May 2026 – Appropriations & Legislative Updates

May 15 was the final day for fiscal committees to consider bills introduced in the House where they started. Bills with a price tag over $50,000 had to make it off the Appropriations’ suspense file, where bills that would cost money to implement are routinely rejected, especially in a difficult budget year. SBC and Sierra Consortium priority legislation — including AB 1699 (which would indefinitely extend the Prescribed Fire Liability Program), SB 1250 (which would require Caltrans to include goals for wildlife connectivity in its asset management plan), and SB 1394 (which would improve reporting on 30×30 goals) — all made it out of Appropriations and will now be voted on on the floor. Other bills, like AB 2508 (which would cut funding for energy efficiency programs and threaten these programs in the Sierra Nevada), that SBC opposed, did not make it off the suspense file and will not move to their second house.

In early May, we commented on the recently proposed changes from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to the Cap and Invest program, California’s landmark climate policy that requires certain large companies to buy permits to emit greenhouse gases. Sierra Business Council is urging the state to stay on track toward a greener, more resilient economy, rather than backing off to chase uncertain short-term cost relief. On May 4, 2026, we submitted this letter to the California Air Resources Board to express our concerns with these proposed changes. We should have an update on these proceedings over the next couple of days.

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