CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2013–2014 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Concurrent Resolution
No. 48
Introduced by Assembly Member Allen
|
April 18, 2013 |
Relative to Start a Small Business Month.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 48, as introduced, Allen.
Start a Small Business Month.
This measure would proclaim the month of May 2013 as Start a Small Business Month.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee:
NO WHEREAS, On May 1, 2012, Governor Brown issued a proclamation reaffirming the state’s commitment to helping California’s small businesses thrive; and
WHEREAS, California is home to the most innovative and competitive firms in the world, placing the state consistently among the top-10 economies; and
WHEREAS, The vast majority of these businesses employ 500 or fewer workers; and
WHEREAS, Small businesses embody the entrepreneurial spirit that has driven the economy of our state where over half of our private-sector workforce is employed by small businesses; and
WHEREAS, Three and one-half million California small businesses account for 99 percent of the state’s employers and employ 52 percent of the workforce; and
WHEREAS, California received 50 percent of all venture capital financing in the United States in 2011, by far the most of any state in the United States; and
WHEREAS, California is the number one state for agriculture revenues, with $34.8 billion in revenue representing 12.3 percent of the United States total; and
WHEREAS, California’s 2,324 biomedical companies employ 267,000 people, which accounts for $115 billion in annual revenues, more than the annual Gross State Product of 18 other states; and
WHEREAS, Manufacturers in California account for 11.7 percent of the total output in the state, employing almost 9 percent of the workforce, where total output from manufacturing was $229.9 billion in 2011, significantly more than any other state; and
WHEREAS, California has more Fortune 500 companies than any other state, 53 in total; and
WHEREAS, California policymakers should keep a simple focus on the number one issue facing the state: economic recovery and job creation; and
WHEREAS, The simple threat of litigation, rather than the actual adjudication of a lawsuit, under the California Environmental Quality Act, can be all that is required to create uncertainty for various projects; and
WHEREAS, Policymakers need to take approaches that recognize and encourage California’s leadership and innovation in the environmental arena rather than to rely on more taxes and fees; and
WHEREAS, Policymakers need to be smarter about how money is spent on education in order to better align the workforce and college readiness, ensure career technical education is high quality and aligned with academic standards, and promote state and private investments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education; and
WHEREAS, It is critical that California’s electricity generation keeps pace with its growing population and increasing demand as maintaining and expanding the state’s energy infrastructure is vital to the economic growth of California; and
WHEREAS, California ranked 47th for the fairness of its litigation environment in 2012 and has consistently placed among the bottom six states over the last decade, which is a significant consideration when a company decides where to locate; and
WHEREAS, California businesses are already strapped with the highest tax rates in the nation; and
WHEREAS, California, like 19 other states, is struggling with the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund insolvency, and the best way for California to combat rising unemployment and improve the health of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is to improve the business climate; and
WHEREAS, In September 2012, the Governor signed a workers’ compensation reform package negotiated by employers and labor; and
WHEREAS, Workers’ compensation costs for California employers must decrease to be more competitive with the costs paid by employers in other states; and
WHEREAS, The Governor, in his proclamation last year, reaffirmed our commitment to California’s small businesses to thrive and prosper and that supporting small-scale private-sector job creators is among our most promising strategies to enhance California’s human capital, expand job opportunities, and increase our competitive advantage in the global marketplace; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims the month of May 2013 as Start a Small Business Month; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature adds its support to the Governor’s efforts in promoting small businesses and making California a more friendly business climate; and be it further
Resolved, That California’s policymakers can act to relieve the uncertainty of doing business in this state, by keeping taxes low, fair, stable, and predictable, by reducing the regulatory and litigation costs of operating a business, by reducing the cost and improving the certainty and stability of investing in new equipment and technology, by investing in public and private works that provide the backbone for economic growth, and by ensuring the availability of high quality skilled employees; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.