Legislators Taking Another Shot At Bills Vetoed By Governor Jerry Brown
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The next legislative session begins January 7th, but lawmakers are already re-introducing bills vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown with hopes that Governor-elect Gavin Newsom will sign them.
So far, at least four bills have been re-introduced but some say it's too early to know what their chances are with the incoming governor.
A new governor typically means a new day in the state capitol.
"Those who wanted a bill passed and it didn't get signed you can guarantee are going to reintroduce those pieces of legislation again," said CBS13 analyst Gary Dietrich.
Take the diaper tax for example. Lawmakers have been trying to get rid of the sales tax for some time now. A bill that would have done just that was vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2016. Now a new bill that would make diapers size 3 and under exempt from sales or use tax is back on the table.
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"It's not uncommon at all for a new governor to sign legislation that once was actually defeated before," Dietrich said.
That's why other bills that Governor Brown rejected are now being reintroduced by lawmakers throughout the state.
"The reintroduction process speeds along because it's already gone both houses once and then again it hits the governor's desk," Dietrich said.
Some of those bills include a sales tax exemption on tampons, a bill that would extend last call and one that would ban smoking at state beaches and parks.
"The average observer says that Gavin Newsom is decidedly a step to the left [from] Jerry Brown now people in this country find that hard to believe. But typically that's where Gavin has been, so it's going to be interesting to see," Dietrich said.
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Dietrich added that none of that is a guarantee that Newsom will sign bills Brown rejected.
"The governor is where the buck stops and when they find themselves balancing budgets and having to sign or veto legislation, often times there's a reality check that sets in that wasn't there before," he said.
He added that ultimately no one knows where Newsom stands until he begins to lay out his vision. Something we can expect during the State of the State Address.
"He will for the first time say this is where I see myself taking the state that is where we're going to have a lot of clues about okay this is the real Gavin Newsom."
