PIHRA Scope - Winter 2008 - (Page 8)

Legislative Horizon in 2009 By Marilyn A. Monahan Emmer & Graeber What’s on the Between FEATURE C a l i for n i a’s growing deficit and the drawn-out wrangling over the budget, legislators looking for major reforms in 2008 faced significant hurdles. The challenges existing in 2008 will still be with us in 2009. The approved budget included spending cuts, but did not eliminate the deficit, and the existence of the deficit will impact how the Legislature and the governor respond to 2009 bills. Bills that will cost the state more money, or reduce tax revenue, will not only have a more difficult time receiving legislative approval, they will also have to survive the governor’s veto. The economic situation in the country and the state will also remain an issue. In the past the governor has not hesitated to veto bills that he believes will cost employers more money or increase their administrative burdens. That attitude is very likely to carry over into 2009, and may be more prevalent if the economic situation appears unfavorable to business. In light of these circumstances, what can we expect in 2009? It is very likely that many of the same issues that caught the attention of California legislators in 2008 will still be on their minds in the new year. Therefore, the legislation and debates human resource professionals were tracking in 2008—health care reform, employee leaves of absence, wage and hour rules—will quite possibly be under consideration again in 2009. The deﬁcit and the economy will impact, 8 PIHRAScope Winter 2008 however, whether new proposals in these areas will be adopted and, if they are, the scope and form they will take. Bills introduced in 2007 and 2008 that did not pass will not be carried over into 2009. Beginning in January and before the end of February, legislators will introduce new bills they want considered during the course of the year. As the bills are introduced—and most of the bill introductions are made during February—we will have a clearer picture of the issues the authors want to see addressed during the legislative year. We will have to wait and see how those bills will fare, either in their original or in some amended form. HEALTH CARE REFORM Universal health care has been under discussion in California for quite some time, but the dialogue escalated in 2007. The governor started the year by issuing his own proposal, which would have required all Californians to obtain some form of coverage, whether through their employers, the individ- ual market, or public programs. The democrats in the Legislature responded with various proposals of their own; most of these, however, were not as far reaching as the governor’s. One exception was SB 840, Senator Kuehl’s single-payer health care initiative, which would have provided coverage to all Californians under a single government program. Ultimately, the Legislature and the governor were not able to reach consensus during the legislative year. The governor then called an extraordinary session of the Legislature to focus on health care. Numerous measures were introduced, taking different approaches to reforming the health care system. The extraordinary session carried over into 2008. Of the proposals under consideration, the legislators’ attention eventually turned to AB 1a, which became the Legislature’s ﬁnal effort to negotiate universal health care reform. Following projections of the potential cost of universal health coverage, which came at the same time as news of the state’s

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PIHRA Scope - Winter 2008

PIHRA Scope - Winter 2008 Contents Message from the CEO What’s on the Legislative Horizon in 2009 HR Concepts Dysfunction Doesn’t Make Cents The Three R’s of Environmental Sustainability PIHRA Calendar Scope on the Districts PIHRA’s New Members Index to Advertisers

PIHRA Scope - Winter 2008

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