CLFP Addressing Food Processing Issues as Legislature Reconvenes

The California Legislature reconvened on January 6 to begin the second half of a two-year session with legislators facing a large stack of work left from the first half of the session. More than 1,100 proposals introduced in 2019 were designated “two-year” bills and had a narrow window to be approved in their house of origin by the end of January.

The key issues to food processors emerging for this session include labor mandates, energy efficiency, utility rates, recycling infrastructure funding and more. CLFP staff is currently reviewing and analyzing these new proposals and will engage with the CLFP Legislative Affairs Committee, which meets monthly via teleconference, before taking positions on bills. Legislative policy hearings will begin in late March.

CLFP opposed several two-year bills that would have a direct impact on the food processing industry and stopped them from advancing to their second house. However, even if a two-year bill did not make the January 31st deadline for passage, it does not preclude the bill from being reintroduced in 2020. 

• Labor:  Several two-year CLFP opposed labor bills did not pass out of their houses of origin by the January 31st deadline and are now dead. These measures include: AB 628 (Bonta), which would have provided unlimited leave to employees and family members based on sexual harassment claims; AB 555 (Gonzalez), which would have provided more paid sick leave to employees;  AB 882 (McCarty), which would have provided special accommodation for employees in drug rehabilitation programs; and SB 135 (Jackson), which would have required employers to give employees 12 weeks of paid family leave.

• Beverage Recycling Program: SB 372 (Wieckowski) did not move off the Senate Floor by the January 31st deadline. This controversial bill would have established the Beverage Container Recycling Act of 2020 and created an industry-run bottle and can recycling program by January 1, 2024, to replace the current California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (Bottle Bill).
Some priority legislation from 2019 that was passed to the second house before the end of last session remain in play in 2020.

• Packaging Recycling: Two bills that CLFP strongly opposed were held in the Legislature at the end of session and will be considered again in 2020. SB 54 (Allen) and AB 1080 (Gonzalez), which are identical bills, require CalRecycle to adopt regulations by 2030 to source, reduce and recycle at least 75% of single-use packaging and products sold or distributed in California. The bills set impractical recycling rates and deadlines, provide CalRecycle with broad emergency regulatory authority that includes significant fee authority with no legislative oversight, draconian penalties for unintentional data reporting errors and lack assurances that local jurisdictions and waste haulers would accept all recyclable and compostable materials.

The largest issues for food processors surround the lack of recycling infrastructure, jurisdictional uniformity, food safety and being held responsible for recycling rates for their packaging. CLFP has worked with Senator Allen and Assembly Member Gonzalez’ offices to try and make the bills workable and will continue to engage on these bills throughout the legislative session.

• Energy Efficiency Projects: SB 524 (Stern) from last year would require a skilled and trained (i.e. union) workforce be utilized for ratepayer-incentivized energy efficiency projects from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).  CLFP has an opposed unless amended position on this bill, arguing that the CPUC should give additional funding to cover the incremental costs of employing a skilled and trained workforce to complete projects. CLFP also argues that fewer and fewer ratepayer-funded custom energy efficiency projects are being approved and funded by the CPUC. Conversations have begun with the author’s office about potentially requiring the CPUC to approve a minimum percentage of project funding every year. 

• Sugar Sweetened Beverage Labeling: SB 347 (Monning) from 2019 would require all beverages that contain added sugars have a safety warning label about the health effects of consuming sugar including obesity, tooth decay and diabetes.    

Additional bills were being introduced up until the February 21st deadline, bringing the total to 2,318 new bills.

For more information contact CLFP Government Affairs Director Trudi Hughes.