The Sacramento Legislative process is now at the half way point. June 2nd was the
deadline for bills to pass their house of origin. Over 2,800 bills were introduced
between the two houses in January and almost 900 bills failed to meet the June 2nd
deadline.
Over the next week, the Legislature will continue to meet to work on the 2017-18
Budget, which will need to pass the Legislature by June 15th and will then be signed
by the Governor and become operative by July 1, 2017, the start of the new fiscal
year. The Governor has remained conservative in his fiscal analysis and budgeting.
Over the past year, state revenues have lagged behind expectations and as a result
the Governor presented his January Budget and subsequent May Revise in a more
constrained environment since 2012. Of most concern is an impending economic
recession. As of June, the economy will have finished its eighth year of expansion,
only two years shorter than the longest recovery since World War 2 according to the
Department of Finance, and longer than the average economic expansion by almost
three years.
A few big picture legislative items to note are the passage of Single Payer Healthcare
and the Transportation Deal. Single Payer Healthcare is SB 562 and is considered
the “The Healthy California Act” which would cost the state $400 billion annually
(more than the state budget), the bill passed the Senate and is now awaiting policy
committee hearings in the Assembly. The Transportation deal was in SB 1 which
became law upon the Governor’s signature earlier this year. SB 1 increased several
taxes and fees to raise roughly $52 billion over ten years in new transportation
revenues to fund deferred maintenance on state highways and local streets and
roads and other transportation projects. Even though the Legislative is 2/3
Democrats and SB 1 required a 2/3 vote to raise taxes, it was a tough lift and as a
result of the vote one Democratic Senator has now found himself facing a recall for
supporting the deal.
We continue to monitor all legislation as it may relate to the Swap Meet industry.