The California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA) recorded six successful outcomes last week among its “Making California” legislative agenda. Four “Manufacturing Maker” bills, including two CMTA sponsored bills, advanced to the respective floors for a vote, and two “Manufacturing Breaker” bills were held until next year.
Among the “Makers” were two of CMTA’s sponsor bills that focus on workforce development for manufacturing (AB 23) and local incentives for manufacturing investment (AB 1248). CMTA is leading the efforts in these spaces and we have seen tremendous support for these policies in the legislature.
Two other “Makers” provide hope to the manufacturing community this year with funding for career technical education (AB 48), and continued tax credits for innovation and often expensive green technologies (SB 162).
Among the “Breakers” were two bills that were successfully shelved until next year — a proposed ban on all flushable wipes in California, eliminating a popular consumer product without any scientific evidence that the ban is necessary (AB 1672) and a bill that created the opportunity for a private right of action against all producers of internet connected devices, exposing manufacturers to unnecessary and costly litigation (SB 561).
“Manufacturers should be pleased with the legislature’s progress so far this year on our manufacturing agenda,” said CMTA President Lance Hastings, “but there are still many ongoing Breaker bills that put California’s manufacturing competitiveness at risk. The time is now to send every signal possible to potential manufacturing investments that California is a safe and predictable place to grow a manufacturing operation and employ skilled workers.”
Nine of eleven of CMTA’s “Manufacturing Breaker” bills are making their way through the legislature. Of those 11 two were added this week after amendments adopted on May 7 clearly broadened the scope of two bills — SB 54 and AB 1080. The companion bills give unfettered authority to regulating agencies in California by imposing recycling mandates on hundreds of thousands of consumer products and packaging, without any ability to review for cost effectiveness.
“CMTA looks forward to leading the continued fight for our state’s competitiveness so we can harness the power of manufacturing to change lives across our great state,” concluded Hastings.
You can see our updated Maker and Breakers bill list HERE.
Gino DiCaro is VP, Communications, for CMTA, the California Manufacturers and Technology Association. Reach him at gdicaro@cmta.net.
