The deadline for introducing new bills in the California Legislature was February19.  A total of 2,090 bills were introduced with over 1,800 of them introduced in the final week before the deadline.  Legislative policy hearings will begin in March, and CLFP staff is currently reviewing these new bills and assessing their impact on the food processing industry.

Some key legislative labor issues introduced to date on which CLFP will be engaging include:

• Prohibiting employers from seeking a job applicant’s salary history and juvenile court actions
• Requiring employers to provide "reliable scheduling,"  which includes litigation and statutory penalties for changing an employee’s schedule
• Expanding the gender equity statute to include race and ethnic groups
• Raising the minimum wage for agricultural workers
• Altering the 2004 workers’ compensation reforms

Water will continue to be a central issue in the Legislature in 2016. Potential bills include those on water conservation, recycling and a public goods charge for water. Cap-and-Trade revenue allocation and California Public Utilities Commission reform legislation also will be important issues in the Legislature this year.

CLFP staff also will be watching for labeling bills for GMO ingredients, sugar sweetened beverages and "best by" dates.

Written by Trudi Hughes, CLFP Government Affairs Director