Try owning a small business here in Kalifornia, our employees are treated like family, yet every year a new law comes into effect that actually hurts our employees. Workers Comp. is out of control, costs me more in premiums which takes away money for our employees for health care, vacations etc. I could go on and on and on.............
* ACCOUNTING REFORMS: The Senate has approved an Enron-inspired bill that would bar auditors from also doing consulting work for their clients, but a similar measure died in the Assembly in May. Another Senate approved bill would authorize fines of up to $100,000 for company officers who fail to report corporate fraud.
* BASEBALL: A bill moving through the Assembly would require professional athletic teams to test their players for performance-enhancing drugs. The measure by Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland, was prompted by reports of widespread steroid use in baseball.
* DEATH PENALTY: A bill by Assemblywoman Dion Aroner, D-Berkeley, would carry out a U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring executions of mentally retarded murder defendants. It's awaiting action in the Senate.
* EDUCATION: Bills to tighten controls on charter schools, authorize voucher payments that could help students attend private schools, make it easier for gifted students to attend college early and require that students be taught about proper nutrition are all awaiting action.
* ELECTIONS: California's primary election date may be moving again. Critics say the March primary is too early to attract many voters. Sen. Ross Johnson, R-Irvine, has a bill that would move the election to June for state and congressional candidates. The presidential primary would remain in March.
* GUN CONTROL: Perata has a constitutional amendment that would put a five-cent tax on each bullet sold in California to raise money for hospital emergency rooms. Perata is also one of the authors of twin bills that would allow gun manufacturers to be sued for damage caused by their weapons.
* HIGH-SPEED RAIL: A bill by Sen. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, would authorize the sale of $9 billion in state bonds to begin construction of a high-speed rail system linking California's major cities. It's in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
* HOUSING: Bills to spur development of small backyard rental units known as ''granny flats,'' warn residents that unpaid homeowner association dues could lead to foreclosure, fine cities that shirk their share of affordable housing and require landlords to pay tenants interest on their security deposits are awaiting votes. Also on lawmakers' agendas are bills to fight homelessness and require new or remodeled houses with swimming pools to have safety features to prevent children from drowning.
* OPEN GOVERNMENT: A constitutional amendment to bolster the public's access to government meetings and records has passed the Senate and is awaiting action by the Assembly.
* SMOKING: A bill that would raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21 is moving through the Senate. Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, says his proposal would make it tougher for minors to get cigarettes.
* TAXES: A hotly debated plan to share local sales-tax revenue among cities and counties in the Sacramento area faces a crucial vote in the Senate Local Government Committee. Supporters see the plan as a potential model for equalizing funding between older and newer communities and to stem urban sprawl. A bill by Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, D-Culver City, would offer tax breaks to movie companies that do production work in California.
* TELEPHONE PROFITS: A bill by Assemblyman Rod Wright, D-Los Angeles, would suspend rules requiring California's two largest telephone companies to share part of their profits with their customers. It's awaiting action by the Senate.
* WORKERS: California could be the first state to allow workers to take paid leaves from their jobs to care for a new child or seriously ill family member if the Assembly approves a bill by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica. Other job-related bills would tie the state minimum wage to increases in inflation, authorize binding arbitration of farm labor disputes and require companies that offer severance pay for managers to also provide it for hourly employees.