Three Urgent Issues in CA

California is off to a troubling start regarding overly restrictive tax and privacy legislation in 2018.

• First, the "California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018," a proposed ballot initiative, has the potential to dramatically change how consumer information is collected and shared. If the initiative makes it onto the November ballot (highly likely), Californians will be voting on whether to greatly expand the definition of personal information to include web browsing history, biometric information, etc.; implement penalties of upwards of $1,000 per violation, per person on companies that suffer a data breach, regardless of fault; and institute other overly restrictive provisions.
• Second, AB 375, the California Broadband Internet Privacy Act, remains a threat. Although our industry won a major victory last year when the bill was moved to the “inactive file,” it could now be moved forward in the legislature at any time. We believe that, once this occurs, it will be very difficult to stop the bill.
• Third, SB 993, introduced by the former Speaker of the California Assembly, Senator Bob Hertzberg, would expand service taxes to target high-end services such as those provided by lawyers and accountants for corporations and other high-income businesses. Advertising likely would be within the scope of this bill and subject to new taxation.

ANA will oppose all three of these major threats in California.

These and other pressing issues will be discussed at the ANA Advertising Law and Public Policy Conference, March 15-16 in Washington, D.C.