International trade: tariffs: impact study.

Senator Gonzalez, joined by a principal coauthor and several colleagues, foregrounds a targeted, time-limited inquiry into how increases in tariffs and reciprocal tariffs affect California’s international trade and the way the state supports its small-business exporters and importers. The measure directs GO-Biz to lead the study in consultation with the Department of Finance and the Transportation Agency, and to convene the California Freight Advisory Committee to discuss the study’s scope.

The bill establishes a formal, interagency process: GO-Biz initiates the study and, within one calendar quarter, the Freight Advisory Committee must convene to discuss its scope; the study must describe the analysis and methodologies used; and by January 1, 2029, GO-Biz must submit the study and related materials to the Legislature, in compliance with public-disclosure requirements. A sunset provision ends the obligation on January 1, 2031. The analysis may consider six areas, including California’s economic output, employment (direct and indirect), affordability of goods for consumers, state and local tax revenues, revenues and financing for ports and related facilities, and sector-specific impacts on manufacturing and agriculture.

The flow of information and oversight emphasizes coordination among GO-Biz, the Department of Finance, and the Transportation Agency, with the Freight Advisory Committee serving as a formal venue for scope input. The bill does not create an appropriation but requires GO-Biz to provide resources to support international trade activities for California small businesses as part of the study’s scope. The instrument is a temporary, information-gathering mandate that could inform future policy discussions or regulatory action, while relying on existing statutory bodies and reporting standards for its execution.