Current Issues
The following is a selected list of current state policy issues of interest to California nonprofits. Click one of the links below to jump to the section for that topic. Please note: This page is updated as changes occur in the status of legislation and actions taken.
Action Alert on AB 2796
CAN's Policy Statement on AB 624
Fundraising
Emergency/Disaster Response and Recovery
Accountability
Volunteerism/service
Workplace/employer-employee issues
Web Resources
- Bingo: three bills are pending that together would result in major changes in state laws that are intended to enhance the appeal of charitable bingo, which has suffered from declining revenues in recent years. (AB 1924, SB 1328, SB 1626)
- Wine donations: pending legislation would ease timelines around wine donations and increase the number of times per year that nonprofits could hold wine fundraising events. (AB 1964)
- Solicitations: pending legislation would require that mail solicitations that ask a recipient’s consent to receive information by telephone disclose that a telephone solicitor may contact the recipient even if he or she is listed on the federal "Do Not Call" registry. (AB 2059)
- Donation boxes: pending legislation would authorize counties to prohibit or to regulate collection boxes for used clothing and household goods. (AB 2610)
- Spam: pending legislation states the Legislature’s intent improve and strengthen existing laws against unwanted and unsolicited commercial e-mail. (AB 2950)
- Mega-deduction for park contributions: pending legislation would allow a 200% deduction for corporate contributions to a trust to improve state parks. (SB 1463)
- Language diversity: pending legislation would require the state to plan and establish a process to meet the needs of populations with limited English proficiency for emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. (AB 1930)
- Eligibility: pending legislation would require responders to strive to ensure that victims receive the assistance they need and are eligible to receive without requesting information or documents that are not strictly necessary to determine eligibility under state or federal law. (AB 2327)
- Liability: pending legislation sponsored by CAN would provide for limited liability immunity for nonprofit emergency and disaster responders. For an action alert on this bill, visit CAN’s website. (AB 2796)
- Diversity: pending legislation would require a private, corporate, or public operating foundation with assets over $250,000,000 to collect and post diversity data regarding its governance, contracts and grantmaking. See CAN’s website for analysis of this bill. (AB 624)
- Community benefit: pending legislation would require California hospitals to spend at least 50% of their community benefit funds on programs to eliminate health disparities in race and gender. (AB 2298)
- Fund management and dissolution: pending legislation would update the prudence standard for management and investment of charitable funds and provides for the dissolution of a nonprofit by the Attorney General when it is impossible or impractical for the nonprofit to do it on its own. (SB 1329)
- Volunteers and public works: three pending bills would extend the effective date of legislation enacted in 2004 that allows volunteers to work on public works projects subject to prevailing wage requirements. (AB 2364, AB 2357, SB 1345)
- Excused absences for volunteering and service: pending legislation would permit excused absences for K-12 students to participate in civic engagement activities. (AB 2396)
A. Alternative workweek: pending legislation would authorize individual employees, with the approval of their employer, to work up to ten hours per day within a 40-hour workweek without overtime. (AB 2127)
B. Discrimination: pending legislation would resolve inconsistencies in state laws prohibiting discrimination in specific government, business and nonprofit operations. (AB 2654)
C. Paid sick leave: pending legislation requires employers to provide paid sick leave to an employee who works seven or more days in a year and prescribes employer and employee rights and responsibilities in regard to sick leave. (AB 2716)
D. Retirement: pending legislation would create the California Financial Advantage Account Program (CFAAP), under the administration of the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), the nation’s largest pension fund, to provide retirement savings opportunities to California's private sector employees. (AB 2940)
Web Resources
California State Assembly: www.assembly.ca.gov
California State Senate: www.senate.ca.gov
For full bill text and legislative staff analysis: http://leginfo.ca.gov
For live and archive broadcast of hearings and floor sessions: www.calchannel.com
For summaries and links for state political news: www.rtumble.com
This page is updated periodically as new developments in key legislation occur. To receive periodic e-mails about the latest updates on legislation impacting California nonprofits, subscribe to the CAN Policy Update.
Questions?
E-mail Ken Larsen or call him at (916) 402-1335.
