Assembly Standing Committee on Rules

All right, we're going to make an announcement what's going to happen in this room. First is going to be Rules Committee is going to assemble. We're going to have one presentation, and then after that it'll be a little bit clearer what's going to happen with moving forward with the Assembly floor, once we get that information, we'll let you know.

But as of right now, we're waiting for, um, for Assembly Member Ward to make the announcement on the ayes that the room has been changed for the Rules Committee from 126 to 1100. Once that's done, we'll move forward with this and then by then we'll get more information to be able to give to you. But for now, we'll have all the Assembly Members that are here.

If you could take some seats out in the audience there.

And when we ask for public comment. Don't be shy. Coming up and adding your me too. Can't wait for that.

All right. We're going to start Rules Committee. If we could have the Members clear around the dias. If you're not a Rules Committee Member, please go to the audience area so we can start to move forward.

Yeah.

Out of out of that.

All right. It's been announced that Rules Committee has been changed from room 126 to one jones hundred.

With that, we wilk move forward and establish Rules Committee.

Ramos Here, Waldron, Addis, Koreo Here, Essayli, Flora, Low, Ortega, Pacheco, Papin Here, Pellerin, Rubio, Valencia,

Thank you. We established quorum. We have a consent agenda item.

Is there a motion for the consent agenda?

Mr. Chair, I would like to speak I respectfully object to the referral of ACA Six. This measure directly affects the operation of the UC system. Based on the subject matter, it should be double referred to the Higher Education Committee and I would request that we vote on it separately.

Thank you. There's been a request to pull ACA Six.

Is there a motion on the remainder consent agenda? It's been a motion. A second. Please call the roll.

Ramos Aye, Waldron, Addis. Addis, Aye, creo. Creo. Aye, Essayli. Assaily Aye, flora. Flora Aye, Low. Ortega. Ortega. Aye, pacheco. Pacheco Aye, Papan. Papan Aye, Pellerin. Pellerin. Aye, Rubio. Rubio. Aye, Valencia. Valencia Aye,

Thank you. Motion passes.

Is there a motion on the single referral of ACA Six Haney to labor and Employment Committee? Thers a motion. A second.

Please call the roll.

Ramos. Aye. Ramos. Aye, waldron. Waldron. No. Addis. Addis. Aye, Koreo. Koreo Aye, assailey. Assaily. No. Flora. Flora no. Low. Ortega. Ortega. Aye, Pacheco. Aye, Papan. Papan. Aye, pellerin. Pellerin. Aye, rubio. Rubio. Aye, valencia. Valencia Aye,.

Motion passes. Thank you. We're going to move straight into that. We have one presentation.

We will now move to item twelve, HR. 26 by Assembly Member Friedman, which will be presented by Assembly Member Papan. Please begin.

Thank you so much. Good morning, Mr. Chair and Members. As a proud Greek American whose own people suffered at the hands of the Turks. I am sitting here before you on behalf of Assembly Member Freeman, asking for your aye vote for HR 26, which commemorates and honors the 3 million victims, more than half of them ethnic Armenians, who were systematically killed at the hands of the Turkish Ottoman Empire.

Hundreds of thousands of Assyrians, Greeks and other Christians perished in one of the most atrocious violations of human rights in history. For over a century, there have been statements of denial of the Armenian genocide. Even today, the leaders of Turkey deny that the genocide ever took place.

And you will hear such testimony in this room shortly. As you haney heard in years past. The leaders of Turkey continue to use rhetoric that suggests that they are unwilling to acknowledge the past by attempting to conceal the truth. Silence in the face of denial emboldens only those who commit holden those who would commit genocide in the future and promotes impunity.

And cultures of intolerance perpetuators of subsequent crimes have been emboldened by the international community's failure to confront genocide. We must continue to properly recognize genocide in order to learn from them to help prevent future genocide and indeed to heal. Thank you. And I respectfully request your aye vote.

Thank you. Is there any witnesses in support? Any witnesses in opposition? You have two minutes. Press the button.

Yes. Okay. Good morning, honorable chair and Member of the committee. My name is Karahan Mete, President of California Turkish Coalitions. I thank you for giving me opportunity to address you regarding HR 26. I want to emphasize that HR 26 historical accuracy is questionable and has potential propagate the hate propaganda.

I urge you committee to consider our more comprehensive and inclusive approach min drafting a resolution that unites the people instead of dividing them. One issue with HR 26 is it's claimed that 1.1 million Armenians were massacred, which contradicts historical evidence. Armenian, Turkish and British source indicate that Armenian population was 1 million 1 hundred thousand.

Therefore, it is unclear how 1.45 million people could have been massacred from a population of 1.1 million. Additionally, the resolution states that US saved 1 million Armenians, while Armenian and international documents shows that 500,000 moved to France, 250,000 moved to Russia and the remaining Armenians moved to Italy, England, Iran and Iraq.

I firmly believe that HR 26 does not provide accurate information and its cut and paste previous resolution. This approach perpetuate hate propaganda against Turkish citizens resulted in violence attacks three Turkish consulate murder in California by Armenian terrorists. Such action demonstrate that the younger generation has been brainwashed by the diaspora.

The resolution lead verbal and physical attacks on individuals like myself who have lost their jobs simply because they are Turkish. While I understand that this resolution are intend to sympathize with those Armenians lost their lives, I must stress that resolution like HR 26 create hatred and bigotry which are counterproductive.

Therefore, I propose that the committee put HR 26 on hold and work together to draft a new resolution that accurately reflects historical event and promotes unity and rather than division. Thank you for your time and attention.

Thank you, for that. That going now to the chambers. Anyone in opposition? Anyone in support bringing it back to the dias.

To the opposition? I ahve a question for you. It sounds like you're questioning the 1.1 million people that were massacred.

Was that correct? What number would be acceptable? If that's not the right number? How many?

According this information? Like 75,000.

So 75,000 massacred people is the correct number?

Right.

You understand what you're saying?

Yes.

That's a horrible number.

I'm not saying there's nothing that happened, but I'm saying that we should get the historical fact and figures in the stage. If you accuse somebody with the genocide, you haney to have international court ruling. Armenians went to the international court twice has been rejected and otherwise it's the slandering.

If I call somebody's child molester without The court ruling,

well, would you consider 75,000 people genocide?

Well, according to as I said it's the genocide definition is different than what is happening over there. If you name in the genocide, you have to have the factors tell this is genocide. And as I said, court ruling tell this isn't a genocide, and you cannot act like a court.

You can call this as well consider as a genocide, but you can't say it's a genocide.

Okay.

So Assembly Member Essayli, I just want.

Thank you.

To make a brief comment. I want to thank the author and the presenter for bringing this resolution. I just want to be clear. This is not an attack on people of Turkish descent.

I mean, we all know Turkish people and friends with them, but it's important to acknowledge history and to not erase what happened to a group of people, an ethnic group of people, the Armenians. So if you really want unity and to move forward, you have to acknowledge what happened. So I just encourage you to change this tactic and this rhetoric, acknowledge what happened and move forward.

But I think people are sophisticated enough to acknowledge what happened historically and not attack current Turkish people. No one's advocating for that. So I'll be happy to support the resolution. Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other questions from the dias? You're welcome to close.

I thank you to my Republican colleagues for their remarks. If it looks and acts like a genocide, it's genocide. And the importance of acknowledging a genocide cannot be understated. I respectfully request an aye vote.

Thank you.

Is there a motion? Motion second. Please call the roll

On HR 26. Ramos. Aye. Ramos. Aye, Waldron. Waldron. Aye, Addis. Addis. Aye, Koreo. Aye. Koreo. Aye, Assailey. Sally. Aye, Flora. Flora. Aye, Low. Aye, Ortega. Ortega. Aye, Pacheco. Aye. Pacheco. Aye. Papan. Papan Aye, Pellerin. Pellerin. Aye. Rubio. Rubio. Aye, Valencia. Valencia Aye.

Motion passes.

Motion passes do we get Low?

Assembly Member low, how do you vote?

Assembly Member low on the consent items. Low. Aye. Assembly Member low on the single referral of ACA 6. Low. Aye.

Thank you. That concludes Reyes committee rules. Committee is adjourned.