(Sacramento) - Following three hours of debate Wednesday evening, by a 45-30 vote, the Assembly fell nine votes short of the two-thirds threshold necessary to pass AB 9xxx, a bill that would close Big Oil tax loopholes to mitigate statewide teacher layoffs because Assembly Republicans refused to support the measure.

Assemblymember Jared Huffman during the floor debate said "Californians pride ourselves in leading the nation and the world when it comes to protecting the environment and fighting global warming. But we have a dirty little secret in California: we appear to be the only government in the world which does not collect taxes or royalties on oil production.

For all of our cheap talk about the environmental leadership, California has been a cheap date for Big Oil.

We've allowed the industry to soak up billions in tax breaks, government funding, and indirect subsidies that pay for oil-related environmental damage."

"Enough is enough. It's time to close these loopholes and stop subsidizing an industry that doesn't need more money ... but does need to clean up its act for both consumers and the environment."

AB 9xxx would have set a 6 percent severance tax on oil extracted in California. The revenue would have been used to mitigate teacher layoffs from the Governor's proposed cuts. AB 9xxx also responded to overall petroleum industry profiteering by placing a 2 percent windfall profits tax on oil companies. It had 43 Democratic co-authors.