300 bills, including climate bills, were killed by California lawmakers in one day due to budget issues.

California Lawmakers Fail to Pass 300 Bills Amid $31.5 Billion Deficit

Approximately 300 bills failed to pass California’s Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees on May 18, with lawmakers potentially eyeing the state’s $31.5 billion deficit in failing to advance the legislation, following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget revision announced a week before.

The bills were part of what is known as a suspense hearing, with the Senate referring any proposals with a minimum $50,000 effect to the committee, while the Assembly committee considers those exceeding $150,000. Those that survive are reviewed by the other house’s appropriations committee before being sent to the floor for final consideration.

When Assembly Bill 335 targeting retail theft failed to pass, author Assemblyman Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) expressed his disappointment with the decision.

“Instead of doing the right thing, the appropriations committee turned their back on a bipartisan proposal that was negotiated in good faith, which earned bipartisan support when it passed unanimously from the Public Safety Committee, and instead they shamelessly kicked the can down the road once more,” Alanis said in a press release. “The inaction today by the appropriations committee isn’t just shameful, it’s harmful to all of California.”

Alanis questioned the rationale behind the decision to kill the legislation.

“There is absolutely no fiscal or non-political argument the appropriations committee could make as to why [the retail theft] bill should not have been sent to the floor for a full vote,” Alanis said. “Californians, and our retail businesses, deserve to know the real data behind retail theft.”

Progressive Bills Delayed

While no mention of the budget deficit was made in either hearing, cuts to the Democratic majority’s long-sought-after legislation promoting abortion access, climate initiatives, gun control, and homelessness suggest lawmakers are mindful of the predicament.

“It is a different time that we have to operate in, so it is a lens that we have to look through all the bills,” Assembly Appropriations Committee Chair Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) told reporters after the hearing. “To the extent there were some real pressures that we thought we needed to address, we did.”

Proposals that failed to proceed included 25 climate-related bills, signaling that even efforts supported by lawmakers and the governor are subject to cuts given the current state of the budget.

• Attempts to improve electric vehicle infrastructure were struck down in both houses
• Bills that would allow for electric vehicle charging payment and sharing service grants were also denied
• Incentives and tax exemptions for transition to zero emissions vehicles and multiple pieces of legislation tied to hydrogen fueling stations were also denied

Bills Targeting Oil Industry Failed to Pass

Decarbonization plans were not spared either, with Sen. Dave Min’s (D-Irvine) Senate Bill 527—establishing a program to further limit carbon emissions—and Senate Bill 12, introduced by three Democratic lawmakers aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, failing to pass.

SB 12 sought to further reduce carbon emissions by 55 percent of 1990 levels by 2030 as compared to the 40 percent currently mandated by law, and its failure was met with stiff resistance from climate advocacy groups.

More than 1,100 bills were considered in the fast-paced sessions, with many decisions made prior to the hearing. The few that required roll call votes were often split by party line, and the Democratic party’s supermajority voted in unison in most instances, allowing contested bills to proceed.

Nearly 900 bills were passed by the committees, with the Senate approving 71 percent of those considered and the Assembly approximately 78 percent.

During a press conference announcing the May budget revision, Newsom advised caution when passing bills.

“We’ve got all these amazing bills, but we’ve got to get this done in the budget,” he told lawmakers. “We have a collective responsibility … I want a deeper understanding of the nature of the budgetary restraints.”