BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – Sen. Melissa Hurtado’s legislative package aiming to boost tax protections has advanced through the California State Senate and is now headed to the State Assembly for consideration.

The package, dubbed the 2026 Valley Taxpayers Protection Plan, focuses on lowering tax costs for valley families, strengthening public safety, supporting economic growth in the Central Valley and “approving government accountability and transparency.”

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The bill passed through the State Senate as the House of Origin deadline loomed on May 29, meaning Friday marks the final day that full State Senate or Assembly bills can pass bills from their representative chambers. Bills that fall to meet the deadline for the 2026 session are considered “dead” for the remainder of the legislative year.

In a press release on Friday, Hurtado said families in the Central Valley deserve “a government that puts people before special interests.”

“By protecting taxpayers, rooting out corruption, and eliminating waste, we can lower costs, strengthen trust in government, and make everyday life more affordable for working families,” Hurtado said.

The Protection Plan is a legislative package, meaning there are several bills bundled together under one agenda item.

Pillars of the package include “Creating Jobs and Investments in the Central Valley,” “Protecting Central Valley Families and Communities” and “Safeguarding Central Valley Tax Dollars through Oversight.”

Within those three pillars, there are about 10 individual bills that all touch on protecting taxpayers in various capacities and improving the state’s transparency with taxes.

Some of the bills include legislation that would target artificial intelligence being used to drive up costs, making homes more efficient and resilient, supporting rural airports with modernizing infrastructure, working to extend tax filing deadlines for families and cracking down on “often-secret” fees associated with tax consulting.

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