The legislation to prohibit clients from requiring design professionals to pay their legal bills when the design professional is not at fault has passed its first hearing in the Legislature.
SB 885, by State Senator Lois Wolk (D – Davis) and sponsored by our friends at the American Council of Engineering Companies of California (ACEC-CA), passed the State Senate Judiciary Committee last week on a 6-0 vote.
SB 885 was amended in the Committee, however, which limits the effectiveness of the bill. These amendments were necessary to get SB 885 out of the Committee and onto the Senate Floor. The AIACC agreed with the decision to accept the amendments and keep SB 885 alive, and will support ACEC-CA as it works to “enhance the current language,” as stated in communication to their members. SB 885 is a work in progress, and much work remains to enhance the language and move it through the Legislature.
If you would like to watch the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on SB 885, please click here. The hearing lasted 34 minutes.
If you would like to read the Senate Judiciary Committee analysis on SB 885, which includes the amended language, click here.
Many AIA Members responded to our call-to-action by writing letters to the author of SB 885, Sen. Wolk, or if they were constituents, to the Senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
We were copied on more than 100 letters sent to Sen. Wolk thanking her for introducing SB 885 and stating support.
Additionally, our call-to-action asking AIA Members who are constituents of the 7 State Senators who comprise the Senate Judiciary Committee to send messages in support of SB 885 generated over 270 messages being sent.
More work needs to be done. Both here in Sacramento working on the language in SB 885, and by AIA Members and their design professional colleagues through grassroots action urging their Senators to vote for SB 885 when it is heard on the Senate Floor in the coming weeks. You will receive an email from us next week asking you to communicate with your State Senator.
Please feel free to call or email AIACC Director of Legislative Affairs Mark Christian, Hon. AIACC at 916-642-1708 or mchristian@aiacc.org if you have any questions.
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