A California bill aiming to ban confidentiality agreements when negotiating legislation fails

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A measure that sought to prohibition the usage of confidentiality agreements erstwhile negotiating imaginable laws successful California has failed to walk a authorities legislative committee.

The connection by Republican Assemblymember Vince Fong failed to get capable votes to walk retired of the Assembly Elections Committee connected Thursday. Two Republicans voted for the measure portion Democratic Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, the committee chair, voted against it.

Five different Democrats connected the committee did not vote.

The authorities was inspired by past year's negotiations implicit a measure that mandated a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers. The bill, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law, includes an objection for restaurants that nutrient their ain breadstuff and merchantability it arsenic a standalone paper item.

It's not wide wherefore that objection was included. The objection was besides included successful akin authorities that passed the twelvemonth before.

Bloomberg News reported the objection was meant to payment 1 of Newsom's affluent run donors who owns Panera Bread restaurants. Newsom and the donor, Greg Flynn, denied the story. The Newsom medication said the exemption does not use to Panera Bread restaurants. Flynn besides pledged to wage his workers $20 an hr opening April 1.

Labor unions and manufacture groups representing California restaurants met privately past summertime to sermon the measure earlier coming to an agreement. The parties signed a nondisclosure agreement, which KCRA archetypal reported.

Fong criticized that agreement. He introduced a measure that would void immoderate nondisclosure statement relating to the drafting, negotiation, treatment oregon instauration of legislation. The measure would person besides banned nationalist officials from signing these agreements oregon asking 3rd parties to motion them.

“Nondisclosure agreements surely person their spot to support businesses' proprietary and fiscal information. But they should not beryllium utilized successful the crafting and negotiating laws that impact the regular lives of our constituents,” Fong said. “The nationalist already has a mediocre cognition of the legislative process. Allowing the usage of NDAs volition further erode and corrode their spot successful government.”

Pellerin, the Democratic seat of the committee, noted determination has been nary grounds that nationalist officials person signed confidentiality agreements related to legislative negotiations.

“The crux of what this measure seeks to code are conversations betwixt backstage parties, not legislative negotiations involving nationalist officials,” she said. “That's a analyzable issue.”

Pellerin said the contented was truthful analyzable that lawmakers did not person capable clip to afloat see it. Fong introduced the measure past week. The committee held a peculiar proceeding Thursday to see it earlier a legislative deadline connected Friday.

Fong, who has been a predominant professional of however rapidly Democrats often o.k. legislation, noted the Legislature often moves accelerated for precedence bills. He noted that conscionable earlier Thursday's hearing, Democrats successful the authorities Assembly — including Pellerin — voted to amend a measure to let Arizona doctors to travel to California and supply abortions for their patients.

“I conscionable would respectfully inquire that this bill, with the value of preserving the lawmaking process of this institution, would beryllium allowed to determination guardant to preserve, you know, what the radical expect america to bash erstwhile we enactment connected their behalf,” Fong said.