GOP legislators aim to cut red tape, lawsuits to boost California job growth

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GOP legislators aim to cut red tape, lawsuits to boost California job growth
Buzz up!By Susan Ferriss
sferriss@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 - 12:44 pm

California legislative Republicans said Wednesday they'll be rolling out their own bills over the next several weeks to try to spur private-sector job growth by cutting regulations on businesses and trying to reduce lawsuits.

Members of the minority party gathered on the Capitol steps with Senate GOP leader Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murietta, who said Republicans will introduce some new bills and revive others they've tried "for years and for years" to get approved.

"The answer isn't more government," Hollingsworth said, "and it isn't more government spending and it certainly isn't more taxes and more regulations on California's businesses and workers."

Hollingsworth said the GOP will focus on pushing reforms aimed at "invigorating our small-business climate" by getting rid of a "morass of bureaucratic red tape" and "frivolous lawsuits that hold up construction projects and expansion of businesses."

The GOP gathering came a day after Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, unveiled Democratic ideas for job creation that include directing various existing government funds into "green job" growth in renewable energy and to link student technical training to new jobs.

Steinberg also said he wants legislators to try to spur employment by swiftly authorizing the spending of various federal pools of money and state bonds for school construction and other works.

Hollingsworth said the GOP could work well with Democrats on one additional Democratic idea they liked: a bill to set up "one-stop" permitting with the cooperation of California environmental officials so entrepreneurs can more quickly obtain permits they need to start an enterprise.

State Assembly GOP leader Martin Garrick said free-market jobs should be a priority, not jobs created by government spending.

Garrick said he plans to introduce a proposal to require a "third party," such as the legislative analyst's office, to analyze bills and gauge what job losses they might cause if enacted.

Garrick said he also will propose an obligatory ratification of any bill containing new regulations once that bill is put on paper in its final form. The intent would be to make sure that the final language doesn't impose more regulations than originally advertised.

Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, who was also at the event, said he has introduced a bill to require the state auditor to review existing regulations and recommend eliminating those that are too costly and unnecessary. The bill would also require that regulations sunset after 10 years unless they are declared necessary.

Another Dutton bill, he said, would require the legislative analyst's office to review regulations imposed by the California Air Resources Board that cost $10 million or more. The purpose of the review would be to judge a regulation's impact on employment and whether it would cause job losses. © Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.