BILLS RELATING TO, OR OF INTEREST TO, THE TAX PROFESSION

AB 37 (Jones-Sawyer) Personal income taxes: deductions: business expenses: commercial cannabis activity. Clarifies that the federal disallowance of tax expenditures regarding the illegal sale of drugs does not apply under state Personal Income Tax for businesses engaged in licensed cannabis activities. Status: Signed into law

AB 133 (Quirk-Silva) Property tax postponement. Modifies the existing $35,500 income eligibility threshold for the Property Tax Postponement Program by making it the greater of either $45,000 or the definition of “low income” for a two-person household.
Status: Signed into law

AB 136 (Quirk-Silva) Personal Income Tax Law: deductions: charitable contributions. Prohibits taxpayers found guilty in the recent college admissions scandal from benefiting from illegal income tax charitable contribution or business expense deductions.
Status: Signed into law

AB 308 (Muratsuchi). Taxation: corporations: minimum franchise tax: limited liability companies. Reinstates, until tax year 2028, the minimum franchise tax and the annual tax exemption for a limited liability company or corporation solely owned by a deployed member of the Armed Forces.
Status: Signed into law 

AB 357 (Nazarian). Taxation: tax liability: collections. Provides that for each tax liability due and payable for a particular taxable year, the date upon which the 20-year statute of limitation period commences is the date that the tax liability was first assessed.
Status: Vetoed; find the veto message here.

AB 1181 (Limón). Charitable organizations. Beginning January 1, 2021, this bill requires a charitable organization receiving a noncash pharmaceutical drug, nonprescription drug, medication, medical device, or medical supply contribution with donor restrictions such that it cannot be used in the United States, to value that contribution using the fair value of the end recipient market or a reasonable estimate if the market value cannot be ascertained following a reasonable inquiry.
Status: Vetoed; find the veto message here.

AB 1521 (Low). Accountancy: California Board of Accountancy. This bill extends by four years, to January 1, 2024, the sunset date of the California Board of Accountancy and its authorization to designate an executive officer; revises the Board's authority related to reviewing administrative action by federal or foreign governments for purposes of licensure; sets the biennial renewal fee at $250 and raises the biennial renewal fee cap to $280; and, makes other technical and clarifying changes.
Status: Signed into law

AB 736 (Irwin). Taxation: savings plans: qualified ABLE program. Allows for amounts from a 529 education savings account to be rolled over to an Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) account without penalty; conforms to federal law.
Status: Did not pass

AB 872 (Aguiar-Curry). Property taxation: change in ownership: parent to child transfer: stock. This bill allows for the parent-to-child change in ownership exclusion to apply in an instance when there is transfer of stock in a qualified corporation occurring between January 1, 2014, and January 1, 2020. This exclusion applies to a narrow instance meeting only certain requirements.
Status: Signed into law

SB 294 (Hill). Property taxation: welfare exemption: low income housing. Increases the welfare exemption cap from $20 million to $100 million in assessed value and decreases the minimum occupancy threshold from 90% to 50% that applies to certain low-income rental housing owned and operated by a non-profit organization that does not receive government financing or tax credits.
Status: Vetoed; read the veto message here.

SB 196 (Beall). Property taxes: community land trust. Enacts a new welfare exemption from property tax for property owned by a Community Land Trust and makes other changes regarding property tax assessments of property subject to contracts with CLTs.
Status: Signed into law

SB 349 (Portantino). Minimum franchise tax. Reduces the minimum franchise tax, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, based on the gross receipts of the corporation, as specified in the bill.
Status: Vetoed; read the veto message here. 

SB 364 (Stone). Property taxation: senior and disabled veterans. Eliminates the annual maximum 2% inflation adjustment applied to the assessed value of a home owned by a veteran who is age 65 or older and whose income does not exceed certain income limits. Requires the State Board of Equalization to, on an annual basis beginning January 1, 2021, and until January 1, 2031, review the effectiveness of these tax benefits and to submit a report to the Legislature.
Status: Did not pass

SB 663 (Jones). Property taxation: exemptions: veterans’ organizations. Expands the property tax "veterans' organization" exemption by removing the restriction on fraternal, lodge, or social club uses of veterans' organization-owned property, excluding the bar area.
Status: Did not pass