#CALeg: California Legislative Tech & Innovation Caucus Names Priority Bills
On May 5, the California Legislative Technology and Innovation Caucus announced its priority bills for this session. The bills are listed below. *
California residents: follow the POPVOX links to find out more and weigh in on the bills. Your input will be registered on POPVOX and sent to your California lawmakers.
CA Legislative Technology & Innovation Caucus — 2016 Priority Legislation:
SB 1137 (Senator Hertzberg) Ransomware: would make it a crime to infect computers, computer systems or networks with ransomware. A person who knowingly introduces “ransomware,” as defined, into any computer, computer system, or computer network will be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail, or state prison under specified circumstances, for two, three, or four years, and a fine not exceeding $10,000.
AB 2713 (Assemblymember Chiu) Energy Storage: would require cities and counties to accept electronic submissions of permit applications for advanced energy storage installations, and creates a California Energy Storage Permitting Guidebook.
SB 438 (Senator Hill) Funding for Earthquake Early Warning System: will start funding a statewide earthquake early warning system to help save lives and protect the public before temblors strike. SB 438 will remove the prohibition in current law that restricts the use of General Funds for the warning system. The bill will also appropriate $23.1 million to install the needed seismic sensors to implement the telecommunications technology.
AB 2544 (Assemblymember Allen & Assemblymember Quirk) Qualified Investment Partnerships: Small investors in California cannot form “Qualified Investment Partnerships” to invest in California startups due to the state’s high annual filing fees, which leads to lost opportunities and lost jobs. AB 2544 would clearly define Qualified Investment Partnerships in California state law and add language to the Revenue and Taxation Code that allows such partnerships to certify that they are formed exclusively for the purpose of acquiring and holding title to intangible personal property and/or debts in a single other business and turning over the amount of income to its members.
AB 1743 (Assemblymember Dababneh) Digital Modernization Act: would modernize California’s Automobile Sales Finance Act and the California Vehicle Leasing Act by allowing consumers to purchase or lease a vehicle with an electronic signature. AB 1743 would improve the car buying process for consumers while also resolving the legal uncertainty surrounding the use of these electronic contracts and signature. All existing consumer protections in statute for both the automobile sales and lease contracts will be maintained.
AB 2334 (Assemblymember Mullin) Alternative Energy Financing: increases the annual award cap of the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Authority (CAEATFA) sales and use tax exclusion from $100 million to $350 million. AB 2334 will increase the ability of CAEATFA to incentivize California based jobs and manufacturing while promoting clean technology and reducing pollution and energy consumption.
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*POPVOX does not endorse or oppose any legislation. We highlight various bills to help your navigate the legislative process and share your input (supporting or opposing) with your lawmakers. Got a bill that should be featured? Let us know!
