October 13, 2015

The Legislature completed its business and went into interim recess on September 11, and the Governor had until midnight on Sunday, October 11 to sign or veto bills on his desk.   Legislators will return to Sacramento on January 4, 2016, to kick off the second year of the 2015-16 legislative session, at which time bill introductions will begin again in earnest. 

Below is a list of C.A.S.H. priority bills that made it to the Governor’s desk for his consideration in 2015.  Bills that were not passed by the Legislature became two-year bills and will have a second opportunity to continue moving through the legislative process in January; such bills are not listed below.  Join us at the C.A.S.H. Fall Conference at the Fairmont Newport Beach on October 19-21, 2015, for more information on these and other bills from C.A.S.H. Legislative Advocates Ian Padilla and Rebekah Cearley.

SIGNED
The Governor signed the following bills into law:

AB 219 (Daly) – Concrete Delivery

• C.A.S.H. Position: Watch
• Expands the definition of “public works” to include hauling and delivery of ready-mixed concrete.

 

AB 552 (O’Donnell) – Consequential Damages

• C.A.S.H. Position: Concern
• Limits the scope of consequential damages arising from a breach of a public works contract to cover only delay damages.

AB 566 (O’Donnell) – Lease-Leaseback Contracts

• C.A.S.H. Position: Requested Veto
• Creates new requirements for lease-leaseback contracts: the use of a skilled and trained workforce; and expanded prequalification requirements.

AB 715 (Daly) – Assessable Space

• C.A.S.H. Position: Oppose (Became Neutral)
• Revises the definition of assessable space for developer fee calculations, adding “covered” or “uncovered” to describe walkways.

AB 1358 (Dababneh) – Design-Build Contracts

• C.A.S.H. Position: Watch
• Requires the use of a skilled and trained workforce for design-build projects, and lowers the threshold for use from $2.5 million to $1 million.

SB 111 (Fuller) – Military Base Schools

• C.A.S.H. Position: Support
• Expresses the Legislature’s intent to provide assistance to school districts to help fund the local match requirements of the federal Department of Defense school facility grant program for military base schools.

SB 222 (Block) – Automatic Liens

• C.A.S.H. Position: Support
• Requires an automatic statutory lien on revenues from local bond issuances.

SB 350 (De León) – Climate Change

• C.A.S.H. Position: Neutral
• California’s next step to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, goals to be achieved by 2030 (50% of state’s electricity use from renewables, double energy efficiency in buildings).  Reduce petroleum use in cars by 50% provision REMOVED.

VETOED
The Governor vetoed the following bills:

AB 1347 (Chiu) – Claims Process

 

• C.A.S.H. Position: Oppose (Became Neutral)
• Establishes a new claims process to ensure timely payment for undisputed claim amounts.

 

SB 334 (Leyva) – Drinking Water

• C.A.S.H. Position: Neutral
• Drinking water from water fountains must meet US EPA standards for lead, and schools with lead-containing plumbing components must flush drinking water sources at the beginning of each day.

~ C.A.S.H. Staff