- Virginia State Legislature Election Results 2023 The New York Times
- Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Election Results 2023 The New York Times
- Texas Proposition 12 Election Results: Eliminate the Galveston County Treasurer Position The New York Times
- Maine Question 8 Election Results: Amend the State Constitution to Enfranchise People in Guardianships Because of Mental Illness The New York Times
- Colorado Proposition II Election Results: Allow the State to Use Excess Tax Revenue From Tobacco Products on Preschool Programs The New York Times
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Tag Archives: Legislature
Gov. Justice issues proclamation calling for Special Session of the West Virginia Legislature today at 4 p.m. – Governor Jim Justice
- Gov. Justice issues proclamation calling for Special Session of the West Virginia Legislature today at 4 p.m. Governor Jim Justice
- Lawmakers begin interim meetings while waiting on special session call West Virginia MetroNews
- Gov. Justice calls special session of W.Va. Legislature WCHS
- Statehouse Beat: Stumbling and bumbling toward a special session — or not Charleston Gazette-Mail
- Gov. Justice issues proclamation calling for Special Session of the West Virginia Legislature; corrections, EMS/volunteer firefighting funding; naming Summersville Lake new state park WV News
Legislature passes bill aimed at averting Milwaukee financial crisis, lifting aid to local governments – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Legislature passes bill aimed at averting Milwaukee financial crisis, lifting aid to local governments Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Wisconsin shared revenue: Senate approves Milwaukee bankruptcy avoidance plan | FOX6 News Milwaukee FOX6 News Milwaukee
- MKE Teachers union calling shared revenue deal an ‘attack’ on Milwaukee students WISN 12 News
- Shared revenue plan gives money back to Wisconsin cities but creates school funding controversy WeAreGreenBay.com
- What the Wisconsin shared revenue agreement could mean for K-12 education Fox11online.com
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Oakland Athletics move to Las Vegas in flux as Nevada Legislature adjourns – The Associated Press
- Oakland Athletics move to Las Vegas in flux as Nevada Legislature adjourns The Associated Press
- A’s Las Vegas stadium bill stalls in Nevada legislative session San Francisco Chronicle
- Public funding bill for Oakland A’s ballpark plan in Las Vegas stalls without a vote The Mercury News
- A’s stadium deal falters in final hours of legislative session; future murky – The Nevada Independent The Nevada Independent
- Legislature final day live updates: Major amendments to obscure bills as time runs out – The Nevada Independent The Nevada Independent
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Former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo calls on Gov. Abbott, Legislature to step up after illegal street racing incidents – KVUE.com
- Former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo calls on Gov. Abbott, Legislature to step up after illegal street racing incidents KVUE.com
- Austin mayor embroiled in fight with police officials amid fallout over street race takeover, contract dispute Fox News
- Co-host of weekend street takeover event comments amid contentious police labor contract negotiations FOX 7 Austin
- “Street takeovers” highlights City of Austin staffing shortages KEYE TV CBS Austin
- Aftermath of defund the police movement in spotlight after street racing incident: ‘We created these monsters’ Fox News
Michigan Legislature approves $1 billion in tax cuts; GOP decries fairness
Lansing — The Michigan Legislature approved proposals Thursday that would provide about $1 billion in tax cuts, advancing top priorities of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer less than four weeks after Democrats took full control of the Legislature.
Senators voted 27-11 to expand the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, which will save low-income workers about $442 million a year on their tax bills. Then, senators voted 23-15 to change how the state taxes retirement income, bringing back an exemption for public pensions and dropping state revenues by about $500 million annually.
Both bills, which still have to go to the state House, aim to undo policies that were signed into law by former Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, a decade ago when he and GOP lawmakers overhauled the state’s tax system.
The House passed its own retirement tax repeal and earned income tax credit increase, with some slight differences from the Senate. The House’s retirement tax repeal would phase in over four years through 2026 and it’s earned income tax credit increase was amended to match the Senate’s rate of 30% of the federal credit.
The House passed its retirement tax repeal 67-41, and the Earned Income Tax Credit on a lopsided 100-8 vote.
Republicans argued Thursday’s bills didn’t go far enough to provide tax relief amid rising costs. But Democratic lawmakers said they were providing aid while making good on campaign vows to remove tax standards they believe unfairly impacted retirees.
“The time is now to provide our seniors with the extra money that they need,” Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, said. “The time is now to restore the promise that we have made to seniors across this state.”
In the House, Rep. Angela Witwer, D-Delta Township, said her retirement tax repeal bill helps to right a wrong inflicted on seniors more than a decade ago.
“These people, these retirees have been met with unexpected burdens and unexpected expenses,” she said. “With inflation running high, every penny counts.”
However, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, said the retirement tax changes would primarily benefit individuals with large pensions from government jobs and would only help one-third of the seniors in Michigan.
“How is that fair? How is that equitable?” Nesbitt asked.
The votes in the House and Senate on Thursday came a day after Whitmer delivered her fifth State of the State address. During the speech, Whitmer said the “No. 1 issue for folks trying to make ends meet is costs.”
“With inflation, every dollar saved makes a difference,” the governor said on Wednesday. “That’s why we’re moving fast.”
Whitmer sought similar proposals on the Earned Income Tax Credit and retirement income in 2022, but she and the GOP-controlled Legislature couldn’t reach a consensus on how to provide tax relief.
Democrats won control of the House and Senate for the first time in 40 years in the November election, allowing the party to move Whitmer’s priorities and undo tax changes made by Snyder in 2011.
Under the Senate’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) proposal, Michigan would go from allowing qualifying taxpayers — those with low to moderate incomes, according to the Internal Revenue Service — to credit 6% of their federal EITC against their state income tax to 30%.
The proposal is expected to reduce state revenues by about $442 million, according to the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency. Whitmer’s administration has said the change will impact 700,000 families, amounting to an average financial benefit of about $600 per family.
Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, emphasized the new bill included language that allows families to claim the 30% credit for their 2022 taxes if Whitmer signs it into law soon.
“This puts money into the pockets of working families now when they need it the most,” Rivet said.
In 2011, Republicans and Snyder dropped the EITC match from 20% to the current 6% as part of a larger tax overhaul.
Seven Republican senators voted Thursday for the new Democratic proposal while 11 voted against it. Sen. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, was among the no votes, saying he wanted a broader tax relief measure to allow more people to see financial benefits.
“This plan will not help average hardworking Michigan families,” Albert said.
Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, was among the GOP yes votes. He said the measure was among the best tax relief options that could currently be accomplished for young families.
More than a dozen Republican lawmakers in the House supported the retirement tax repeal bill and dozens supported the increase to the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Like the EITC, Snyder’s administration overhauled how the state taxed retirement income in 2011. For those born after 1946, lawmakers at the time removed a full exemption from the income tax for public pensions and decreased deduction limits for other forms of private retirement funds.
Under the 2011 changes, those born after 1952 can claim an exemption for all income once they reach 67 of $20,000 for single filers and $40,000 for joint filers. Those born before 1946 could claim much larger exemptions for private pension income, tied to inflation.
In 2014, Snyder contended the changes made things “fair between people who had retirement income and people who had working income.”
Democrats have been working to undo the 2011 policy for more than decade, a campaign that’s been dubbed “repeal the pension tax.” They have argued the 2011 changes unfairly altered the financial rules for retirees after they had already planned their futures.
The Senate bill approved on Thursday brings back the pension exemption and allows all retirees to benefit from the larger exemptions. Under the new proposal, other forms of retirement benefits than public pensions are deductible up to $56,691 for a single return and $113,922 for a joint return. The limits are tied to inflation going forward.
The Senate Fiscal Agency said the proposal will cut state revenues by about $500 million a year. Whitmer’s office said the retirement changes will benefit 500,000 households.
The retirement changes would take effect for the 2023 tax year, Hertel said.
Nesbitt and Senate Republicans floated their own plan Thursday to allow those over 67 to receive a standard $50,000 deduction. Nesbitt said he wasn’t certain how much the GOP proposal would cost.
Staff Writer Beth LeBlanc contributed.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
New Malaysian PM Anwar vows to heal divided nation, economy
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Long-time reformist leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Malaysia’s prime minister Thursday and vowed to heal a racially divided nation, fight corruption and revive an economy struggling with the rising cost of living.
His rise to the top a was a victory for political reformers who were locked in a battle with Malay nationalists for days after a divisive general election on Saturday produced a hung Parliament. Anwar took his oath of office in a simple ceremony at the national palace that was broadcast on national television.
Malaysia’s king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, named Anwar as the nation’s 10th leader after saying he was satisfied that Anwar is the candidate who is likely to have majority support.
In his first news conference, Anwar said he would form a unity government comprising his Alliance of Hope that won 82 seats, the National Front with 30 seats and a bloc from eastern Sarawak state with 23 seats. He said that would give him a majority of 135 seats, with other smaller blocs expected to join.
“There is no question about my legitimacy,” Anwar said after his rival, former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, disputed that he has majority support. Anwar said his government will propose a vote of confidence when Parliament reconvenes Dec. 19.
An unexpected surge of ethnic Malay support propelled Muhyiddin’s right-leaning National Alliance to win 73 seats, with its ally Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party emerging as the biggest single party with 49 seats.
The stalemate was resolved after the National Front, led by the United Malays National Organization, agreed to support a unity government under Anwar. Such a tie-up was once unthinkable in Malaysian politics, long dominated by rivalry between the two parties.
“His Royal Highness reminds all parties that the winners do not win all and the losers do not lose everything,” a palace statement said. Sultan Abdullah urged all opposing parties to reconcile to ensure a stable government and end Malaysia’s political turmoil, which has led to three prime ministers since 2018 polls.
The stock market and the Malaysian currency surged following news of Anwar’s appointment.
Police had tightened security nationwide as social media posts warned of racial troubles if Anwar’s multiethnic bloc won. Anwar’s party has urged supporters to refrain from celebratory gatherings to avoid risk of provocation.
Anwar said he wishes his victory will bring new hope for Malaysians longing for a more equitable nation, and assured majority Malay Muslims that they have nothing to fear. He said his priority will be to strengthen the economy as it faces an expected slowdown next year and fight rising inflation.
Many rural Malays fear they may lose their privileges with greater pluralism under Anwar. Fed up with corruption and infighting in the long-ruling UMNO, many opted for Muhyiddin’s bloc in Saturday’s vote.
“Malaysia is more than six decades old. Every Malaysian regardless of ethnicity, religious belief or region, particularly Sabah and Sarawak, should not be left to feel that they are ignored in any way. None should be marginalized under my administration,” he said. Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo Island are among two of the country’s poorest states.
Anwar declared Monday a public holiday to mark his bloc’s victory.
Anwar’s rise to the top job caps his roller-coaster political journey and will ease fears over greater Islamization. But he faces a tall task in bridging racial divides that deepened after Saturday’s poll, as well as reviving the economy. Malays form two-thirds of Malaysia’s 33 million people, which include large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
“Anwar is a globalist, which will assure international investors. He has been seen to be a bridge builder across communities, which will test his leadership moving forward but at the same juncture offers a reassuring hand for the challenges that Malaysia will face,” said Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia political expert at Malaysia’s Nottingham University.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered his congratulations to Anwar in a statement noting the U.S. looked forward to deepening its friendship with Malaysia.
Anwar, now 75, was a former deputy prime minister whose firing and imprisonment in the 1990s led to massive street protests and a reform movement that became a major political force. Thursday marked his reformist bloc’s second victory — its first being historic 2018 polls that led to UMNO’s ouster and the first regime change since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957.
Anwar was in prison at the time on a sodomy charge he said was politically motivated. He was pardoned and was due to take over from Mahathir Mohamad. But the government collapsed after Muhyiddin defected and joined hands with UMNO to form a new government. Muhyiddin’s government was beset by internal rivalries and he resigned after 17 months. UMNO leader Ismail Sabri Yaakob was then picked by the king as the prime minister.
Montana defies order on transgender birth certificates
BILLINGS, Mont. — Just hours after a Montana judge blocked health officials from enforcing a state rule that would prevent transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificate, the Republican-run state on Thursday said it would defy the order.
District Court Judge Michael Moses chided attorneys for the state during a hearing in Billings for circumventing his April order that temporarily blocked a 2021 Montana law that made it harder to change birth certificates.
Moses said there was no question that state officials violated his earlier order by creating the new rule. Moses said his order reinstates a 2017 Department of Public Health and Human Services rule that allowed people to update the gender on their birth certificate by filing an affidavit with the department.
However, the state said it would disregard the ruling.
“The Department thoroughly evaluated the judge’s vague April 2022 decision and crafted our final rule to be consistent with the decision. It’s unfortunate that the judge’s ruling today does not square with his vague April decision,” said Charlie Brereton, director of the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
Brereton said the agency was keeping the rule it issued last week in place and an agency spokesperson said the department is waiting to see the judge’s written order before considering its next steps.
ACLU attorney Malita Picasso expressed dismay with the agency’s stance and said officials should immediately start processing requests for birth certificate changes.
“It’s shocking that after this morning’s hearing the department would allege there was any lack of clarity in the court’s ruling from the bench,” Picasso said. “It was very clear that Judge Moses expressly required a reversion to the 2017 policy, and anything short of that is a continued flagrant violation of the court’s order.”
Such open defiance of judge’s order is very unusual from a government agency, said Carl Tobias, a former University of Montana Law School professor now at the University of Richmond. When officials disagree with a ruling, the typical response is to appeal to a higher court, he said.
“Appeal is what you contemplate — not that you can nullify a judge’s orders. Otherwise, people just wouldn’t obey the law,” Tobias said. “The system can’t work that way.”’
The move could leave state officials open to contempt of court charges, which in some cases can lead to jail time for offenders, Tobias said. He added that the attorneys representing the state were likely aware of the potential consequences but were “caught in the middle” between a recalcitrant agency and the judge.
The legal dispute comes as conservative lawmakers in numerous states have sought to restrict transgender rights, including with bans on transgender girls competing in girls school sports.
The Montana law said people had to have a “surgical procedure” before they could change the sex listed on their birth certificate, something Moses found to be unconstitutional because it did not specify what type of procedure was required.
Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration then created a new rule that blocked changes to birth certificates entirely, unless there was a clerical error.
Moses said during Thursday morning’s hearing that his April ruling had been “clear as a bell” and compared the state’s subsequent actions to a person twice convicted of assault who tries to change their name following a third accusation to avoid a harsher punishment.
“Isn’t that exactly what happened here?” Moses asked. “I’m a bit offended the department thinks they can do anything they want.”
One of the plaintiffs in the case, Amelia Marquez, said she was disgusted by the state’s response.
“We have people that think that they’re above the law and don’t have to listen to the judiciary branch of our government,” she said.
After learning the state planned to defy the court order, Shawn Reagor with the Montana Human Rights Network said the organization “will not stand by while the Gianforte administration blatantly disregards rulings from the courts to continue a vindictive attack on the trans community.”
Only Tennessee, Oklahoma and West Virginia have sweeping prohibitions against birth certificate changes similar to what Montana has pursued, advocates for transgender rights say. Bans in Idaho and Ohio were struck down in 2020.
A Republican lawmaker who voted in favor of the 2021 law suggested Moses was biased in favor of the plaintiffs in the case. Moses was appointed to the court by former Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat.
“Like clockwork, Judge Moses issued yet another predetermined order in favor of liberal plaintiffs without thoroughly engaging with the legal issues at hand,” Sen. Greg Hertz of Polson said in a statement.
The ACLU of Montana had asked Moses to clarify his order after the state health department enacted its new temporary rule effectively banning birth certificate changes a month after Moses handed down his temporary injunction in the case. That rule was made permanent last week.
The state argued the injunction did not prevent the health department from making rules, but Moses said under case law the injunction reinstated the 2017 rules and any other changes are on hold while the case is decided.
State officials denied that the new rule preventing birth certificate changes was adopted in bad faith. Montana Assistant Solicitor Kathleen Smithgall said the state came up with the new rule to fill a gap in regulations after the 2021 law was blocked.
“Judge Moses mischaracterized the words of his own order, the parties’ motives, and the state of the law,” said Kyler Nerison, a spokesperson for Attorney General Austin Knudsen.
New York to restrict gun carrying after Supreme Court ruling
NEW YORK (AP) — Amid the bright lights and electronic billboards across New York’s Times Square, city authorities are posting new signs proclaiming the bustling crossroads a “Gun Free Zone.”
The sprawling Manhattan tourist attraction is one of scores of “sensitive” places — including parks, churches and theaters — that will be off limits for guns under a sweeping new state law going into effect Thursday. The measure, passed after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June expanded gun rights, also sets stringent standards for issuing concealed carry permits.
New York is among a half-dozen states that had key provisions of its gun laws invalidated by the high court because of a requirement for applicants to prove they had “proper cause” for a permit. Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday that she and her fellow Democrats in the state Legislature took action the next week because the ruling “destroyed the ability for a governor to be able to protect her citizens from people who carry concealed weapons anywhere they choose.”
The quickly adopted law, however, has led to confusion and court challenges from gun owners who say it improperly limits their constitutional rights.
“They seem to be designed less towards addressing gun violence and more towards simply preventing people from getting guns — even if those people are law-abiding, upstanding citizens, who according to the Supreme Court have the rights to have them,” said Jonathan Corbett, a Brooklyn attorney and permit applicant who is one of several people challenging the law in court.
Under the law, applicants for a concealed carry permit will have to complete 16 hours of classroom training and two hours of live-fire exercises. Ordinary citizens would be prohibited from bringing guns to schools, churches, subways, theaters and amusement parks — among other places deemed “sensitive” by authorities.
Applicants also will have to provide a list of social media accounts for the past three years as part of a “character and conduct” review. The requirement was added because shooters have sometimes dropped hints of violence online before they opened fire on people.
Sheriffs in some upstate counties said the additional work for their investigators could add to existing backlogs in processing applications.
In Rochester, Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter said it currently takes two to four hours to perform a pistol permit background check on a “clean” candidate. He estimate the new law will add another one to three hours for each permit. The county has about 600 pending pistol permits.
“It’s going to slow everything down just a bit more,” he said.
In the Mohawk Valley, Fulton County Sheriff Richard C. Giardino had questions on how the digital sleuthing would proceed.
“It says three years worth of your social media. We’re not going to print out three years of social media posts by everybody. If you look at my Facebook, I send out six or 10 things a day,” said the sheriff, a former district attorney and judge.
The list of prohibited spaces for carrying guns has drawn criticism from advocates who say it’s so extensive it will make it difficult for people with permits to move about in public. People carrying a gun could go into private business only with permission, such as a sign posted on the window.
Giardino has already started giving out signs to local businesses saying people can carry legal firearms on the premises. Jennifer Elson, who owns the Let’s Twist Again Diner in Amsterdam, said she put up the sheriff’s sign, along with one of her own reading in part “per our governor, we have to post this nonsense. If you are a law abiding citizen who obtained a legal permit to carry, you are welcome here.”
“I feel pretty strongly that everybody’s constitutional rights should be protected,” she said.
But in Times Square, visited by about 50 million tourists annually, and many less crowded places carrying a gun will be illegal starting Thursday.
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said Tuesday she looked forward to seeing authorities move to “protect New Yorkers and visitors who frequent Times Square.”
One lawsuit challenging provisions of the law argued the rules make it hard for license holders to leave home without violating the law. A federal judge is expected to rule soon on a motion challenging multiple provisions of the law, which was filed on behalf of a Schenectady resident who holds a license to carry.
The Supreme Court ruling also led to a flurry of legislation in California to tighten rules on gun ownership, including a new law that could hold gun dealers and manufacturers responsible for any harm caused by anyone they have “reasonable cause to believe is at substantial risk” of using a gun illegally.
Earlier this month, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law a measure that would require gun permit applicants to undergo personal interviews with a licensing authority.
New Jersey required people to get training before receiving a permit and would require new residents to register guns brought in from out of state.
Hawaii, which has the nation’s lowest number of gun deaths, is still weighing its options. Since the Supreme Court’s ruling, the state has only granted one new gun permit.
While New York does not keep statewide data on pistol permit applications, there are reports of long lines at county clerks’ office and other evidence of a surge in applications before the law takes effect.
In the Mohawk Valley, Pine Tree Rifle Club President Paul Catucci said interest in the club’s volunteer-run safety courses “blew right up” late this summer.
“I had to turn hundreds of them away,” he said.
___
Maysoon Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Maysoon Khan on Twitter.
___
Hill and Khan contributed from Albany, New York.
California Fast Food Wages Would Be Set by Government Under Bill Passed by State Legislature
California’s Legislature passed a bill Monday to create a government panel that would set wages for an estimated half-million fast food workers in the state, a first-in-the-U.S. approach to workplace regulation that labor union backers hope will spread nationally.
The bill, known as the Fast Act, would establish a panel with members appointed by the governor and legislative leaders composed of workers, union representatives, employers and business advocates. They would set hourly wages of up to $22 for fast food workers starting next year and can increase them annually by the same rate as the consumer-price index, up to a maximum of 3.5%.
A previous version of the bill passed by the state Assembly in January also allowed the council to oversee workplace conditions such as scheduling and made restaurant chains joint employers of their franchise’s employers, potentially opening them to liability for labor violations.
Representatives for companies including
McDonald’s Corp.
,
Yum Brands Inc.
and
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.
succeeded in having those provisions removed in the state Senate via amendments over the past week, though they still oppose the bill.
“This is the biggest lobbying fight that the franchise sector has ever been in,” said
Matthew Haller,
president of the International Franchise Association, a trade group whose members own many fast food restaurants.
A University of California, Riverside School of Business study commissioned by the franchisee association found that setting minimum wages between $22 and $43 would generate a 60% increase in labor costs and raise fast-food prices by about 20%.
California’s current minimum wage is $15 and is set to increase by 50 cents on Jan. 1.
The final version of the Fast Act passed both houses of the Democratic-controlled state Legislature on Monday. In both the Assembly and the Senate, all of the “yes” votes came from Democrats and every Republican who voted opposed the bill.
Democratic Gov.
Gavin Newsom
now has until Sept. 30 to decide whether to sign or veto the bill.
Mr. Newsom hasn’t taken a public stance on the current version of the bill, but his Department of Finance opposed the original version.
Labor unions backing the measure have long struggled to organize fast food workers, in part because the industry’s franchise model means there are so many different employers.
California lawmakers first floated the bill last year, with proponents arguing that tighter regulations were needed to protect fast food workers, who are overwhelmingly Black or Latino and who they say experience unpaid overtime and other labor violations.
Despite the recent changes, proponents said the bill is still a significant step forward. Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, a former Democratic legislator who introduced the bill when she was in the Assembly, said it moves California closer to a labor model used in Europe where unions negotiate for wages and work conditions in an entire sector, rather than company-by-company.
“It’s still a big bold idea. And just the notion of giving workers a voice at the table will be fundamentally different for those workers,” said Ms. Gonzalez Fletcher, who now leads the California Labor Federation, the state’s largest union umbrella group.
The recent amendments call for the council to shut down in 2028 unless it is renewed, though inflation-adjusted wage increases for workers would continue.
The bill covers fast food restaurants that are part of a chain, that have limited or no table service and where customers order their food and pay before eating. The chain must have 100 or more locations nationally, up from 30 in a previous bill version.
California accounts for around 14% of total U.S. restaurant sales, and policy in the state tends to affect the rest of the sector, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. analysts wrote in a client note earlier this month.
Service Employees International Union President
Mary Kay Henry
said she hoped the bill would be a catalyst for similar movements across the country.
Investors have begun to ask about the act’s potential implications for restaurant chains at a time when companies are struggling with high food and labor costs, Wall Street analysts said.
“Obviously, we think it’s problematic on many, many fronts,” said
Paul Brown,
chief executive of Dunkin’ and Arby’s owner Inspire Brands Inc., in an interview. “I think it’s actually trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.”
Chipotle, Yum Brands, Chick-fil-A Inc., In-N-Out Burgers,
Jack in the Box Inc.,
and Burger King parent
Restaurant Brands International Inc.
have together spent more than $1 million to lobby lawmakers between 2021 and June 30 of this year, primarily on the Fast Act, state records show.
The International Franchise Association, which represents some 1,200 franchise brands, has spent $615,000 lobbying against the Fast Act and other legislation in that time.
Disclosures for lobbying spending since July 1 aren’t due until later this year, but industry advocacy against the bill has ramped up considerably during that time, people familiar with the effort said.
Labor unions have collectively spent more than $5 million to lobby the Legislature since the beginning of 2021, mostly on the Fast Act, state records show.
McDonald’s has encouraged franchisees around the country to email California lawmakers urging them to vote against the bill, according to a message viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
State Sen. Shannon Grove, a Republican, said on the Senate floor Monday that McDonald’s representatives told her that if the Fast Act becomes law, the company could stop expanding in California or leave altogether.
“Could we really survive without the golden arches?” Ms. Grove said.
Write to Heather Haddon at heather.haddon@wsj.com and Christine Mai-Duc at christine.maiduc@wsj.com
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