Lawmakers react to Covid-19 with legislation

California legislature meets to consider changing labor, tax and workers’ comp law

The California Legislature is scheduled to reconvene on Monday, July 27, 2020. Although the number of bills has been narrowed down from approximately 2,600 to nearly 600 due to Covid considerations, there are still important bills pending final actions in the Legislature’s various committees.

A number of these bills are in the employment and labor field. Probably the most significant of those are bills seeking to reinstate a presumption or rebuttable presumption that Covid -19 is a covered workplace injury for purposes of workers’ compensation insurance. The Governor’s Executive Order creating a rebuttable presumption ran from March 19 through July 5, 2020, and has now expired by its own terms.

Organized labor is supporting bills AB 196 and AB 664 that would make such a presumption permanent. The business community is opposed to any further extension of this policy as it places the burden of the pandemic on employers as opposed to the government.

The Legislature is scheduled to meet again on August 30th and then must adjourn due a constitutional deadline.

It is expected the Governor will call a special session of the Legislature in the Fall to address budget and other pandemic related issues. The following is a list of bills CPSA is following and lobbying.

For more detailed summaries of the bills and their ramifications within the pool and spa industry, go to www.thecpsa.org.

Labor

• AB 1035 — Covid—19 emergency: small businesses: immunity from civil liability.

• AB 1850 — Worker classification: employees and independent contractors.

• AB 1947 — Employment violation complaints: requirements: time.

• AB 2143 — Settlement agreements: employment disputes.

• AB 2257 — Worker classification: employees and independent contractors: occupations: professional services.

• AB 2399 — Paid family leave: qualifying exigency.

• AB 2999 — Employees: bereavement leave.

• AB 3075 — Wages: enforcement.

• AB 3216 — Employee leave: authorization.

• SB 973 — Employers: annual report: pay data.

• SB 1102 — Employers: Labor Commissioner: required disclosures.

• SB 1383 — Unlawful employment practice: family leave.

Taxes

• AB 276 — Personal income taxes: qualified employer plan: loans:

CARES Act

• AB 398 — Covid—19 Local Government and School Recovery and Relief Act.

• AB 1557 — Income taxes: federal CARES Act: gross income: loan forgiveness.

• SB 956 — Taxation: tax expenditures: California Tax Expenditure Review Board.

• SB 972 — Corporation taxes: disclosure.

Worker’s Compensation

• AB 196 — Workers’ compensation: Covid—19: essential occupations and industries.

• AB 664 — Workers’ compensation: injury: communicable diseases.

• SB 1159 — Workers’ compensation: Covid—19: critical workers.