Senate Standing Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development

Roth. Here. Roth? Here. Nguyen Alvarado-Gil. Alvardo-Gil. Here. Archuletta. Here. Archuletta? Here. Ashby. Ashby? Here. Becker. Dodd, Eggman, Glazer. Niello. Here. Niello? Here. Smallwood Cuevas? Here. Smallwood Cuevas? Here. Wahab? Here. Wahab? Here. Wilk? Wilk? Here.

We have a quorum. First order of business is the adoption of the committee rules. Without objection, the committee rules are adopted. We'll now move consideration of Assembly Bill 269. Welcome Assembly Member Berman.

Thank you, Chair and senators, including some who I haven't met yet in person. So I'm looking forward to getting to know some new senators. AB 269 is an urgency measure that would codify two waivers that have been in place during the COVID-19 state of emergency. When the governor announced that this emergency will be terminated at the end of this month, he requested the statutory changes in this bill to prevent these two important waivers from expiring. First, the bill will continue to allow any laboratory profession who meets federal standards to analyze COVID tests as they have been allowed to since the start of the pandemic. I have formally committed to adding a five year sunset date to those provisions of the bill through another vehicle sometime later this session, which has removed all opposition to this bill. Second, the bill will allow the Department of Public Health's test to treat program to continue for an additional year by allowing for doctors and nurses to store and dispense COVID therapeutics at approved sites in low access communities. While the formal state of emergency may be ending, we know that testing and treatment for COVID-19 will remain absolutely critical. I respectfully request your I vote on this urgent legislation. And with me today is Maral Farsi with the Department of Public Health to answer any technical questions that folks might have.

Thank you, sir. I guess we can now move to any witnesses in support of the bill in the hearing room.

Good afternoon. Mike Robson here on behalf of Quest Diagnostics. Quest Diagnostics is currently still doing about 20% of their testing is still being done by people who are who are operating under this waiver. And if the waiver was not allowed to be extended via statute, we'd really have problem meeting ongoing COVID testing demand, which would then impact other testing that Quest offers to the public and appreciate Senator Berman doing this bill and look forward to your support.

Thank you, sir. Let's move to any other witnesses here in room 2100 who would like to testify in support of this measure.

Hi. Thank you so much. Kristian Foy, on behalf of the California Clinical Laboratory Association, and we just wanted to thank the assembly member for bringing this important bill forward and want to ask for your support. Thank you so much.

Thank you, ma'am. Any other witnesses here in room 2100 who would like to testify in support of Assembly Bill 269? Yes, ma'am.

Good afternoon. Norlyn Asprec on behalf of CHEAC, the County Health Executives Association of California, we represent all the public health departments in the state and we're supportive of AB 269. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other witnesses in room 2100 who wish to testify in support of Assembly Bill 269? Let's now move to any witnesses in opposition to Assembly Bill 269. Any witnesses in the hearing room wish to testify in opposition to this measure? Okay, let's move to witnesses waiting to testify via the teleconference service moderator. If you would please prompt the individuals waiting to testify, if any, in support or opposition to Assembly Bill 269, we will begin.

Thank you. Mr. Chair and ladies and gentlemen, if you would like to speak in support or opposition of AB 269, you may press one and then zero at this time. Once again, if you wish to speak in support or opposition of AB 269, you may press one and then zero at this time. Our first comment comes from line 30. Line 30, your line is open. Please go ahead.

Good afternoon. Isabella Argueta with the Health Officers Association of California in support. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, please.

Line 32, your line is open. Please go ahead.

Hi, I would like to respectfully ask that you follow the process and give me a minute or two to speak. Because you didn't allow a witness in opposition, and typically that's part of your process. I opposed this bill. The SARS COVID has never been isolated. The diagnostic tool was never meant the COVID test was never meant to be a diagnostic tool. And as this information comes out to the public more clearly, for instance, from Steve Kirsch and his most recent substance reading, isn't it a shame that none of the world's governments publicly make vaccination death records available? My claim is that if they did that, it would end the debate instantly and prove to the world that the vaccines are unsafe, so that's why they keep it locked up. But apparently there's one whistleblower who is interested in data transparency. And I could continue reading and I understand that this bill is about testing, but the truth of the matter is this virus has never been isolated and the testing mechanism has never been even per the inventor of the test. It was never meant to be a diagnostic tool. This is more smoke and mirrors on the part of the California state legislature that is owned by pharmaceutical interests. We parents have been down there for years railing against the corruption of you selling our children to Pharma. And now you're trying to sell all of us to Pharma. We know the truth. You know we know the truth.

Your time is about up. You're getting a 30 second warning over.

It is called game over. Medicare data shows the COVID Vaccines increase

Next, please.

Line 28. Your line is open. Please go ahead.

Hi. This is Rachel Katan. I'm speaking up in opposition.

Thank you. Next.

And we have no further lines in queue at this time.

Thank you. Moderator let's now bring the discussion back to my colleagues in room 2100. Colleagues, any questions, comments? Senator Wilk.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Actually, I just have a comment on it. First of all, to the lady in opposition, a lot of those laws are generated at the federal level, so if you want greater transparency, you need to talk to your congressional representative as opposed to this. I think it's a good bill. I plan to support it today, and hopefully we fast track it to take care of it. But I can't help but have the opportunity to talk about what happened in my district, where instead of going to Quest Diagnostics or these other firms, Governor Newsom recruited an out of state firm, plopped them in my district, gave them a single source contract of over a billion dollars, and they failed to deliver. And then there was a study done and it was covered up, and then it was not released until after his election. So I'm for this. But we need to have greater transparency so we have greater accountability, so we have less calls like the lady we had earlier. And that's not on you, on others. But again, I'm happy to support it today, but I think we need to do a lot more in this space so we do gain the public's trust back. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator WilK. Colleagues, any other questions or comments? item moved by Senator Ashby. Senator Berman, would you like to close?

Appreciate the conversation. Respectfully ask for I vote.

The motion is due pass to Senate Appropriations. Please call the roll.

Roth. Aye. Roth? Aye. Win. Alvarado-Gil. Aye. Alvarad Gill? Aye. Archuletta? Aye. Archuletta? Aye. Ashby? Aye. Ashby? Aye. Becker? Dodd. Aye. Dodd? Aye Eggman, Glazer Niello. Aye. Nielo? Aye Smallwood-Cuevas. Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas? Aye. Wahab? Aye. Wahab. Aye Wilk. Aye. Wilk Aye.

Bill has nine votes. We'll hold the roll open for absent members. Thanks, sir.

Members of the Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee, if you have not voted, please proceed to room 2100 so that you have the opportunity to vote on the measure before us.

I know that we have people in the building. Thank you. So leadership in the saddle. Well, of course. We're visited by our friends. Let's open the roll for our absent members. Call the roll, please.

Motion is due. Pass to appropriations. Current votes, 9-0. Nguyen, Becker. Aye. Becker. Aye Eggman. Glazer

Bill now has ten votes. We'll hold the roll open for absent members. Call the roll for absent members.

Nguyen. Glazer.

That bill has ten votes. The bill is out. And if there's no other business to come before the committee the Business and Professions and Economic Development Committee hearing of today is now adjourned.