The California Legislature has the dubious honor of being the biggest generator of major new laws in the country. A nationwide compilation of 2012 state legislation by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) seems to prove the case. This fact also proves that we live in the most highly taxed and highly regulated state in the nation. We know this because our legislature gets into everybody's business!
The NCSL released its annual list of the nation's 81 most significant new state laws and the California Legislature is responsible for 27 of them! One third! California edged out Illinois, which generated 26 of the noteworthy new laws.
Among California measures cited by the NCSL study were those that allow clergy members to refuse to perform same-sex marriages, prohibit prison workers from having sex with inmates, allow life-sentence offenders who were under 18 when they committed crimes to seek release, restrict picketing at funerals, protect breastfeeding rights, require car washes to recycle water, reform state pensions and no longer require passengers in off-road vehicles to keep their feet flat on the floor.
As it happens, on the pest control front 2012 was a very successful year for PCOC in the California Legislature. We were able to head off burdensome legislative proposals, in many cases even before they were introduced—a true mark of good legislative advocacy.
May the New Year 2013 be as successful for our industry, as PCOC continues to educate our elected officials about the real world of pest control.
Happy New Year!