The California Chamber of Commerce has issued initial entries for its “2022 Job Killer List,” to bring attention to new bills that could deter economic and employment growth.
There are 11 bills so far. More could be added and others subtracted as amendments are made and the Legislative session progresses.
Job Killer bills are those measures that truly are going to cost the state jobs, Denise Davis, CalChamber vice president, media relations and external affairs, told the Northern California Record by email.
“Each of the bills identified would create uncertainty for California employers and investors and/or lead to higher costs of doing business in the state, undermining the economic health of the state,” Davis said. “Individually, job killer bills are bad but cumulatively they are worse.”
In a new study of job recovery, California ranks last of all U.S. states, followed only by the District of Columbia.
The Job Killer list includes AB 2095, sponsored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) requiring companies to provide data in more than 20 different categories to the Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), which would publish the information online.
A business community letter to the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment states, “This measure is a shameless ploy to use the power of the State to force companies to develop an extensive database to enable fishing expeditions in support of litigation or public relations campaigns.”
Kalra introduced a similar measure last year, but removed it from consideration.
Other bills on this year’s list would raise taxes while also expanding regulations, Davis said.
“Businesses, particularly small ones, are already struggling under the weight of rising energy costs and inflation on top of recovering from pandemic-related shut-downs,” Davis said. “Factors that will put a bill on the job killer list include legislation that would impose costly workplace mandates, require expensive, unnecessary regulations, inflate liability costs, expand government at businesses’ expense, impose new or higher fees and taxes, and discourage businesses from expanding their workforce or operations in the state.”
Davis noted that Job Killer bills raise questions about whether lawmakers place California’s long-term economic health, jobs climate, and competitiveness at the forefront of policy making.
Residents can contact their elected representatives to voice their concerns.
“Government kills jobs when it passes laws, rules and regulations that discourage investment and production, that add unnecessary cost and burdens to goods and services, or that make California employers uncompetitive,” Davis said. “Lawmakers should be made aware that job killer bills will hurt small business survival and economic growth in their district.”