Senate Republicans today joined with members of the business community to unveil measures that would help stimulate California’s economy now and provide for financial stability in the future by improving market conditions for consumers and workplace environment for employees.

“At a time when Californians are paying more at the gas pump and the grocery store, the last move the Legislature should make is to raise taxes; instead, we need to enact common-sense solutions to help our economy grow,” said Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill (R-Modesto). “We also believe we need to cut the red and green tape, so we can give workers and employers the tools they need to make the choices that work best for them.”

Senate Republican Caucus Chairman George Runner (R-Antelope Valley) said that current state laws are rigid when it comes to employees’ work hours and meal and rest schedules.

“No one is more inconvenienced by California’s meal and rest laws than the worker,” Runner said. “The employer and the employee should be able to decide – in good faith – the appropriate time for meal and rest breaks and the best type of work schedule. People have individual needs and many employers are willing to work around those needs. We just need to get government out of the way.”

Senate Republicans propose to do the following:

Give flexibility to employee work schedules by establishing a family-friendly schedule, making it easier for parents to pick up children or attend midday personal appointments; ease traffic congestion, as fewer people will be on the road at the same time; help meet environmental standards, as fewer cars on the road producing emissions.
Extend deadlines for diesel engine retrofits. Burdensome regulations calling for entire fleets of trucks, tractors and heavy-duty equipment to be turned over twice within 8 years to meet state regulations will only exacerbate the problem. Instead, we need to establish a smoother glide path so that all businesses comply with new environmental laws, but use a common-sense approach that does not make them clear multiple hurdles to comply with the law.
Expand health care options for employees by allowing individuals and employers to purchase health insurance through any licensed provider.
Regulatory flexibility. Provide flexibility to small businesses by calling for agencies to examine and review the economic impact of any regulation on small business. This will ensure that small businesses continue to meet all the goals of the laws without having to jump every regulatory hurdle.
Streamline the building permitting process. California was not ready for the downturn in the housing market, but we can prepare for the rebound by getting government out of the way. Eliminating red tape and redundancies, while keeping all existing environmental laws will shorten the paperwork and the overall time to complete the permitting process for new home construction and infill development.
Giving business the opportunity to address mistakes. When a California business is found out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the owner ought to have an opportunity to make the necessary upgrades before damages and fines are levied.
Extend deadlines for greenhouse gas regulations. The Governor has the ability to temporarily suspend greenhouse gas regulations, which will allow technology to catch up with the changes in law and allow for a smoother implementation of the law, while saving California businesses and consumers hundreds of millions of dollars.

“When AB 32 passed, it gave the governor the authority to adjust implementation of the regulations if it would cause ‘significant economic harm,’” said Senator Bob Dutton, (R-Inland Empire). “I believe given the state of the current economy, coupled with the cost of $511 billion to implement the regulations, the governor should use his authority to adjust the deadline.”