Here is the list of "economic stimulus" ideas Republican lawmakers say they want considered before they are willing to talk about tax increases. The terms in boldface were provided by the Republicans. The explanations were reported by Steve Wiegand of The Bee Capitol Bureau.
REGULATORY CHANGES
Employment law flexibility
Employee schedule flexibility: Allows employers to avoid paying overtime for working more than eight hours in a day by shortening work schedules on other days.
Expanding health care options for employees (health savings accounts): Opens the health savings account concept to more workers.
Reducing unwarranted litigation: Makes it harder to sue for alleged violations of workplace rules on issues such as meal breaks.
Overtime for high wage earners: Gives employers more flexibility in not paying overtime to workers making $100,000 a year or more.
Meal and rest clarification: Simplifies rules on meal and rest breaks to allow more flexibility for workers and employers to take breaks when practical.
Eliminate "needs test" to allow more apprenticeships: Would allow companies to use more nonunion apprenticeship programs.
Business development
Design-build: Allows state agencies to consolidate contract bidding processes to cover both the design and construction phases.
Public-private partnership: Increases the use of private firms by state agencies when there are economic and efficiency reasons for doing so.
ADA compliance: Gives businesses more leeway in complying with regulations for providing access to the disabled.
Streamline small business certification process for micro businesses and sole proprietorships: Reduces paperwork for one-person or mom-and-pop businesses.
Reclassify "destination management companies" (DMS) as consumers rather than retailers (Senate Bill 1628): Exempts companies that help stage tours, stage shows and deal with airport arrivals from having to collect sales tax.
Streamline the permitting process (THPS, development): Streamlines Timber Harvest Plan regulations to shorten logging permit process.
Contracting out: Allows more use of private companies for state work currently restricted to state workers.
ENVIRONMENTAL FLEXIBILITY
Extending deadlines for engine retrofits (on and off road)
Extending deadlines for greenhouse gas regulations (Assembly Bill 32)
Both provide more flexibility for meeting requirements when construction equipment is not in use because of the economic downturn. Both also would lift a requirement that companies fit equipment with clean-air devices that may make the equipment unsafe to operate.
Carl Moyer program changes: Extends a state program that provides funds for voluntarily making equipment "greener" to also cover making some improvements that are required by law.
Regulatory flexibility for agricultural industry: Provides farmers more wiggle room in meeting environmental rules for equipment.
Third party analysis of economic impact of ARB regulations: Allows use of an outside party to determine costs of meeting air quality rules in disputes between private firms and the Air Resources Board.
TAX CREDITS
A new employee tax credit for businesses that hire out-of-work Californians: Creates incentive for hiring unemployed workers.
A manufacturing investment credit to help businesses purchase the equipment they need: Creates incentive for buying new equipment.
Capital gains reduction for businesses that invest in California: Creates a tax break to lure companies that sell to Californians but don't employ Californians.
Modification of the tax code to encourage companies to locate jobs in California: See above
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.