The Legislature is entering a critical stretch. With policy deadlines behind us, attention now turns to Appropriations and the May 14 suspense hearings—where bills with fiscal impact are either allowed to move forward or quietly held (and effectively done for the year).

For PORAC, this is where many of our top priorities—both offensive and defensive—will be decided.

What We’re Fighting For (Sponsor / Support)

• AB 1564 (Ahrens) – Confidential communications
• AB 2656 (Petrie-Norris) – AI notice requirements
• AB 1898 (Schultz) – Workplace AI tools
• AB 1902 (Pellerin) – Secure youth treatment facilities

Key Threats We’re Working to Stop

• AB 1537 (Bryan) – Secondary employment restrictions
• AB 1896 (González) – Public employment disqualifications
• AB 2318 (Elhawary) – Law enforcement: medical care mandates
• SB 938 (Menjivar) – Officer qualifications
• SB 1004 (Wiener) – Mask restrictions
• SB 1105 (Pérez) – Limits on federal coordination / task forces
• SB 1332 (Gonzalez) – Employment disqualification rules

Why This Matters

The suspense hearing is often the most decisive step in the process. Bills that don’t make it out rarely come back, making the next few weeks especially important for shaping what moves forward this year.

A few key dates ahead:

• May 15 – Deadline for fiscal committees to move bills out
• May 26 – Floor session only begins
• May 29 – Deadline for each house to pass its own bills
• June 2 – CA Primary Election
• June 15 – Budget must be passed by midnight