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Legislators returned from their monthlong summer recess on Monday and will shift into high gear before the Aug. 31 adjournment of the 2026 session.

‘Legislative limbo’

That’s where the Americans for Tort Reform Association (ATRA) placed California in its 2026 Legislative HeatCheck report, released recently.

The report singled out Senate Bill 84, a measure NFIB lobbied heavily for, helping drive its Senate passage before it was effectively killed in the Assembly.

According to the report, “A bipartisan effort to address predatory lawsuits that abuse the Americans with Disabilities Act was killed in favor of moving along a problematic bill that ATRA says purports to address the issue but could ultimately make the problem worse.”

SB 84 would have required someone suing a small business over a technical accessibility violation to give the business detailed notice and 120 days to fix the problem before facing statutory damages, attorney’s fees and court costs. It passed the Senate on June 4, 2025, but sat in the Assembly for more than a year before dying earlier this month when it failed to meet a procedural deadline.

“It is incredibly disheartening that the Assembly killed SB 84, which would have properly addressed the abusive litigation that California small businesses face due to trial lawyers who take advantage of loopholes in the law to pad their own pockets,” said ATRA Vice President Lauren Sheets Jarrell.

No land of opportunity here

Also out last week: the annual Best States Rankings from U.S. News & World Report. California ranked 35th overall, and among eight categories placed 50th in “Opportunity” and 44th in “Fiscal Responsibility.”

Congratulations, Fresno

In its July 28 edition, The Sacramento Bee asked what California’s best city for small business owners is. The answer: Fresno.

GoDaddy’s Small Business Research Lab ranked the most entrepreneurial U.S. cities by how much they boost the job market and economy. Fresno was the only California city to make the top 10, landing in sixth place.

For more than 80 years, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has advocated for America’s small and independent business owners in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943, NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, member-driven association.