Legislators faced the House of Origin deadline at the end of May where bills introduced in the Assembly and State Senate must pass the chamber in which the legislation was introduced before moving to the other chamber.
Legislators considered over 500 bills during the week leading up to the May 29 deadline.
Status of legislation of interest
AB 1603 (Shultz) Pesticides: opposed – PASSED ASSEMBLY
Restricts pesticides containing PFAS and ignores science, risk, and real-world use given the products help reduce drift, runoff, and application rates.
AB 2646 (Krell) Wages: opposed – PASSED ASSEMBLY
Implements an hourly wage of $19.75 per hour for certain ag workers beginning in 2027, and annually CPI adjusted. Increased labor costs threaten farm viability and food affordability during a time of rising costs.
AB 230 (Ransom) Pierce’s disease: support – AWAITS SENATE HEARING
Extends the operation of the Pierce’s disease program at the Department of Food and Agriculture to 2036.
AB 2215 (Aguiar-Curry) State Water Project (SWP): support – PASSED ASSEMBLY
Provides the Department of Water Resources until 2045 to develop the SWP’s water rights. Full development of the SWP’s water rights is hampered by obstacles beyond DWR’s control.
AB 2034 (Addis) Food ingredients: opposed – HELD IN APPROPRIATIONS
Requires notice to the state and an online public listing of food ingredients. With ultra-processed food regulations being developed by state and federal agencies on ingredients forthcoming, the bill is redundant, costly and unnecessary.
AB 2447 (Bauer-Kahan) Nitrates & water: opposed – HELD IN APPROPRIATIONS
Mandates agriculture to “not cause or contribute” to nitrate exceedances from fertilizer by 2030—an unachievable standard that is not based in science. The measure would upend existing, comprehensive state programs.
For a broader list of legislative activity of interest to Ag Council members, including status, please click HERE.
Photo: A group of Legislative Day attendees in front of the State Capitol.
Legislative Day Recap
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Ag Council held its legislative advocacy day in Sacramento in May where attendees connected with over 30 legislators and staff to amplify agriculture’s voice regarding crucial issues at the forefront in the State Legislature.
The day of outreach is an important tool for members to directly engage with state decision makers on legislation impacting farms, cooperatives and vertically integrated family farming operations.
To view photos and read more about the advocacy day, click HERE.
State Budget
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Did you catch the overview of Governor Newsom’s May Budget Revision? If not, click HERE for a summary.