Bill Text: CA ACR48 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Start a Small Business Month.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-06-04 - In committee: Hearing for testimony only. [ACR48 Detail]
Download: California-2013-ACR48-Introduced.html
BILL NUMBER: ACR 48 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
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.
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.
