a business that primarily negotiates certain consumer contracts in Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean to provide the consumer with a written translation of the contract in that language prior to the execution of the contract.

Double-jointed with SB 146 (Escutia-D).

Chapter 330, Statutes of 2003

AB 320 (Correa-D) Business licensees

Prohibits a licensee of a profession or vocation regulated by the State Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) or various boards, bureaus, or programs from including, or permitting to be included, a provision in an agreement to settle a civil dispute that prohibits the other party in that dispute from contacting, filing a complaint with, or cooperating with the DCA, board, bureau, or program or that requires the other party to withdraw a complaint from the DCA, board, bureau, or program.

(In Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

AB 337 (Matthews-D) Payroll services

Requires a bond for payroll services companies, as specified.

(In Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

AB 341 (Aghazarian-R) Landscape contractors

Allows a landscape contractor to bid and contract for the building of swimming pools, hot tubs, or spas, as specified.

Chapter 34, Statutes of 2003

AB 473* (Correa-D) Contractors' State License Law

Modifies various provisions of the Contractors' State License Law relating to arbitration proceedings and the timeline for compliance with arbitration awards and orders of civil penalty or correction.

(In Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

AB 523 (Calderon-D) Repossessors

Requires a repossession agency to keep inventory documents confidential and restricts its disclosure.

Chapter 724, Statutes of 2003

AB 534 (Vargas-D) Immigration consultants

Increases the client notification and contracting requirements for immigration consultants.

Chapter 384, Statutes of 2003

AB 544 (Montanez-D) Contractor: temporary labor

Includes temporary labor service agencies that provide employees for the performance of construction work in the definition of contractor.

Chapter 759, Statutes of 2003

AB 548 (Calderon-D) Funeral embalmers

Requires applicants for licensure as funeral embalmers to pass the National Examination for Embalmers prepared by the Conference of Funeral Service Examining Board instead of the state examination administered by the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau of the State Department of Consumer Affairs.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

AB 614 (Lowenthal-D) Athletic trainers

Enacts the Athletic Trainers Act, which establishes the Athletic Trainer Examining Committee within the Medical Board of California to certify athletic trainers.

(In Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media Committee)

AB 664 (Correa-D) Corporations: accountability

Strengthens the Corporate Securities Law to provide for more accountability by corporations and accountants and attorneys retained by corporations

(In Assembly Banking and Finance Committee)

AB 665 (Correa-D) Discount buying organizations

Increases the security bond threshold by which discount buying organizations can be exempted from the law regulating membership contracts by these organizations.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

AB 790 (Frommer-D) Self-service storage facilities

Allows operators of self-service storage facilities to use a Certificate of Mailing instead of certified mail when mailing a preliminary lien notice (and notice of rent delinquency) to a customer who is more than 14 days delinquent in rent.

Chapter 267, Statutes of 2003

AB 827 (Assembly Business And Professions Committee) Professions and vocations

Prohibits a public board member of a State Department of Consumer Affairs licensing board, within the first five years or during his/her tenure, from providing representation to the industry or profession represented by the board of which he/she is a member.

Chapter 563, Statutes of 2003

AB 885 (Leno-D) Rodeos

Changes the definition of "rodeo" to include three or more of the following events: bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, or team roping. Directs, at least 14 days prior to an event, that the management of any professional or amateur rodeo, file a notice of "intent to perform" with the animal control agency having jurisdiction over the rodeo's location.

(Failed passage in Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media Committee)

AB 998 (Lowenthal-D) Dry cleaners

Establishes a grant program to provide financial incentives to professional dry cleaners to use nontoxic alternatives to Perchloroethlene.

Chapter 821, Statutes of 2003

Similar legislation is AB 698 (Lieber-D), which is in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and AB 854 (Koretz-D), which is in the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee.

AB 1000 (Dutra-D) Corporate disclosure statements

Requires corporations to file stock option plan information with the Secretary of State, and requires nonprofit corporations to file a statement of information annually instead of biennially with the Secretary of State.

(In Assembly Banking and Finance Committee)

AB 1013 (Campbell-R) Corporations

Bans court action by shareholders attacking the validity of a reorganization or merger of a publicly traded corporation.

(In Assembly Banking and Finance Committee)

AB 1045 (Leslie-R) Mobile food facilities

Allows mobile food facilities that meet new equipment and construction requirements to handle fresh, nonpotentially hazardous foods, that require cooking rather than only foods that need no preparation other than heating, baking, popping, blending, assembly, portioning, or dispensing, as allowed in current law. The so-called "churro bill."

Chapter 454, Statutes of 2003

AB 1074 (Chavez-D) Boxers

Requires boxers rendered unconscious during a match to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging examination within four hours.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

AB 1264 (Benoit-R) Excavation equipment

Exempts a company that rents or leases excavation equipment and operators from having to call a "Dig Alert" regional notification center before work begins.

(In Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

AB 1265 (Benoit-R) Engineers and land surveyors

Authorizes engineers and land surveyors to operate within their scope of registration and to conduct business as a limited liability partnership similar to that of architects, certified public accountants and attorneys, and to be designated as a registered limited liability partnership or a foreign limited liability partnership.

(In Senate Judiciary Committee)

AB 1333 (Spitzer-R) Mechanics' lien

Provides that a pay-if-paid provision in a contract between a design professional and a consultant to perform services in anticipation of a work of improvement is enforceable if the services are performed prior to the commencement of the site improvement and site improvement has not commenced or the work of improvement is a public work of improvement.

(In Assembly Judiciary Committee)

AB 1382 (Correa-D) Contractors

Revises and refines the Contractors' State License Law relating to license issuance and maintenance in order to simplify and clarify statutory requirements.

Chapter 363, Statutes of 2003

AB 1386 (Shirley Horton-R) Unlicensed contractors

Modifies the provisions governing when an individual may recover compensation paid to an unlicensed contractor.

Chapter 289, Statutes of 2003

AB 1438 (Longville-D) Seizure of business records

Provides a procedure for an entity whose business records have been seized by a government agency, to demand that the agency provide to it within five business days, copies of the documents seized.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1458 (Reyes-D) Boxing contests

Requires the California State Athletic Commission (Commission), at its regularly scheduled meetings, to invite testimony from boxing stakeholders to identify actions that may lead to greater opportunities for its licensees to participate in major professional championship boxing contests in California. Provides that the written report required to be submitted to the Commission, within 72 hours after the determination of every contest, by the person who conducts a contest shall only show the amount of the gross receipts, not to exceed $2 million, and the gross price for the contest (removing the additional requirement to provide the number of tickets issued or sold and the value).

Chapter 515, Statutes of 2003

AB 1478 (Frommer-D) Film permits

Prohibits public officials from requiring a charitable donation in exchange for granting, or support the granting, of a film permit.

Chapter 220, Statutes of 2003.

AB 1494 (Firebaugh-D) Amateur and professional sports

Enacts the California Amateur and Professional Sports Commission Act establishing the California Amateur and Professional Sports Commission to promote major amateur and professional sports within the state.

(In Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Media Internet Committee)

AB 1538 (Berg-D) Construction contractors

Requires a construction contractor to display his or her business name and license number on each vehicle used in his or her business.

Chapter 118, Statutes of 2003

AB 1553 (Wesson-D) Service contracts

Expands the definition of a "service contract" to include furniture, jewelry, lawn and garden equipment, power tools, fitness equipment, telephone equipment, small kitchen appliances and tools, home health care products, and provides that the service contract include provisions for incidental payment of indemnity, not to exceed $250, for limited circumstances, including, but not limited to, power surges, food spoilage, or accidental damage from handling.

Chapter 775, Statutes of 2003

AB 1618* (Firebaugh-D) Railroad corporations: derailments

Requires railroad corporations to develop a protocol to quickly inform the State Office of Emergency Services, the State Department of the California Highway Patrol, and local public safety agencies when there is a runaway train or other uncontrolled train movement.

(In Assembly awaiting concurrence)

AB 1651 (Firebaugh-D) Intermodal terminals

Prohibits intermodal terminals from imposing per diem or detention charges on intermodal motor carriers for transactions involving cargo shipped by intermodal transport under specified circumstances.

(In Assembly Judiciary Committee)

AB 1721 (Koretz-D) Prices: overcharges

Prohibits any person, at the time of sale of a commodity, from charging, as defined, an amount greater than the price, or computing an amount greater than a true extension of the price per unit, that is then advertised, posted, marked, displayed, or quoted for that commodity. Provides that, except as specified, when more than one price for the same commodity is advertised, posted, marked, displayed, or quoted, the person offering the commodity for sale shall charge the lowest of those prices.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

AB 1756* (Assembly Budget Committee) Budget trailer bill

A budget trailer bill which, among other provisions, allows the State Board of Accountancy to use contract examination services.

Chapter 228, Statutes of 2003

AB 1781 (Assembly Governmental Organization Committee) Secondhand dealers

Provides that the term "secondhand dealer" does not include a business that has obtained a sellers permit and that accepts secondhand tangible personal property in exchange for credit that may be used to purchase other tangible personal property from the business.

(In Senate Public Safety Committee)

ACR 25 (Nation-D) National Engineers Week

Recognizes the week of February 16 through 22, 2003 as National Engineers Week.

Resolution Chapter 8, Statutes of 2003

ACR 32 (Richman-R) California Nonprofits and Philanthropy Week

Proclaims March 30 through April 5, 2003, inclusive, as California Nonprofits and Philanthropy Week.

Resolution Chapter 32, Statutes of 2003

Index (in Bill Order)