Bills that would change workers’ compensation, housing development, freight movement and fuel prices are among nearly two dozen that made the California Chamber of Commerce’s 2007 Job Killer Bills list.
The annual list presents bills under consideration in the Legislature that the chamber considers threatening to California’s economy and global competitiveness.
“There are hundreds (of bills) that are introduced,” chamber spokesman Vince Sollitto said. “We monitor, track them and take positions on them. By no means are these the only bad bills. These are the worst of the worst. These could do the most economic harm.”
Assembly Bill 8 by Speaker Fabian N & #250; & #324;ez, D-Los Angeles, and Senate Bill 48 by state Senate President Don Perata, D-Oakland, are meant to expand health coverage in California while reducing the number of people who are uninsured.
They both made the job killer list because the California chamber says that they impose a tax on employers that is nearly double what the governor is proposing. The chamber especially is concerned about the impact on small employers.
“Businesses would like to offer healthcare to their employees, Sollitto said. “These bills wouldn’t make it more affordable or easier to do. They would make it harder to expand and hire more people.”
So far, 23 bills appear on the 2007 list as compared to 40 in 2006. More could be added before the end of the year, Sollitto said.
“There is still plenty of time for the Legislature to cause mischief,” he said. “Some bills are being held or are on the fence right now.”
One such bill is SB 840, authored by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica. It would impose a California universal healthcare system and was vetoed last year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The chamber, which represents about 16,000 employers in the state of California from large corporations such as Walt Disney Co. to small entrepreneurs, releases the list to draw attention to certain bills in hopes that its members will act on them.
Last year, 95% of the bills that appeared on the list were voted down or amended to alleviate concerns presented by the chamber.
Schwarzenegger has vetoed all but three of the job killer bills that have crossed his desk in the past three years, Sollitto said.
,Sarah Filus, Los Angeles Business Journal
