Bill
AB 949
Creates the Small Business Retail Theft Solutions Grant Program to help California small retailers prevent and recover from theft, funded only by future appropriations.
Overview
AB 949 proposes to create a new grant program within the Office of the Small Business Advocate (OSBA) to help California small businesses prevent and recover from retail theft. The program would be established in the Government Code and would operate only if the Legislature provides funding.
Purpose and intent
- Primary goal: expand small businesses’ capacity to prevent and recover from retail theft.
- Aligns with the OSBA’s broader mission to support small businesses in California by providing targeted assistance and resources.
Key provisions
- Establishment: Creates the Small Business Retail Theft Solutions Grant Program within the Office of the Small Business Advocate (Article 8, Section 12100.70).
- Purpose: Program is specifically to assist small businesses in preventing and recovering from retail theft.
- Implementation and coordination: The OSBA must consult with local, regional, federal, and other state public and private entities that share a mission to support small businesses.
- Funding and grants: Once the Legislature appropriates funds for the program, the OSBA would administer grants to small businesses to expand their capacity to prevent and recover from retail theft.
- No current appropriation: The bill specifies that grants are contingent on future appropriation; there is no standing funding provided in the introduced text.
Administration and affected parties
- Administrator: Office of the Small Business Advocate (within GO-Biz, as part of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development).
- Affected parties: California small businesses seeking to improve loss prevention, recovery from theft, and related operational capabilities; potential collaboration with small business technical assistance centers and other support entities.
Funding and fiscal notes
- Appropriation: The bill is not an automatic funding bill; it requires legislative appropriation to implement.
- Digest indicators: Vote: Majority; Appropriation: No; Fiscal Committee: Yes; Local Program: No.
Procedural timeline and status
- Introduced: February 20, 2025.
- Legislative actions leading up to May 2025 show: referral to committees, hearings and a Do Pass/re-refer to APPR, followed by consideration in Appropriations; as of May 23, 2025, the bill is "In committee: Held under submission."
- Current status: In committee with ongoing consideration; no final floor action yet.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Positive impact if funded: provides a formal mechanism to help small retailers reduce theft-related losses and support recovery efforts.
- Unknowns without funding: grant amounts, eligibility criteria, grant cycles, reporting requirements, and performance metrics would depend on future appropriations and implementing regulations.
- Coordination: success would hinge on effective collaboration with local/state/federal partners and relevant private sector entities.
Next steps
- Monitor committee action and any amendments clarifying grant details (amounts, eligibility, application process) and any anticipated funding authorization.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
