Steven M. Glazer

This bill requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to construct a publicly accessible platform were manufactures must annually register products that contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). There are over 9,000 PFAS in existence which are in hundreds of common household products such as nonstick cookware, furniture, raincoats and shampoo.  Oppose is the Limited Government Position as the federal government already monitors PFAS substances and this measure will place significant additional costs on taxpayers, manufacturers, and ultimately consumers.

Advancing Government Overreach through a Costly New Reporting and Registration System for Products Containing PFAS Substances.

This bill establishes the California Reproductive Health Service Corps "for the purposes of recruiting, training, and retaining a diverse workforce of reproductive health care professionals in underserved areas." The bill directs funding towards scholarships, stipends for living expenses and childcare, and loan repayment for providers who work at a "corps-approved site". Oppose is the Limited Government Position as taxpayers should not fund scholarships or loan repayments for any industry, let alone an industry which faces strong opposition by a significant portion of the population.

Forcing Taxpayers to Fund Scholarships and Training for Abortion Providers by Establishing the "California Reproductive Health Service Corps".

This bill requires all new charter schools to participate in either the state's Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) or the Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) as opposed to offering their own 401k style plans.  This change would subject charter schools to additional regulations and costs. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this new mandate harms school choice by making it more costly to operate a charter school. This bill is primarily designed to help bail out the state pension system as California has some of the highest unfunded pension liabilities in the country.

Threatening School Choice by Forcing Charter Schools to Participate in Costly State Retirement Programs.

This bill expands Family PACT (government-provided healthcare) to include prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases for individuals who already may be insured and are not at risk of experiencing or causing an unintended pregnancy. The bill is primarily directed at LGBTQ individuals who may have confidentiality concerns using their insurance for treatment. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this bill further grows government-provided healthcare and dependency while also estimated to place tens of millions of dollars of additional costs onto taxpayers.

Increasing Government Dependency by Providing STD Treatment to all LGBTQ Individuals at the Expense of Taxpayers.

This bill expands the application of the state's prevailing wage mandate to include hauling of materials to and from a publicly-funded construction site, such as paving, grading and fill. The prevailing wage originates from the Davis-Bacon Act a depression-era policy that forces government contractors to pay their employees above-market wages when working public works projects. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as prevailing wage mandates needlessly drive-up taxpayer costs by imposing significant additional costs onto government contractors.

Hiking Taxpayer Costs by Expanding Prevailing Wage Mandates to Include the Hauling of Construction Materials To and From Job Sites.

This bill requires the California Health and Human Services Agency to establish a website providing various abortion related information.  Such information includes the locations of abortion providers, available practical support services like airfare, lodging, meals, etc., and payment support resources. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as it is not the role of government to promote abortion and force payment from taxpayers to advance abortion (many of whom may have strong religious objections). All abortions are tragedies and every child deserves the right to life.

Promoting Abortion through the Creation of a State Website to Provide Information on Abortion Providers and How to Obtain Support Services Such as Airfare, Meals and Lodging.

The "Gun Violence Prevention, Healing, and Recovery Act" enacts an additional 3.75% sale tax on firearms and ammunition sold in the state. As a result, purchasers of firearms and ammunition may face a sales tax rate of over 25% when factoring in the state tax (11%), local taxes (up to 3.5%) and the federal tax (11%). This taxation also does not include the amount passed onto consumers through the $37.19 fee placed on firearm dealers plus other taxes. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as James Madison and our nation's other founding fathers understood that the right to keep and bear arms is a crucial individual liberty and protects the citizenry against a tyrannical government. This measure serves to punish law-abiding individuals who wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights through outrageous levels of taxation.

Attacking Second Amendment Rights through Additional Taxes on Firearms and Ammunition - Resulting in a 25% Sales Tax Rate.

This bill requires all publicly serving businesses to provide individuals with an "eligible medical condition" (such as inflammatory bowel disease) access to their toilet facilities. The access must be provided even if the toilet facility is otherwise only available to employees, and a business can be fined $100 for each case of non-compliance. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as lawmakers should not further grow the regulatory state and impose mandates on private businesses to account for the near endless list of medical conditions that individuals may face. Such one-size-fits all mandates may also result in abuse of business restrooms - especially when considering California's extremely high homeless rates.

Forcing Private Businesses to Grant Access to Employee Restrooms for Individuals with an "Eligible Medical Condition".

The "Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act" or "FAST Recovery Act," establishes a 10 member fast food council made up of appointees by the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly and Senate rules committee. The council would have power to set minimum wages, working hours and various other labor standards and regulations.  Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this bill provides far overreaching powers to a group of individuals who are not accountable to voters. Additionally, the bill drives up consumer costs by subjecting business to unreasonable demands by labor unions.

Subjecting Restaurants to Unreasonable Labor Union Demands through the Creation of an Unaccountable "Fast Food Council" to Impose Regulations.

This bill makes it much easier for union leaders to unionize agricultural workers across the state's 30,000 farms. Specifically, the bill authorizes usage of a "card check" system which allows leaders to publicly pressure workers into unionizing, as opposed to the existing "secret ballot voting" system.  Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this measure will subject agricultural workers to significant new levels of intimidation and harassment to unionize by labor leaders. Measures such as this highlight the importance of "Right to Work" legislation, which protects the ability of individuals to work without joining a labor union.

Hiking Consumer Costs and Empowering Union Leaders by Unionizing the Agricultural Industry through a Card-Check System.

This bill establishes the "Electric Bicycle Incentive Project" to provide vouchers to income-eligible individuals to purchase e-bikes at certain retailers. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as not only do measures such as this provide competitive advantages to government-favored companies, and further hike taxpayer costs, but also disincentivize advancement and grow government dependency by expanding the welfare state.

Growing Government Dependency by Providing Electric Bicycle Vouchers to Certain Individuals Based on Income.

The "Clean Energy, Jobs, and Affordability Act of 2022" further increases the stringency of a landmark climate bill passed in 2018 which requires all electricity sold in the state to be 100% clean by 2045. SB 1020 establishes additional benchmarks such as requiring 90% of electricity sold be carbon free by 2030 and 95% by 2035. Furthermore, all state agencies must now obtain their power from renewables by 2035. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as these unnecessary new mandates will only further drive-up electricity costs for consumers, businesses and taxpayers. Lawmakers should instead spur economic growth (which ultimately leads to environmental improvement) through an "all of the above" approach to energy procurement.

Hiking Energy Costs by Imposing Even More Stringent Renewable Energy and Zero-Carbon Electricity Mandates

This bill requires pharmacists to complete at least one hour of continuing education in a "cultural competency course" every two years. The course must focus on individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ and must also "contain elements demonstrating how sexual identity is directly impacted through intersectionality." Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this bill is largely designed to enrich entities and individuals who provide such "cultural competency services". Instead of this politically-motivated government mandate, pharmacists should be free to select the trainings which will provide them the greatest value and information to serve their patients.

Forcing Pharmacists to Undergo an Hour "Cultural Competency" Course Every 2 Years Focused on LGBTQ+ Individuals.

Beginning in 2024, this bill requires all children to attend kindergarten prior to entering first grade, which was previously optional. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this bill removes decision making from parents, who are best equipped to make decisions regarding their child's education.

Weakening Parental Rights by Mandating Kindergarten Attendance for All Children.

This bill establishes the "Housing California Challenge Program" to provide $5 billion in direct rental assistance over the next 5 years to individuals who are at risk of homelessness. This program is in addition to a number of other state programs, and funding under the bill may be utilized to help individuals locate and obtain housing as well as for long-term rental assistance.  Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this bill serves as yet another measure which traps individuals into poverty by disincentivizing advancement and growing government dependency. Additionally, the bill's $5 billion in subsidies will merely bid up the market prices of existing rental units, thus worsening the state's housing affordability crisis and likely leading to additional homelessness and government dependency.

Increasing Government Dependency and Housing Market Costs through a New $5 Billion Housing Assistance Spending Program.

This bill creates a new "Water Rate Assistance Program" which would require taxpayers to subsidize the water and wastewater utility bills of certain individuals based on income. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as further growing the size and scope of the government welfare state disincentivizes advancement and traps individuals into government dependency and poverty. The private sector, through charitable initiatives, is best equipped to help support those in need and work to make them self-sufficient.

Growing Government Dependency by Providing "Water Rate Assistance" to Certain Utility Payers based on Income.

This bill provides a $1,000 refundable tax credit to single-filers earning up to $40,000, and joint-filers earning up to $60,000, who do not own or purchase a car. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as lawmakers should not use the power of government to centrally plan the lives of individuals and wage war against the internal combustion engine. Furthermore, growing the size and scope of the government welfare state disincentivizes advancement and traps individuals into government dependency and poverty.

Growing Government Dependency by Providing $1,000 to Income-Eligible Individuals without Automobiles.

The bill extends indefinitely the prohibition on law enforcement utilizing facial recognition or any other biometric surveillance system in conjunction with a body-worn camera. This prohibition had been set to expire January 1, 2023. Support is the Limited Government Position as our Founding Fathers supported strong protections against unreasonable search and seizures as enshrined in the Fourth Amendment. Failure to enact this bill will further grow the surveillance state through the elimination of a critical protection against warrantless data collection.

Protecting Civil Liberties by Maintaining the Prohibition on the Usage of Facial Recognition Systems on Police Body-worn Cameras.

The "Platform Accountability and Transparency Act" requires social media to publicly disclose how their algorithms push information. This includes statistics on items of content that violated their platform policies and were recommended or amplified through their algorithms.  According to the bill's sponsor, the measure is needed to bring transparency to medical disinformation, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this government overreach into the private sector places significant financial and regulatory costs onto the tech industry, which is ultimately passed down to consumers.  Except in cases of fraud or criminal activity, industries are best governed through free market principles whereby consumers hold private companies accountable.

Expanding the Regulatory State by Placing Costly New Reporting Mandates on Social Media Companies Concerning Content Policy Violations

The "Buy American Food Act" places more stringent domestic procurement requirements on California public schools and universities concerning their agricultural food purchases. Previous law required institutions to procure only domestically grown and processed foods unless the cost was greater than 5% of the non-domestic alternative. This bill now requires the non-domestic alternative to be at least 25% more costly, which is estimated to cost taxpayers an additional $1.9 billion. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this bill is largely designed to enrich California agricultural producers and labor unions, while unnecessarily punishing taxpayers who will be forced to bear the higher costs. The bill also directly violates the limited government principles of free trade and markets.

Increasing Taxpayer Costs by Worsening Protectionist Agricultural Procurement Mandates Placed on Schools and Universities.

This bill establishes the "California Coordinated Neighborhood and Community Services Grant Program" which provides state grants to certain organizations in federal "Promise Neighborhoods". Many of these groups have politically-motivated agendas, such as bill sponsor "StriveTogether" which promotes on its website how its network member led the passage of a ballot measure which hiked property taxes in Colorado to increase school funding. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as taxpayer funds should not be utilized to advance political initiatives. The private sector (through charitable endeavors) is best equipped to direct funding to the groups and initiatives which are most needed and beneficial to communities.

Expanding Cronyism and Unnecessary Spending by Providing Grants to Government-Favored Community Groups with Politically Driven Agendas.

This bill requires local agencies which permit groundwater wells to obtain written verification stating a proposed well will not "undermine sustainable groundwater management or cause well interference". This additional statewide mandate is expected to significantly raise costs for well applicants and potentially limit the ability of some landowners to utilize the groundwater beneath their property.  Oppose is the Limited Government Position as well drilling is already regulated at the local level and this additional state-wide regulatory barrier places significant costs onto businesses and may provide favor to certain landowners while infringing the property rights of others.

Weakening Property Rights by Placing Costly and Excessive Regulatory Barriers to Drill New Groundwater Wells.

The "Contraceptive Equity Act of 2022" requires all health insurance policies offered in the state to provide coverage for vasectomies and over-the-counter contraceptive drugs, devices and products. All of these services and products must be provided without any deductible or cost-sharing requirement. Additionally, the bill adds "reproductive healthcare decisions" to the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, thus prohibiting employers from taking any discriminatory actions. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as each and every health insurance mandate or price control on co-payments prevents an individual from selecting a plan with just basic or customized coverages to fit their specific needs. As a result, health insurers are forced to only offer costly plans loaded with coverages that most individuals do not need. This can result in lower-income or younger individuals choosing to purchase no insurance plan at all due to the high cost.

Increasing Health Insurance Premiums by Mandating All Policies Cover Vasectomies and Contraceptives at No Cost.

This bill requires a ballot drop-off location be placed on each California State University Campus in addition to the other locations required by law. Additionally, when selecting drop-off locations across the state, the bill requires election officials to prioritize community college locations. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this bill politicizes the placement of ballot drop-off locations due to the very high levels of voting amongst college-age voters for a particular political party. While the state should eliminate all drop boxes, such placement should at least be based on population and determined in a non-politicized manner to ensure free and fair elections.

Weakening Election Integrity through the Politicized Placement of Ballot Drop Boxes Across All State University Campuses.

This bill requires all health insurance policies, including Medicaid, offered in the state to provide coverage for biomarker testing to diagnose, treat, manage, or monitor a person's disease or condition "if the test is supported by medical and scientific evidence." Oppose is the Limited Government Position as each and every health insurance mandate or price control on co-payments prevents an individual from selecting a plan with just basic or customized coverages to fit their specific needs. As a result, health insurers are forced to only offer costly plans loaded with coverages that most individuals do not need. This can result in lower-income or younger individuals choosing to purchase no insurance plan at all due to the high cost.

Increasing Health Insurance Premiums by Mandating All Policies Provide Coverage for Biomarker Testing

The "Small Business Procurement and Contract Act" establishes a 25% small business target for infrastructure contracts issued through the $14 billion the state received under the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as all government contracting and procurement decisions should be based strictly on factors relating to cost and quality. Contracting quotas and mandates such as this bill merely restrict competition and unnecessarily drive-up taxpayer costs, while also potentially reducing project quality and timeliness.

Hiking Taxpayer Costs through an Additional Small Business Procurement Mandate for Infrastructure Projects.

This bill prohibits most health insurance plans, except for a specialized health care service plan contract, from requiring any cost sharing for abortion, such as a deductible, coinsurance, or copayment. The bill also applies to Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as each and every health insurance mandate or price control on co-payments prevents an individual from selecting a plan with just basic or customized coverages to fit their specific needs. As a result, health insurers are forced to only offer costly plans loaded with coverages that most individuals do not need. This can result in lower-income or younger individuals choosing to purchase no insurance plan at all due to the high cost.

Increasing Health Insurance Premiums by Mandating Policies Provide Abortion Services Without any Co-Pay or Deductible.

This bill imposes a series of new restrictions on the governing practices of Home Owners Associations (HOAs) and other planned communities.  For example, the bill places new regulations on HOAs concerning the ability of owners to rent their units as well as how issues are discussed on social media platforms. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as it is not the role of government to dictate the private contractual agreements and operations of HOAs. HOAs serve as free-market alternatives to government zoning and land use standards, as individuals can choose the restrictiveness of the community they wish to join or select to live on property outside the governance of an HOA.

Infringing Private Contracting Rights through Government Overreach into the Governance Practices of Private Condominium Associations

The "Digital Financial Assets Law" creates a new licensing and regulatory framework for digital financial assets under the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. A range of products including cryptocurrencies, virtual currencies and electronic precious metals would now be subject to state regulation. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as the federal government is already attempting to regulate these products, and there is a serious risk that regulations imposed at any level government could threaten innovation within this industry. It is critical to protect this industry from overregulation as bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies play a crucial role as a safeguard against the reckless policies of the Federal Reserve.

Threatening Innovation by Imposing a New Licensing Regime on a Range of Digital and Crypto Financial Assets.

The "California Antihunger Response Act of 2022" creates a new state program in which able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD) are provided food stamp benefits despite not complying with the work requirements of CalFresh which are set by the federal government. The cost to create the new system (not accounting for benefit payouts) is estimated to cost $100 million. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this bill is intended to circumvent the federal work requirements implemented in the mid-1990s to help encourage able-bodied individuals to find employment and regain self-reliance. This bill places an unnecessary cost onto taxpayers while discouraging work-ready adults to become self-sufficient.

Spending $100 Million to Bypass a Critical Federal Welfare Integrity Measure and Provide Food Stamps to Work-Ready Adults who Refuse to Comply with Work Requirements.

This bill authorizes the State Air Resources Board every three years to review and increase the stringency of the state's cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as the state's cap-and-trade program already places enormous unnecessary costs on businesses. This measure will further worsen the situation by allowing unaccountable government employees within ARB to inflict even greater harm to the state's business climate.

Threatening Businesses with Higher Costs by Increasing the Stringency of the State's Cap-and-Trade Program.

This bill establishes the "Excluded Workers Pilot Program" which provides illegal immigrants with up to 20 weeks of unemployment benefits, at an amount of $300 per week. The bill is estimated to cost state taxpayers $237 million to build out and over $215 million in annual benefit payouts. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as providing individuals who entered the country unlawfully to taxpayer funded welfare benefits merely incentivizes additional illegal immigration. While reforms are needed to the U.S. immigration system to increase the number of skilled individuals who may enter and work in our country, measures such as this undermine reform efforts and plunge taxpayers into further debt.

Forcing Taxpayers to Spend Hundreds of Millions Annually to Provide Unemployment Benefits to Illegal Immigrants.

This bill establishes the California Reproductive Health Equity Program, which provides no cost or reduced cost abortion services to women earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level. Additionally, the bill requires health insurers which provide plans without abortion coverage to religious employers, to provide written notice to those enrollees that they may be eligible for no cost abortions through the state program. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as regardless of ones view on abortion, it is not the role of government to provide such coverage and force the costs onto taxpayers, many of whom have deep religious objections to the practice.

Providing "Free" Abortions to Women Earning up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level.

This bill further expands the reporting requirement placed on employers which requires them to disclose pay rates by job category according to race, sex and ethnicity. Now employers must publish their pay scales and employers with 100 or more contractors must also disclose this information for their contracted workers. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as this further government intrusion into the marketplace infringes confidential employer and worker contracting rights, while also subjecting employer to additional public harassment.

Subjecting Employers to Further Harassment by Expanding the State's Pay Data Reporting Mandate to Include Contractors and Pay Publishing.

This bill prohibits any person or business from charging a different price for two "substantially similar" items based on the gender of the individuals for whom the items are marketed and intended. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as free market competition - not a government price control - is the best mechanism to ensure consumers receive the highest quality goods at the lowest prices. This measure merely serves as a new tool to enrich greedy plaintiffs' attorneys through the advancement of frivolous litigation surrounding the so-called "pink tax".

Imposing Government Price Controls on Consumer Products to Prohibit the So-called "Pink Tax".

This bill establishes a new pilot program within the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHSA) which provides additional taxpayer funding to primary care clinics that perform abortion and are located in five counties across different regions of the state. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as it is not the role of government to promote abortion and force payment from taxpayers to advance abortion (many of whom may have strong religious objections).

Channeling Tens of Millions of Additional Taxpayer Funds to Providers of Abortion in "Marginalized Communities".

This bill is largely in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which found the use of arbitrary "may issue" standards for concealed carry licenses to be unconstitutional. Under the bill, "gun free zones" are significantly expanded - including all private businesses by default unless they post a sign saying it is permitted. Additionally, concealed carry training requirements and costs are increased, among a number of other provisions. Oppose is the Limited Government Position as James Madison and our nation's other founding fathers understood that the right to keep and bear arms is a crucial individual liberty and protects the citizenry against a tyrannical government. This measure serves to undermine the Supreme Court's decision and limits the ability of law-abiding individuals to defend themselves from criminals.

ILA

Steven M. Glazer