California Introduces more than 2,000 Bills for 2024

February 16 marked the introduction deadline for new bills for the California Legislature. More than 2,100 bills were introduced and now policy work begins as bills move through committees and are negotiated. Priorities for the legislature this year include artificial intelligence and retail theft.

The budget deficit will have significant impacts on bill proposals with new estimates suggesting a $73 billion deficit for the fiscal year. This is causing the administration and legislature to halt, delay or defer spending for critical programs while finding new sources of revenue for the state. The agriculture industry will see this firsthand as it fights for funding for important programs and negotiates the governor’s proposed mill tax, which could increase fees on pesticides. The January budget proposal opened the door for negotiations on funding for programs such as FARMER, SWEEP, and others. These programs will continue to be negotiated until the budget deadline of June 15.

Your Blue Diamond Government Affairs team is actively monitoring all legislation and working with industry associations on advocating for the best interest of our growers and cooperative.

Congress Passess Funding Bills, Avoids Shutdown

Early Saturday morning, March 23, the Senate passed a $1.2 trillion funding package to fund the government through September. This long-overdue action avoided a partial shutdown as funding expired March 22 at midnight. The bill went to President Biden who signed just hours later.

Congress had already passed funding bills for various departments including, including the Department of Agriculture, Energy, Veterans Affairs, and the Food and Drug Administration, earlier this month. The bills approved on Saturday reflect a much larger legislative package that includes funding for the Departments of Defense, Homeland security and State.

Legislators will be in recess until April 8.

Candidates head to May Runoff for McCarthy’s Seat

House Representative Kevin McCarthy resigned from his position representing California’s 20th congressional district at the end of 2023 leaving a year left in his term and an open seat for the upcoming 2024 election. McCarthy represented the district, which includes Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties, for 17 years.

Several candidates faced off in the primary election, held on March 5, for the full two-year term (2025 – 2026) and in the Special Election, held on March 19, for the remainder of McCarthy’s term, which ends in December.

The results for both elections saw Republicans Assemblymember Vince Fong and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux as the top two winners. The candidates will now compete in the special election runoff set for May 21, 2024 and the winner will complete the remainder of McCarthy’s term. Fong and Boudreaux will then face each other in November for the full two-year term to represent the district in Congress in 2025 and 2026.

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell’s Announces Retirement

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell who has served as the GOP leader since 2007, and is the longest serving leader in Senate history, announced that he will be stepping down from the position in November. Rep. McConnell plans to remain in the Senate until the end of his term in 2027, at which time he will retire. His replacement election will take place the same month.

The Senate will seek a new leader for the Republican party come November.

Join Blue Diamond at Ag Council’s Legislative Conference

The Agricultural Council of California will host their 2024 Legislative Conference for a day of advocacy at the State Capitol on May 7. The day will provide an opportunity to connect with legislators and regulatory officials to discuss the issues that impact you. Blue Diamond invites you to join us in participating in this important day!

The event will take place on May 7, 2024, starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento in the Capitol View room (1209 L St., Sacramento, CA 95814, 15th floor).

If you are interested in joining, please contact Beth Miller – Emiller@bdgrowers.com