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Assembly committee hears AB 814 to exempt law enforcement pensions from state income tax; bill sent to suspense file
Summary
Supporters, including law enforcement organizations, said AB 814 aims to retain retired peace officers in California by exempting their pensions from state income tax. The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation referred the bill to its suspense file for further fiscal review.
Assemblymember Michelle Schiavo introduced AB 814 on behalf of law enforcement personnel, saying the bill would exempt law enforcement pensions from California state income tax to help retain and recruit peace officers.
In the hearing, Schiavo said CalPERS data showed “out of 107 total law enforcement retirees, over 27,000 live outside of California,” a figure she characterized as a loss to local communities and economies. She described law enforcement as a difficult career with significant mental and physical demands and said tax relief could encourage retirees to remain in California.
Ryan Sherman of the California Narcotic Officers Association testified in support and read a list of local police and sheriff associations backing the measure. Sherman said AB 814 would “support the retention of retired peace officers in California” and argued the change would keep spending and civic contributions within the state. Jonathan Feldman, who stated his affiliation with the California Police Chiefs Association in later testimony during the same hearing, told the committee he also supports the bill and noted his organization’s late-filed position letter expressing strong support.
No witnesses registered opposition during the hearing. Committee Chair Gibson announced that, because the panel has instituted a suspense-file procedure for bills with estimated fiscal impacts of plus or minus $150,000, AB 814 would be referred to the committee’s suspense file for holistic fiscal review.
The referral means there was no committee vote on the bill at this hearing; members did not take a final action beyond sending AB 814 to the suspense file.
The committee’s opening instructions reminded advocates to file position letters at least one week before hearings so organizational positions can be reflected in bill analyses.
AB 814 will return for further consideration after the committee’s suspense-file review.
