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Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday enacting a new tax on lumber sales and restricting legal damages for wildfires.

The bill, AB 1492, was pushed through after midnight on the last day of the legislative session. Because it needed two-thirds support in the Legislature, Brown and his aides had to twist arms to secure Republican votes.

“This legislation enacts serious bipartisan reform to even the playing field to protect California’s timber-industry jobs,” Brown said in a statement.

Previously, oversight of California’s vast timber industry was funded with fees on companies in the state. The bill shifts the costs to consumers by placing a 1% tax on lumber sales.

California timber companies supported the change because it eliminates a financial advantage for out-of-state operations, which didn’t need to pay the fee.

From The Los Angeles Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/09/california-timber-industry.html