Legislative Updates
Provided by Tony Rice

Now that the seasons are beginning to change from summer to fall, so too are members of the Legislature changing from frenetic legislative activity to focusing on the upcoming midterm elections. Once the Legislature ceased its two-year session a little after midnight, August 31, the halls of the Capitol have been devoid of people literally running around trying to make the next meeting or important vote. Of course, that is not to say that nothing is happening in Sacramento, and CAG has several items to follow-up from the session in preparation for the renewed legislative activity in 2019, but everyone now has the opportunity to catch their breaths, reconcile what has transpired over the past several months and positively position the organization moving forward.  
 
Speaking of the end of the legislative session, CAG was supporting and closely monitoring two bills that the Governor recently acted upon. As a refresher, the Governor has the entire month of September to consider the bills that are passed to him during the final weeks of the session. One never knows when the Governor will act on a particular item of interest so keeping in close contact with his staff and social media is important to keep abreast of his actions and activities. The Governor has vetoed two bills supported by CAG, AB 1918 (Garcia) and AB 2614 (Carrillo). Both bills sought to increase exposure and availability to outside recreational opportunities, including golf. While we would have liked to see the bills become law, we look forward to working with both authors again and hopefully the reintroduction of the bills again in 2019, taking advantage of a new perspective from the Administration after Governor Brown is termed out of office this year.
 
And finally, as CAG looks forward to 2019, one of the highest priorities of the organization’s legislative committee will be to develop a cogent and rational position as it relates to the use of independent contractors. Without getting into too much detail, a recent Supreme Court decision significantly altered the definition as to who is legitimately an independent contractor and who should be considered an employee.  Both labor and business organizations have been scrambling to determine what the change means to the labor market in California. The Legislature resisted efforts to address the changes during the end of session, preferring to take some time to analyze and understand the ramifications to the labor market before making any kind of broad sweeping alterations. However, without question, this issue will be front and center when the new legislative session reconvenes in January and CAG will be working hard over the coming months to identify and address any concerns the decision means for the golfing industry.
 
As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.