Senate Standing Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development

Senate Committee on Business, Professions, and Economic Development will come to order. Good morning. The Senate continues to welcome the public in person and via the teleconference service. For individuals wishing to provide public comment, the participant number is 877-226-8216 and the access code is 6217161. 6217161. We're holding our Committee hearing in our 1021 street location. All Members of the Committee, please report to room 2100 so we can establish a quorum and begin the hearing. We have 12 bills on today's agenda.

File item number 8, AB 996 will not be heard today. There's one measure proposed for consent. File item number 4, AB 628. We will establish a quorum when we are able to. In the meantime, we will move forward as a Subcommitee. And the first one here was Assemblymember Chen, AB 623, Cannabis. Please proceed when ready, sir.

Thank you, Chairman Roth and Committee Members, for your time. Allow me to present AB 623. Current business and Professions Code applies the same standards to edibles and beverages with less than five milligrams of THC as it does to cannabis beverages and edibles with up to 10 milligrams of THC.

This had had significant unintended consequences that punished testing laboratories who have acted in good faith and is leading to testing failures of low doses THC products simply because the laboratory equipment simply cannot accurately measure these variances when the dosage is so low. With highly potent products, a plus or -10% testing range makes sense.

These large dose measurements can accurately be measured with current laboratory practicing equipment with these lower dose products, however, even with the absolute best equipment, barely-measurable testing noise can push them past the permitted 10% allowance. With cannabis beverages, most of their most successful products are very low dose, between two to four milligrams. So that sector is really bearing the brunt of this problem. Unfortunately, each testing fail means that the entire batch that has been submitted must then be destroyed.

In a current cannabis business environment where all licensed manufacturers are struggling to stay afloat because of the illicit market, these are meaningful hits. This Bill simply asks the DCC to come up with a testing standard that can allow the low doses of THC and products under five milligrams to be fairly taken into account. We're not telling them how to do this. We're simply asking them to use their expertise and work with the industry to create such standards. Today for witness testimony, we have Mr. David Quintana.

Sir, please proceed.

Yeah, thank you, Chairman, David Quintana here. On behalf of the Cannabis Beverage Association, national organization created for the Promotion of cannabis beverages nationwide. At this point, Chairman, if I could bring up our Science Chair, Mr. Scott Riefler, with source technology to delve into the technical reasons for this Bill.

And by delve, we're talking about bout two, three minutes, right? Perfect. Thank you.

Yes. Two minutes.

Perfect.

Hello, I'm Scott Riefler, Science Chair for the Cannabis Beverage Association, and I thank you all for the opportunity to speak. The Business and Professions Code states, for edible cannabis products that milligrams per serving of THC do not exceed 10 milligrams per serving, with a plus or minus tolerance range of 10%. This tolerance range can have significant unintended consequences for low-dose and microdose beverages, specifically driving false failures and leading to unnecessary scrap and costs for both producers and consumers. Percentage based tolerance.

Percentage based types of tolerances are appropriate for more potent product forms such as concentrate and flour, where overexposure is a real potential. And this is not the case for microdose beverages. The tolerance ranges must be practical for both the measuring device and the measurement being taken. For beverages containing between 1 and 5 milligrams, this is truly in the parts per million range. A percentage based tolerance range is unrealistically narrow and provides only a fraction of a milligram per unit.

This is beyond the capabilities of the measuring devices and becomes unachievable. For low dose beverages. It's much more practical to have a one-sided maximum requirement. A similar approach is taken within the alcohol industry, where low dose products, such as beer and wine, have one-sided upper limits of alcohol content. A one-sided maximum approach for low dose beverages will ensure both consumer safety and shield consumers and manufacturers from undue costs, such as scrapping compliant material simply due to noise within the test method itself.

I thank you, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Great job. Thank you very much, sir. All right, are there any other witnesses in support in the hearing room? Okay, let's turn to witnesses in opposition, lead or otherwise. Any witnesses in opposition? Good. Seeing none. Let's turn to the teleconference service. Moderator, if you would, please prompt any individuals waiting to testify in the teleconference service, either in support or in opposition, we will take them now.

Thank you. For in support or opposition of AB 623, you may press one and then zero. Again, that is one and then zero for in support or opposition of AB 623. And, Mr. Chair, we have no one in queue.

That's great. Let's bring the matter back to my colleagues on the Dais colleagues, any questions or comments? Seeing none. Assemblymember, would you like to close?

Mr. Chair, I respectfully ask for your support.

At the appropriate time. We'll take a motion and we'll vote. Thank you. Let's now move to I see Majority Leader Reyes is here. AB 258, please proceed when ready.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members, we all agree that small businesses formed the foundation of California economy. However, during COVID-19 so many of them were devastated, especially many of those being minority and women-owned businesses. I'm presenting AB 258, which requires GoBiz and the Office of Small Business Advocates to centralize incentives, regulatory assistance, compliance, technical assistance, and other information related to assisting small businesses. There's a demonstrable need to make it easier for small businesses to access state resources.

Many small businesses in California would love to partner with the state, but often do not have the technical expertise to navigate the different state processes, such as accessing technical assistance, the procurement process, and locating grants. Centralizing the state's small business financial opportunities in one location will make it easier for small businesses to get access to those critical resources. Here to speak in support is Pat Fong Kushida with the Cal Asian Chamber of Commerce and Julian Kanyete with the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Please proceed.

Good morning. Chair and Senators, Pat Fong Kushida I'm President and CEO of the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and I represent the interests of over 746,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander-owned businesses here in California. We are proud to be a joint sponsor of AB 258, a practical Bill that addresses a common problem for small businesses seeking assistance to start and grow their business.

While various state and federal programs do exist, including grants, loans and business incentives, identifying what resources are available and how to access them remains opaque to many small businesses. AB 258 updates and rebrands an existing state web portal to aggregate information and streamline program delivery. Through this enhanced web portal, which will now be called the Front Door, small businesses can search and access resources tailored to their specific business needs. Today, businesses are overloaded with information.

Without Internet search technologies, busy small business owners have to manually read through multiple web pages, hoping to uncover a program for which they may be eligible. Alternatively, they can sign up for e-alerts, which triggers a seemingly unending bombardment of flyers and announcements, only a few of which are relevant.

However, in the future, when they go through the Front Door web portal, they can select from different special curated options and by answering a few basic questions, they will only receive information related to their actual needs and circumstances. As we are all aware, COVID-19 devastated many small businesses. Post-COVID, these businesses face new challenges due to rising operational costs and supply chain interruptions. We can take an essential step in supporting these businesses by simply making their access to existing resources faster, easier, and more efficient.

We'd like to thank the Assembly Majority leader for authoring this common sense legislation and ask the Committee to vote to support this Bill. Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am. Next, please.

Good morning, Chair and Members. Yolanda Benson, representing the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. And I want to apologize. Julian would be here, but he's having car trouble, and so he's kind of stuck in Stockton, so he does send his apologies. We, along with the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and the African American Chambers of Commerce, are proud to be co-sponsors on this Bill. This is really just a Bill that helps to aggregate the information, as was mentioned by my colleague from the California Asian Chamber.

And it's going to be housed at GoBiz, where there'll be one page and you click on that and as you need information, there would be additional information and links to other departments and other programs that could be vital for whatever needs a specific business may have. So we really appreciate working with GoBiz. They've been very open to trying to work with us, and we think this is a common-sense approach to helping small business.

For those of us in this business, we even have a hard time finding things. So for a small business, it's even harder. So we hope to make this an easier process for them. Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am. Any other witnesses in support here in Room 2100, please proceed.

Yes, Mel Assagai for the California African American Chamber of Commerce, a proud co-sponsor and in strong support.

Thank you very much, sir. Any other witnesses in support? Seeing none. Let's move to witnesses in opposition, lead or otherwise. Witnesses in opposition to AB 258. Seeing none, let's move to witnesses waiting to testify via the teleconference service.

Moderator if you would, please prompt any individuals waiting to testify either in support or in opposition to AB 258, we will begin with them.

Thank you. If you're in support or opposition of AB 258, you may press one and then zero. Again, that is one and then zero for support or opposition of AB 258. And we have no one in queue at this time.

Thank you. Thank you. Moderator let's bring the discussion back to my colleagues on the dais. Colleagues, any questions or comments? Senator Archuleta?

Yes, thank you, Assembly Member, for bringing this forward. Obviously, your office must have experienced what our offices, all experienced at the end of COVID. How can we get help? How do we get started? Rumors about grants out there. How do we get them? On and on. And it just, this Bill is just so welcome because it'll open up the doors.

And I love the idea you call it Front Door because now not only all our staffs in the Assembly and the Senate across the state, we can actually refer and help the small businesses. Obviously, the large ones may not need it as much as we do, but this is great, and I support it. And when it's time, I will move it.

Thank you. Thank you, Senator, colleagues, any other questions? Yes, Senator Alvarado-Gil.

I just want to thank the majority leader for this Bill. This is why I ran for public office, to make government more accessible to Californians, to increase opportunity and your Bill exemplifies all that. So thank you for that.

Thank you.

Perfect. Senator Niello, join the affray.

Thank you very much. I would echo the comments that have been made, but there is the Office of Small Business Advocate provides resources on the internet currently, and I have not used them. But I assume that because this Bill came forward that maybe it doesn't quite fit the Bill perfectly, but it is still somewhat redundant. And I don't think they'd want to have two separate sets of internet web-based information.

How will GoBiz integrate the two so that it's just the Front Door that provides all of the resources>

It won't be just the Front Door. The Small Business Advocate would still have a role, and I think that's what GoBiz is trying to work through also. We wanted to find a way to make sure that our small businesses found one place, a portal, just as our nonprofits are doing now, to find a portal where they know they get to go to one place, they don't have to ask lots of people questions. They go there and then they know where they're going to ask the questions.

That's exactly what we're trying to do, and I think we're going to succeed with that. But I don't think it's to replace the Small Business Advocate either, although we have had conversations with them as well.

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, Madam Majority Leader, I don't think there's anyone left to ask any questions. So would you like to close?

I sincerely appreciate the questions, the comments, and the support here and also from the witnesses. I think it is a great idea. It did come directly from my office. But to have the support that we have, I think is such a wonderful way to present this Bill and to move it forward. With that, I sincerely. I respectfully request for your Aye vote.

Nice job. It's been moved. And at the appropriate point in time, when we have a quorum, we'll take a vote. Thank you, ma'am. Assembly Member Mathis, you're up. Item number six, AB 883. Proceed when ready.

All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Senators. Today I will be presenting Assembly Bill 883, which helps our active duty service Members prepare for and obtain fulfilling post military jobs. 883 will require boards within the Department of Consumer affairs to expedite the initial license process for an applicant who is an active duty service Member enrolled in the US Department of Defense Skilled Bridge Program. The Skilled Bridge Program is an invaluable asset to veterans.

Skilled Bridge places retiring military Members or service Members who are preparing to ETS with civilian employers towards the end of their service to begin their training and transition to a post military career. AB 883 will simply allow our service members to take advantage of this program sooner. If passed, or if this Bill passed the Assembly floor with a full 80 to zero, it has the support of the California Business Properties Association, California Association of Realtors, California Board of Psychologists, and the Board of Registered Nursing.

Joining me today is Tony Solomon, Senior Vice President and national Director of Marcus and Millicamp, and also Audrey Ratajczak of the California Business Properties Association. If you have any questions, they would be the best ones to ask. Thank you.

Please proceed when ready.

Good morning. Thank you. Chairman and Members of this Committee. Tony Solomon, Senior Vice President of Marcus and Millichap. Citizen Soldier. From the War of Independence to the beaches of Omaha to today, this nation has relied on citizen soldiers. While a career in the military is noble, most will not spend their entire lives participating in that career. The Department of Defense realizes this. Over 300,000 service Members transition out of the military every year.

And through their Skill Bridge program, sponsored by the Department of Defense, it allows service Members the ability to transition through internships with accredited companies such as Marcus and Millichap. We're about one career that is offered through thousands of other options to our military service Members. By expediting their transition, we help them avoid some of the common ills that are plaguing our service Members today. Homelessness, suicide, others.

I respectfully ask that you participate in helping our service Members transition back into civilian roles and thank you for their service. I respectfully ask that you approve Bill 883. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. Next, please.

Good morning, Chairman, Members. Audrey Ratajczak from Crew Strategies here today on behalf of the California Business Properties Association. We are here in support of AB 883. Through the Skill Bridge program, retiring military Members are placed with civilian employers to help begin their training and transition in postmilitary civilian careers. Skillbridge has countless industry partners in a variety of fields, including real estate, with established military recruitment and transition programs.

Because of the expertise, dedication and service our veterans bring, AB 883 aligns with existing state policy for veterans by ensuring the Department of Real Estate will expedite license applications to assist in transition to civilian life. We respectfully request your support today. Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am. Are there any other witnesses in support in the hearing room? Witnesses in support, seeing none. Let's turn to opposition witnesses, lead or otherwise. Please step forward. Are you support? Yes, sir. Please proceed. Troy Polk, on behalf of the California Board of Psychology, in support. Thank you, sir. Any other witnesses in support? I don't want to cut anybody out here. Okay. Now let's turn to witnesses in opposition, lead or otherwise.

Any opposition witnesses in the hearing room? Seeing none, let's turn to the teleconference service moderator. If you would, please prompt any individuals waiting to testify either in support or in opposition to Assembly Bill 883, we'll take them now.

Thank you. If you're in support or opposition of AB 883, you may press one and then zero. Again. That is one and then zero. If you're in support or opposition of AB 883.

We're on a roll. We'll bring the matter back to the dais and my colleagues for questions or comments. Senator Archuleta. Followed by Senator Niello.

Well, Assembly Member, before we begin, I'd like to know who that young trooper is that is in the audience that I think deserves an introduction.

So that is Luke Samuel Mathis. He's a freshman, going to be a freshman at Porterville Military Academy finishing his 8th-grade career with straight A's. Was promoted to rank of staff sergeant through the academy. And he'll be shadowing dad this week because summer camp got canceled so he's volunteered to come hang out and check it out.

Very good. Thank you for joining us. You look sharp. Good. Okay, Senator Archuleta, you're on the floor.

Well, thank you very much, and welcome. Assembly Member, I'd like to commend you on this as the chair of the Military and Veterans Committee along with my colleague.

We're anxious to receive it when it comes to our Committee but I'm really excited to hear there was an 80 to zero out of the Assembly. That's fantastic. As we know that we all have to work for our men and women in uniform who are serving our country. When they transition out ETS, we should be able to receive them with open arms. This is taking that step. And company after company, we say it all the time, the best employee is a veteran. So this is great.

I will also like to move this when it comes out, but I commend you for it because it's well overdue and I thank you for it.

Thank you, Senator.

Senator Niello.

Well, I'm a co-author and proud to support it, but the question that I had Senator Archuleta beat me to the punch. I was anxious to meet the young assistant in the crowd accompanying Assemblyman Mathis. So nice to meet you, young man.

Thank you, Senator. Any other comments or questions? Senator Alvarado-Gil

Thank you for introducing us to young Mr. Mathis and bringing him forward. I think that it is exemplary for public servants to include our youth, especially our families. And then speaking on behalf of family members, of servicemembers your Bill not only helps our veterans, but it helps our family continue to move forward after service. So thank you for taking that consideration.

Absolutely. Thank you.

I see no other questions or comments. So you're in luck. Assembly Member, would you like to close?

Absolutely. Thank you. Senators, the point of this Bill of 883 is the program already exists, but what we realize is that giving that added six months lets them get all their paperwork and everything else in order. So when that time comes, everything's set, streamlined and ready to go. And this will help them transition better. And with that, I ask for your support and your Aye votes. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. The Bill's been moved. At the appropriate point in time, when we have a quorum, we will take a vote.

Thank you.

Okay. Looks like Assemblymember Haney is here. Dr. Wood, I apologize. You're going to set the record today. Item number 5, Assembly Bill 663.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members. AB 663 would allow mobile pharmacies to dispense medications for opioid addiction treatment.

We all know we have a deadly opioid overdose crisis in our state, and we have to make it a lot harder for people to access drugs like fentanyl. We have to make it a lot easier to get people into treatment. This will lower barriers and make sure that some of our most vulnerable populations can access treatment. The most effective form of treatment for opioid addiction is medication assisted treatment. Buprenorphine, Suboxone. Right now, mobile pharmacies can operate in local governments that choose to operate them.

They can go out and reach some of our most vulnerable populations. People who are experiencing homelessness, living in SROs, but they cannot carry and dispense medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction. This will save lives. It will get people enrolled in medication that we know can reduce the risk of overdose by over 50%. There are many things we have to do to confront our opioid crisis and people who are addicted and prevent overdose.

This is one that we can and should do, has the support of our doctors, our Attorney General. It got bipartisan support in the Assembly and respectfully ask for your aye vote. We have with us here to testify in support Dave Smith, Chief of Pharmacy from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, who will be speaking on behalf of the city and county today.

Mr. Smith, proceed when ready.

Great. Thank you, Senator. Good morning, Chairman, Assembly Members. Assemblymember Haney. I thank you for the opportunity to talk about AB 663 in support of it. My name is David Smith. I am the Chief Pharmacy Officer for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. As you all know, we are in the midst of a public health crisis. In San Francisco alone, 647 people died of drug overdose just last year, 70% of that was connected with fentanyl, and this is seen across the state.

Additionally, this epidemic disproportionately affects underserved populations. In San Francisco, Black African Americans represent only 6% of the population, but they represented 29% of the drug overdoses. And beneath these deaths, although they're the most visible manifestation of the epidemic, is people, hundreds of thousands of people in California who suffer from opiate use disorder. And like other chronic diseases, medications can effectively treat this condition. Currently, there are three medications that are approved. There's buprenorphine and methadone, both of which are controlled substances, and naltrexone.

Now, methadone can only be dispensed in specialized outpatient treatment programs, but buprenorphine can be seen in regular retail pharmacies that all of us go to. And as Assemblymember Haney said, buprenorphine is effective. It saves lives. It can reduce deaths by up to 50%. And in the last several years, prescribing of this medication has increased dramatically. But barriers around access still exist.

The recently passed Senate Bill 872 allowed for these mobile pharmacies to broadly improve medication access to these underserved populations, and they operate under the license of their brick and mortar pharmacies if they're run by the county, which is wonderful. However, the Bill also doesn't allow for these mobile units to dispense any controlled substances like buprenorphine.

And while that was meant to reduce the risk of transporting potentially addictive medications, I think it really prevents a key opportunity to get these medications into the hands of those that need it most, these underserved populations. In San Francisco, we actually piloted a program where we had a pharmacist actually directly walking these prescriptions to people in permanent supportive housing. We reached over 70 patients, and the impact was immense.

And we think that having these mobile units with the ability to carry buprenorphine would multiply this impact tremendously and really get those medications to people who are more isolated in our cities and save lives. Thank you for the opportunity to speak, and I welcome any questions.

Thank you very much, sir. Any other witnesses in support here in the hearing room, please step forward. Name, affiliation and position on the Bill, please.

Good morning. Yerele Magallon here on behalf of Alameda County Board of Supervisors, in strong support. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And Members. Joe Saenz on behalf of the County Health Executives Association, representing local health departments in support.

Thank you. Next, please. Any other witnesses here in the hearing room in support of this measure? Seeing none, let's turn to opposition witnesses, lead or otherwise. Any opposition witnesses here in Room 2100 who wish to speak? Seeing none, let's turn to the teleconference service. Moderator, if you would, please prompt any individuals waiting to testify on the teleconference service either in support or in opposition to Assembly Bill 663. We will proceed with them.

Thank you. If you're in support or opposition of AB 663, you may press one and then zero. Again, that is one and then zero for support or opposition of AB 663. We will go to line 15. Your line is open.

Mr. Chair and Members, Monica Miller, on behalf of the California Association of Nurse Anesthetists (CANA) in support. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have no further support or opposition in queue.

Good. Let's bring the matter back to the dais. Questions from my colleagues. Questions or comments? Senator Becker, followed by Senator Archuleta.

Thank you. I just want to thank the officer for bringing this forward. I was on a delegation trip and we saw mobile units in another country specifically for this use and went out and visited and saw the impact that they were having. So I appreciate bringing forward, it's common sense Bill. I'll move it at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Becker. Senator Archuleta?

Yes. Thank you. Great Bill. Support it. Would you walk us through, because I'm thinking of paramedics, thinking of fire units responding to an emergency and the mobile unit. Give me a comparison. What is the difference in how is the mobile unit serving the community versus the emergency units?

Absolutely. So with this particular treatment, buprenorphine, it actually requires somebody to go out regularly and help to administer it. So somebody's enrolled in it, say they were in the hospital because they experienced an overdose or addiction.

Maybe they were enrolled in it when they were in jail or prison even. They come out, they're living in an SRO, potentially, or they're living in a shelter or even they're on the street. We can then go out and reach them in a unit on a regular basis to administer that medication. So it's not for emergencies, but it's to make sure that they can continue to stay connected to a medication that can keep them off of deadly opioids.

Buprenorphine contains naloxone, so it's not something that they can overdose on or abuse in that way. And so it's a way to make sure that they can continue to be enrolled. They also could actually have someone go out and prescribe it directly with these mobile pharmacies. So they could be a single pharmacist in a vehicle. It could be more of a van type or bus type situation.

But it's to make sure that we can continue to keep people connected to this treatment that will keep them off these deadly opioids.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Senator. Any other questions? Seeing none. Assemblymember Haney, you're in luck. Would you like to close?

Thank you so much for the questions. And again, this is building on work that Senator Dodd has done and one of the many things that we have to do to get people into treatment and to make sure we confront this deadly opioid epidemic. And thank you, Mr. Chair and your staff, and respectfully ask for your aye vote

The Bill has been moved at the appropriate point in time. When we have a quorum, we'll take a vote. Thank you very much for your presentation. Assemblymember Cervantes, item number 2, AB 336.

We will get to you, Dr. Wood. You are a patient man.

Thank you, chair and Committee Members, for allowing me to present Assembly Bill 336 today. As many of you know, existing law requires California contractors to provide workers' compensation insurance to its workers. The Contractors State License Board, or CSLB, implements this requirement as part of its mission to regulate the licensure practices and discipline of the construction industry. When acquiring or renewing their license, contractors must provide CSLB with a valid certificate of workers' compensation insurance or certification of self-insurance.

However, CSLB does not verify that the level of workers' compensation insurance that each contractor purchases is appropriate to the work of their employees' performance. CSLB classifies contractors into three workers' compensation categories based on their payroll. These classifications are based on the kind of work contractor employees perform. Currently, CSLB posts the contractor's license number in the workers' compensation insurance policy. However, they only list the policy number and do not list the code classification for the work being insured. This does lead to inappropriate low levels of insurance.

This leads to bad actors purchasing inappropriate levels of workers compensation that do not actually match the type of construction work that their employees actually perform. My Bill would require contractors to provide CSLB with the workers' compensation code based on the workers' compensation insurance that they actually purchase. This increased transparency for the public and would ensure that the construction industry is doing the work appropriate to the kind of construction work that their employees are actually performing. This Bill has enjoyed bipartisanship support throughout the legislative process.

We are here to level out the playing field and bring improved sense of safety in work environments across California within the construction industry. And with me to testify in support of this Bill is our sponsors. We have Keith Dunn with the District Council of Ironworkers of the State of California.

Mr. Dunn, please proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'll be very brief. As our author obviously knows her Bill and did a great job of explaining it. I will mention that the Western Seal Council, the Association of our Employers has just come on and endorsed this Bill. And I would add that anyone that's paying a fair wage on their comp coverage, it's in their interest to make sure that everyone within the industry is paying it so they're not underbid.

And also that we're taking care of our workers. And really, this Bill is about making sure that there's the resources there to take care of our workers if and when they get injured, which does happen in the construction industry. So on behalf of the District Council of Iron Workers of the State of California, I just ask for your support. Thank you. Happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, sir. Next, please.

Mr. Chair and Members, Mike West, on behalf of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, also in support. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. Next, please.

Morning. Nick Cruz, California Labor Federation, in support.

Thank you. Any other witnesses in support here in the hearing room 2100? Seeing none. Let's turn to witnesses in opposition, lead or otherwise. Any opposition witnesses in the hearing room? Seeing none, let's move to the teleconference service.

Moderator, if you would, please prompt any individuals waiting to testify on the teleconference line either in support or in opposition to AB 336. We'll take them now.

Thank you. For your support or opposition of AB 336, you may press one, then zero. Again, that is one and then zero if you're in support or opposition of AB 336. Mr. Chair, we have no one in queue.

Okay, let's bring the matter back to the dais. Members, questions, or comments? Seeing none. Assembly Member, would you like to close?

Thank you so much. Chairman and Committee Members, again, we are trying to provide more transparency and to prevent fraud within the system and certainly love to have your support today on this Bill. Thank you.

Okay, before we do anything else, let's establish a quorum, please.

[Roll call].

We have a quorum. Do we have a motion on AB 336 It's been moved by Senator Archuleta. The motion is do pass to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Please call the roll.

[Roll call].

Bill has eight votes. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. Thank you, ma'am. Let's also take up our consent file. There's one measure proposed for consent. It's file item number four, AB 628. It's been moved by Senator Dodd. Please call the roll.

Roth.

Aye.

Roth aye. Min. Alvarado-Gil.

Aye.

Alvarado-Gil aye. Archuleta.

Aye.

Archuleta aye. Ashby.

Aye.

Ashby aye. Becker.

Aye.

Becker aye. Dodd.

Aye.

Dodd aye. Eggman. Glazer. Niello.

Aye.

Niello aye. Smallwood-Cuevas.

Aye.

Smallwood-Cuevas aye. Wahab. Wilk.

Consent file has eight votes. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. Dr. Wood, item number seven, AB 936. Take all the time you'd like.

Hopefully, I won't take much time at all. Mr. Chairman and Members, thank you very much. I'd like to start by thanking you and the Committee for their work on this Bill. Members. AB 936 will allow dental students the opportunity to provide much needed care to underserved Californians and to understand the importance of giving back to their community.

Chaptered in 2015, AB 880 authorized final year dental students to participate at Free Clinics by a sponsoring entity, a local government entity, or both. This Bill updates AB 880 by defining a qualified dental student as someone who has begun clinical training at a school dental school approved by the Dental Board of California. In turn, AB 936 will allow more dental students provide care at Free Clinics, which will be supervised by faculty who are familiar with their skill levels. It's also about access.

As we all know, regular dental care is critical to an individual's health and well being. Yet, in many underserved communities, there are often barriers to accessing care. Free health care and dental clinics are important sources of dental care for those communities. Volunteering to work in free healthcare and dental clinics can also inspire dental students to continue to volunteer once they have become licensed practitioners, thus bolstering the volunteer workforce and increasing access to care.

Here to testify and support is Gary Cooper with the California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Mr. Cooper, welcome. Please proceed.

Thank you, Chair Roth. And thank you, Dr. Woods, for carrying AB 936. Cal Ramos, The California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons were the sponsor of AB 880, 8 years ago, and we were very proud to sponsor it and we were very proud to see the results of seeing the students in the dental schools go out and work in these free clinics.

The charity arm of California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons is California Care Force. And we've used many of these students in the clinics that have been put on around the state. So what we've found in the last eight years is because from the third year students, a lot of them are out taking their tests or getting job interviews, the workforce has diminished some.

So Western University approached us and said, would we consider supporting and co sponsoring AB 936 to allow the dental students in their clinical years to be able to work in the clinics? And basically the students are doing the same thing in the clinics, in the schools that they would be doing out in the field, in the clinics. So they're supervised by the same teachers, the same professors that they would be supervised in the schools, but now they're out there doing charity work in the community. And I would ask for an aye vote when it's appropriate. And thank you again, Dr. Wood.

Thank you, sir. Any other witnesses in support in the hearing room, step forward. Name, affiliation and position on the Bill, please?

Alasagai for the California Association of Orthodontists in Strong Support.

Thank you, sir. Thanks for coming. Any other witnesses in support, please step forward.

Morning, chair Members James, Michael, Paula, with absentee, California, in support.

Thank you. Any other witnesses in support? Seeing none, let's turn to opposition witnesses, lead or otherwise. Are there any opposition witnesses in Room 2100 who wish to speak on the Bill? Seeing none, let's move to the teleconference service. Moderator, if you would, please prompt any individuals waiting to testify in the teleconference service either in support or in opposition to this measure, we will take them now.

Thank you for in support or opposition of AB 936. You may press one and then zero. Again. That is one and then zero. If you're in support or opposition of AB 936. And we will go to line 23. Your line is open.

Good morning, Mr. Chair and Members. Jessica Moran with the California Dental Association. We are in support.

Thank you. Next, please.

Thank you. One moment. We will go to line 20. Your line is open.

Good morning. Chair Ross and Members of the Business and Professions Committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of 8936. My name is Elizabeth Andrews and I am the dean of the College of Dental Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, and we are co sponsoring this Bill as a dentist and oral pathologist for the past 28 years, the last 16 of which I've spent in dental education.

I have seen firsthand the impact that volunteer dentists make at Free Health Care Clinics in California's many underserved communities. On average, there are six to eight large scale clinics in California each year that provide free medical and dental care to thousands of underinsured or uninsured residents, no questions asked. Plus, several smaller clinics each year treat hundreds more, addressing regional needs for specific patient groups such as Special Olympics.

In fact, data provided by Special Olympics in Southern California show that since the passage of AB 880 in 2015, dental students have made up, on average of 76% of the volunteer workforce at their free health clinic event. Additionally, on any given weekend, there are multiple smaller health cares, with dental volunteers providing screenings and preventative care to children and adults. Currently, California law only allows dental students in their final year of dental school to participate and provide care at the sponsored health clinic.

This limits the potential volunteer workforce available to meet the dental needs of patients seeking care in these studies, AB 936 seeks to clarify in statute that dentist students enrolled in their clinical years of study at a California Dental school are granted permission to participate and provide dental treatment under the supervision of licensed dentists. With the California Dental School faculty appointment at Sponsors Healthcare Clinic.

The skills of individual dental students are very well known by their faculty Members, providing assurance that only appropriate dental care will be delivered to patients under faculty supermission. Since the passage of AB 888 years ago, volunteering to work in these sponsored clinics has inspired hundreds of dental students to continue to volunteer once they become licensed dentists, further bolstering the volunteer workforce and increasing patients'access. Dental care Regular dental care is important to everyone's overall health and well being.

Yet in California communities, access to regular dental care is almost nonexistent. Since medical and dental programs are mostly underutilized, free health care and dental clinics are an essential source of dental care for Members of the community. 8936 goes a long way in increasing the probability that many of the most needy patients will be able to be seen and get the care they need so desperately. Thank you very much for your time and attention, and thank you, Dr. Woods, for carrying the call.

Thank you ma'am. Next please.

Line 16, your line is open.

Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Members Dr. Jeffrey Elo, California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, co sponsor and strong support thank you.

Thank you. Next, please.

Thank you. Line 21, your line is open.

Name and affiliation and position on the Bill, please.

Good morning Chairman, Members Kathleen Soriano with the University of Southern California Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry in support. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have no further opposition or support in queue.

Great. Let's bring the matter back to the Deus colleagues. Questions or comments? Seeing none. Dr. Wood, would you like to close?

I just respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you for that and your patience. Is there a motion on AB 936? Senator Becker makes the motion. The motion is do passed to Senate appropriations. Please call the roll.

Roth.

Aye.

Roth aye. Nguyen. Alvarado-Gil.

Aye.

Alvarado-Gil aye. Archuleta.

Aye.

Archuleta aye. Ashby.

Aye.

Ashby aye. Becker.

Aye.

Becker aye. Dodd.

Aye.

Dodd aye. Eggman. Glazer. Niello.

Aye.

Niello aye. Smallwood-Cuevas.

Aye.

Smallwood-Cuevas aye. Wahab. Wilk.

Bill has eight votes. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, sir. I see Assembly Member Grayson in the room. My understanding you're going to be presenting both items 9 and 10. We take them in file order. I apologize, ma'am. Dr. Wood will testify. We do it in file order. I apologize. Mr. Grayson, would you like to start with yours or? Nine. Item number nine. AB 1021. Assembly Member Wicks. Presenting Assembly Member Grayson.

Mr. Chair, Members, and Committee staff. AB 1021 eliminates confusion for prescribers and pharmacists in California and prevents a gap in access to potentially life-saving legal medications. Upon FDA approval and subsequent DEA schedule rescheduling, California medical professionals acting under all applicable laws and regulations of the state would be authorized to prescribe legal medications approved by the Federal Government. This Bill had bipartisan support in the Assembly Policy Committee and on the floor. Kaiser Permanente and the California Medical Association are in support. It has no opposition.

Here with me to testify today is Dr. Ben Everett, Senior Director of Medical Science and Outcomes with MAPS Public Benefit Corporation.

Dr. Everett, please proceed.

Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Senators. I'm Benjamin Everett. I'm a neuroscientist and medical director at MAPS Public Benefit Corporation. I'm here in support of AB 1021. This legislation does not legalize any new drug. This Bill simply states that if FDA approves a prescription medicine, California's healthcare practitioners will be able to prescribe it.

It's important to note that this does not change California's state scheduling. It simply ensures patients like veterans and frontline healthcare workers will have access to new medications like any other approved prescription therapy. It's also worth noting that California is in the minority of states that lack a process for timely access for FDA-approved medications. As noted, this Bill has the support of California Medical Association and Kaiser. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, sir. Any other witnesses in support here in the hearing room in Room 2100? Seeing none. Let's turn to witnesses in opposition, lead or otherwise. Any opposition witnesses here in Room 2100? Seeing none, let's move to the teleconference service. Moderator, if you would, please prompt. Any individuals waiting to testify in the teleconference service either in support or in opposition to Assembly Bill 1021, we will take them now.

Thank you. If you're in support or opposition of AB 1021, you may press one and then zero. Again, that is one and then zero if you're in support or opposition of AB 1021. We will go to line 13. Your line is open.

Mr. Chair and Members of the Committee, Brandon Marchy with the California Medical Association, in support.

Thank you. Next, please.

Thank you. Mr. Chair, we have no further support or opposition in queue.

Thank you. Let's bring the matter back to the dais, my colleagues. Questions or comments? Senator Ashby?

Yeah. I just would like to move the Bill and would like to say that I think this is a very good Bill. It's proactive. I appreciate the sponsors and appreciate the author. If you could pass that on to Assembly Member Wicks. This is a good way to do business in the State of California. Be prepared for the best medicines to be available for people in need in our state. And so I appreciate her hard work.

Thank you, Senator. Any other questions or comments? Seeing none. Oh, I'm sorry. Senator Alvarado-Gill.

Hi. Assembly Member Grayson. Thank you for bringing this Bill forward. I do have some questions I don't know if you'll be able to answer. Perhaps your witness. So I'm looking at page four of the analysis under the background. My understanding as reading here that the Schedule 1 drugs have no currently accepted medical use, but they do have a high potential for addiction and abuse, so that currently Schedule 1 drugs may not be prescribed by any health practitioner.

And these Schedule 1 drugs include cannabis, which is already legal here in California. My concern is around LSD, peyote, heroin and ecstasy. What would be the medical purposes to prescribe those other Schedule 1 drugs?

Yeah, so I can tell you MAPS Public Benefit Corporation has completed six phase two studies on MDMA, or ecstasy-assisted therapy. We refer to it only as MDMA. Ecstasy is a street drug. We have subsequently also completed two phase three studies, and this has been designated breakthrough therapy by FDA.

That allows us an additional level of collaboration on the protocol development with FDA to ensure that this medication-assisted therapy is studied in a robust and ethical manner to ensure the safety of the patients. So we are expecting that the Bill that our studies will be submitted in terms of a new drug application soon, and hopefully this prescription medicine will be available next year.

So that's for ecstasy or MDMA. For what medical purposes would a physician need to prescribe heroin?

If I might? I'm Leslie Buhar. I'm a legal assistant with MAPS and this Bill won't affect any of the substances that you mentioned. So this will only be drugs that go through the FDA approval process, are approved by the FDA, and rescheduled by the DEA that can then be used by California practitioners.

Thank you.

Are we not opening a door to Schedule 1 drugs, including LSD, peyote, heroin and ecstasy, MDMA, by approving this Bill? In the event that the Federal Government approves these drugs under use as medical?

That is possible. But those drugs will go through that rigorous clinical process that Ben just described, and the California Legislature would have ample time to make any changes to the law that affected the access to those substances if approved by the FDA.

Okay, so other than California being prepared with a cart without a horse, what is the problem that we're looking to solve with this Bill?

Ambiguity around the availability of these substances for practitioners to use once they're FDA approved. There's no sort of policy or law that says that the FDA scheduling controls in California when the schedulings conflict with one another.

Okay. Thank you.

Any other questions or comments, colleagues? Seeing none. Assembly Member, would you like to close?

Mr. Chair and Members, on behalf of the author, Assembly Member Wicks, AB 1021 allows for federal parity after extensive policy and law enforcement review. This effort does not decriminalize or legalize any controlled substance for any nonmedical use. It specifically and only applies to prescription medicines approved by the FDA for medical use. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Thank you, sir. The Bill has been moved by Senator Ashby. The motion is do pass to Senate Public Safety. Please call the roll.

[Roll call].

Bill has eight votes or seven votes rather. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. Thank you very much, sir. We'll take your Item Number Ten: Assembly Bill 1198, GO-Biz.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members. AB 1198 requires the Energy Unit within GO-Biz to better ensure minority small businesses and disadvantaged businesses in areas of the state with high poverty and low investment participate in helping the state achieve its climate goals.

California has been and continues to be a global leader on climate change policy with goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. However, the state's ambitious plan to achieve 100 percent clean energy and net zero emissions is unlikely to be met without measures that incentivize small businesses to make clean energy investments. Small businesses play a critical role in fighting climate change. California's small businesses account for 99.8 percent of businesses in the state, and of the state's 4.1 million small businesses, 1.2 million are minority-owned.

While an individual small business may have a relatively small carbon footprint, the collective impact of those emissions can be huge. Small businesses or despite the significant role that minority small businesses have in the clean energy transition, there remains a huge gap in minority small business enterprise participation in the market transition to a low-carbon future. Small businesses may lack the same resources and support that larger corporations have when it comes to reducing emissions and implementing new technologies and operations.

It is essential that minority enterprises actively participate in delivering solutions that help California achieve its aggressive climate goals. As such, the state needs to support disadvantaged businesses by providing effective pathways and resources to create community wealth-building opportunities. AB 1198 will identify existing gaps in participation and put forward solutions to help support small businesses in the market transition.

Specifically, AB 1198 requires the Energy Unit within GO-Biz to identify resources to assist businesses in the transition to a net zero economy and to also identify current participation levels of disadvantaged businesses. Furthermore, the Energy Unit is tasked with holding public workshops and engage with stakeholders to develop recommendations on addressing barriers to accessing energy industry resources. It is my hope that AB 1198 will help California achieve its climate goals while supporting and uplifting the essential small business that makes up our economy.

With that, I would like to also introduce--through the Chair--my witness. I believe Pat Fong Kushida is here, President and CEO of the CalAsian Chamber of Commerce. Sorry, looking right over.

Oh, that's all right.

Please proceed when ready, ma'am.

Thank you. So, Senators, as you know, California has set an ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. Meeting this objective will require a sustained and inclusive economic transition to alternative and clean energy production. However, until now, programs and services to support this transition have had a limited impact on the 88 percent of California small businesses with less than 20 employees, many of which include companies owned by individuals from disadvantaged communities.

The CalAsian Chamber, along with the other AB 1198 co-sponsors and supporters want to emphasize the importance of implementing new and more intentional strategies for assisting these historically underserved small businesses and workers in making this transition equitable.

AB 1198 advances a three-pronged approach, including a disparity analysis between the eligible small businesses and worker populations on the actual program usage, a deeper dive into how to design state programs and award criteria that actually support all eligible small businesses and workers being able to compete equitably for funding and other resources and three, the creation of a technical advisory workgroup to help GO-Biz better understand and address why certain business owner groups are not accessing available energy programs.

We really feel that it's important to have the data and a report that will provide the data, much of what's already been outlined by the Assembly Member to show the Legislature with a report what's lacking, what can we provide, small businesses, and trying to comply with energy policies that are instated by the State of California and also the hindrances that may occur should policies be put in place as well.

The group will also help forge new relationships among program providers and stakeholders. I want to thank Assembly Member Grayson for authoring AB 1198 along with Senators Alvarado-Gil and Caballero for coauthoring this critical piece of legislation. Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am. Any other witnesses in Room 2100 in support? Name, affiliation, and position on the measure, please.

Good morning. Yolanda Benson here for the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, also co-sponsors of AB 1198. We thank the author for carrying this legislation.

So we feel this is just a great opportunity to gather information and data to provide assistance to the small businesses in California whom, as you know, are the backbone of our economy. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, please. Name, affiliation, position on the measure, please.

Mel Assagai for the California African American Chamber of Commerce, a co-sponsor in strong support.

Thank you very much. Any other supporters here in Room 2100? Seeing none, let's move to witnesses in opposition, lead or otherwise. Any opposition witnesses? Seeing none, let's move to the teleconference service. Moderator, if you would please prompt any individuals waiting to testify either in support or in opposition to AB 1198, we will take them now.

Thank you. If you're in support or opposition of AB 1198, you may press one and then zero. Again, that is one and then zero for support or opposition of AB 1198. We will go to line 24. Your line is open. Line 24, do you have yourself on mute?

Hi, this is Meg Snyder, Axiom Advisors, on behalf of Rewiring America, in support of AB 1198.

Okay. We will move on to line 25. Your line is open.

Thank you. Next, please.

Line 19, your line is open.

Hi, my name is Addison Peterson, Policy Specialist for CAMEO California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity. And we are in strong support of AB 1198. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, please.

Thank you. Mr. Chair, We have no further support or opposition in queue.

Thank you, Moderator. Bringing the matter back to the dais. Colleagues, questions, or comments?

I move the Bill.

It's been moved by Senator Alvarado-Gil. Senator Ashby.

Yeah. Just quick comment that this is great work. I saw some friendly faces that I know well that have worked a long time in these equity spaces to make sure that we're working with the state's associations like GoBiz to make sure that these dollars get spread equitably across organizations that are doing amazing work. And there are many of them.

So I'm grateful to the associations that showed up today to speak on behalf of these great organizations and thank you to the author for engaging such good supporters.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Niello, followed by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm prepared to support the Bill, but it might end up being for not because there are additional costs associated with the Bill. If I understand the information I've seen, it's about 600,000 a year ongoing and about 1,600,000 upfront. And we have a budget deficit this year. So how do you propose to cover those expenditures?

Well, my checking account is a little low right now, but. Well, I'll take any offering I can get. I understand the times that we're in, but we also know the times are cyclic and that we will have better days that come. I know that GoBiz is excited about this as well, and they have resources. We all reach for different budgets. I think it comes down to priority, and our priority is to address climate change.

We have set aside, in our budget, money to address that, climate change. And I think at this point it comes to us to support the policy and lean on both houses and the Governor to prioritize and put money where our mouth is when it comes to addressing our climate change.

Is it in the budget that's in print today?

I wouldn't say that it's a finished product yet.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Smallwood-Cuevas.

Thank you. I want to just thank the author for bringing this important Bill in my district, particularly along the Crenshaw Corridor. I can't tell you how important small businesses are to employing our communities and often some of our hard-to-employ community members. My question that I had is how do the chambers work across each sort of particular small business community to advise how this will be done?

Every business has challenges, and certainly when you talk about technology, depending on the kind of business is always a technological challenge. And I just wonder, how do across the chambers, do each of the individual entities give input to really address the needs of their communities? Whether it's translation, whether it's folks who just have a low internet access in terms of a customer base. Just curious how you're thinking about partnering to figure these pieces out, because this is really important.

As we are approaching this green revolution, we want to make sure that our businesses, particularly our mom and pop shops, have an opportunity to fully engage.

Well, appreciate, if I may, really do appreciate the question and how I will say this is the first step in this evolution is really actually having a voice at the table. So we feel that the task force is going to be extremely important in terms of not only getting input from our constituencies, but also obviously when the policies are developed and the regulatory framework is adopted, we want to make sure that that gets back down into our local communities.

So we see this as a retention strategy for a lot of businesses, not only a start and growth strategy, but more importantly a retention strategy. And that does require a boots-on-the-ground strategy in these local communities, as you just described. And so many of our chambers, we all, as umbrella organizations, represent many local chambers throughout our network. I know the Hispanic Chamber has over 90 plus chambers. We have over 260 because we have 16 different ethnicities under the API umbrella.

So it is our intent, obviously, to be able to do that in such a way that it's culturally sensitive and relevant. But the first step is actually being at the table to really voice our concerns about why this is not necessarily getting down to our communities. So I appreciate the comment.

I appreciate that and the commitment of small businesses to be in this process. It's so important to all of our communities. I want to say we and the corridor are generating hundreds of millions of dollars in sales tax revenue across the 28th District. And it means so much to making sure that our local communities work as well at the county level and beyond. So thank you for that. And I move the Bill. I think we already have a motion, but I second that.

Just for my colleagues, my recollection is GoBiz has regional representatives that are stationed and positioned in various locations throughout the state. So for Senator Smallwood-Cuevas, I would be very surprised if there's not a GoBiz regional representative down in her area working with small businesses and probably on this as well. Any other questions? Comments? Seeing none. Assembly Member, we do have a motion. Would you like to close?

Yes. I do want to thank the strong support that is present here, as well as the comments from Committee Members and strong support from the phone lines. Thank you, Senator, for making the point that you did about connectivity and about engaging all the different associations.

All the more reason for us to turn to GoBiz and let GoBiz be the catalyst for that connectivity, to bring all voices to the table, which GoBiz is capable of doing through regional directors as well as all the resources that they have on a statewide basis. So with that, I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Bill has been moved by Senator Alvarado-Gil. The motion is do pass to Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications. Please call the roll.

[Roll call].

Bill has seven votes. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Assembly Member Papan, item number 11, AB 1304. Please proceed when ready.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. AB 1304 simply increases the fees that County Board of Supervisors may charge to fund operations of the County Sealer of Weights and Measures. Since 1913, county sealers have been tasked with testing and verifying commercial measurement devices, such as gas pumps, scales at grocery stores and the like. This program is established to ensure that these measurement devices are accurate and consumers are getting what they pay for. Counties recoup testing costs through various fees charged to the owners of these devices.

The current fee structure has been in place since 2008 and counties are now operating at a loss due to inflation. AB 1304 simply adjusts the associated fees to bring them in line with inflation and increase operational costs. Testifying with me today is Mr. Matt Siverling. Siverling, representing the county sealers. And I tried not to put an L in there. I promise.

It's all right. Following my whole life.

Please proceed, sir.

Mr. Chair and Members Matthew Siverling, on behalf of the California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association, each of whom is tasked with ensuring fairness and equity in the marketplace by testing, inspecting, registering, responding to consumer complaints, and then retesting any device that's used to weigh or measure something that's offered for sale on an annual basis.

The program ensures, again, fairness and equity on both sides of these transactions for both businesses and consumers alike and really ensure that consumers get what they pay for which is one of the most fundamental and basic premises of commerce. So with that, I respectfully request your Aye vote and could be here for any questions if you have them. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. Any other support witnesses in room 2100, please step forward. Name, affiliation and position on the measure, please.

Good afternoon. Jenny Treis on behalf of the County of Santa Clara, in support.

Thank you. Next, please.

Izzy Swindler with Shaw, Yoder, Antwih, Schmelzer, and Lang, on behalf of Placer and Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, in support. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other support witnesses here in the room? Seeing none, let's turn to opposition witnesses, lead or otherwise. Any opposition witnesses to Assembly Bill 1304 in the room 2100? Seeing none, let's move to the teleconference service. Moderator, if you would, please prompt any individuals waiting to testify either in support or in opposition we'll take them now.

Thank you. For your support or opposition of AB 1304, you may press one and then zero. Again, that is one and then zero for support or opposition of AB 1304. We will go to line 10. Your line is open.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. Nicole Wordelman on behalf of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, in support.

Next, please.

Thank you. Mr. Chair, We have no further support or opposition in queue.

Let's bring the matter back to the dais, my colleagues, for questions. It's been moved by Senator Archuleta. Senator Becker?

Yeah. I was just going to say I know this is important to some areas that we mutually represent and I'll also support the Bill.

Thank you. Any other questions or comments? Seeing none. Assembly Member, would you like to close?

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a good Bill for counties. Respectfully request an Aye vote.

The Bill has been moved by Senator Archuleta. The motion is do pass to Senate Appropriations. Please call the roll.

[Roll call].

Bill has eight votes. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. Thank you, ma'am. See Assembly Member Flora. Please step forward. Item number 12. Assembly Bill 1560. Proceed when ready.

Good morning, Senators. Pleased to present AB 1560 which would require a purchaser of a crematory to submit an application to the Crematory and Federal Bureau for the Bureau's approval of assignment of the license. The legislation would also require new owners to notify the Bureau of potential change of ownership and any required inspections they need to conduct a minimum of 30 calendar days prior to the change of ownership. And I respectfully ask for your Aye vote. Here with me is Chris Micheli.

Witnesses in support, proceed when ready.

Thank you. Chair and Members, Jerry Desmond with the Cemetery and Mortuary Association in California in support of the measure. Provides a streamlined process with Bureau oversight when there's a change of ownership of recrimatory with advanced notification to the Bureau, the Bureau's ability to consider the application, complete authority of the Bureau over the continued operation, and then deadlines 10 days after the sale to give the final agreement to the Bureau, and then 60 days to provide a copy of the local air district permit for the crematory to operate.

And we urge an Aye vote on the Bill.

Thank you, sir. Next, please.

Good morning, Mr. Chair. Chris Micheli, on behalf of SCI, California Funeral Services, in strong support as well. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other witnesses in support in room 2100? Seeing none. Let's turn to opposition witnesses, lead or otherwise. Any opposition witnesses in the hearing room? Seeing none. Let's move to the teleconference service. Moderator, if you would, please prompt any individuals waiting to testify in opposition or in support to Assembly Bill 1560 we will begin with them.

Thank you. If you're in support or opposition, you may press one and then zero. Again, that is, one and then zero for support or opposition of AB 1560. And, Mr. Chair, we have no one in queue.

Thank you. Let's bring the matter back to the dais and my colleagues for questions or comments. Questions or comments. Colleagues seeing none. It's been moved by Senator Ashby. Assembly Member. Would you like to close?

Respectfully ask for your Aye vote.

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

[Roll call].

Bill has ten votes; we'll hold the roll open for absent Members. Thank you, sir. In about a minute or so, we'll open the roll, and we're waiting for Senator Wahab who's on her way down. That bill is on consent. Let's go ahead and open the roll. We're going to start with--ladies and gentlemen--so we know what we're doing, we're going to start with a consent calendar. Everybody here? We're starting with a consent calendar. This is like school.

Okay, let's open the roll on the consent calendar. It was moved by Senator Dodd. Vote is eight to zero. Chair voting aye.

Nguyen? Eggman? Glazer? Aye. Glazer, aye. Wahab? Wilk? Aye. Wilk, aye.

Let's call the roll. This is the consent calendar. Current vote is ten to zero. Chair voting aye.

Nguyen? Eggman? Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye.

Vote, current vote: eleven to zero. We'll hold the roll open for the absent Member. Let's move to Item Number One. This is AB 258. We have a motion by Senator Archuleta. Right, Senator Archuleta? And the motion is 'do pass to Senate Governmental Organization.' Please call the roll.

Roth? Aye. Roth, aye. Nguyen? Alvarado-Gil? Aye. Alvarado-Gil, aye. Archuleta? Aye. Archuleta, aye. Ashby? Aye. Ashby, aye. Becker? Aye. Becker, aye. Dodd? Aye. Dodd, aye. Eggman? Glazer? Aye. Glazer, aye. Niello? Aye. Niello, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas? Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Wilk? Aye. Wilk, aye.

Vote is eleven to zero. We'll hold the roll open for the absent Member. File Item Number Two: AB 336. Current vote is eight to zero. Chair voting aye.

Nguyen? Eggman? Glazer? Aye. Glazer, aye. Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Wilk? Aye. Wilk, aye.

Current vote: eleven to zero. We'll hold the roll open for the absent Member. File Item Number Three: Assembly Bill 623. We do need a motion. Motion by Senator Wilk. The motion is 'do pass to Senate Appropriations.' Please call the roll.

Roth? Aye. Roth, aye. Nguyen? Alvarado-Gil? Aye. Alvarado-Gil, aye. Archuleta? Aye. Archuleta, aye. Ashby? Aye. Ashby, aye. Becker? Aye. Becker, aye. Dodd? Aye. Dodd, aye. Eggman? Glazer? Aye. Glazer, aye. Niello? Aye. Niello, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas? Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Wilk? Aye. Wilk, aye.

Current vote: eleven to zero. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. File Item Number Five: Assembly Bill 663. It was moved by Senator Becker. The motion is 'do pass to Senate Appropriations.' Please call the roll.

Roth? Aye. Roth, aye. Nguyen? Alvarado-Gil? Aye. Alvarado-Gil, aye. Archuleta? Aye. Archuleta, aye. Ashby? Aye. Ashby, aye. Becker? Aye. Becker, aye. Dodd? Aye. Dodd, aye. Eggman? Glazer? Aye. Glazer, aye. Niello? Aye. Niello, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas? Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Wilk? Aye. Wilk, aye.

Current vote: eleven to zero. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. Next item is File Item Number Six: Assembly Bill 883. It was moved by Senator Archuleta. The motion is 'do pass to Senate Military and Veteran Affairs.' Please call the roll.

Roth? Aye. Roth, aye. Nguyen? Alvarado-Gil? Aye. Alvarado-Gil, aye. Archuleta? Aye. Archuleta, aye. Ashby? Aye. Ashby, aye. Becker? Aye. Becker, aye. Dodd? Aye. Dodd, aye. Eggman? Glazer? Aye. Glazer, aye. Niello? Aye. Niello, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas? Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Wilk? Aye. Wilk, aye.

Current vote: eleven to zero. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. File Item Number Seven: Assembly Bill 936 was moved by Senator Becker. The current vote is eight to zero. Please call the roll.

Nguyen? Eggman? Glazer? Aye. Glazer, aye. Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Wilk? Aye. Wilk, aye.

Current vote: eleven to zero. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. File Item Number Nine: Assembly Bill 1021, moved by Senator Ashby. 'Do pass to Senate Public Safety.' Current vote: seven to zero. Please call the roll.

Nguyen? Alvarado-Gil? Eggman? Glazer? Aye. Glazer, aye. Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Wilk?

Current vote: nine to zero. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. File Item Number Ten: AB 1198. It was moved by Senator Alvarado-Gil. 'Do pass to Senate Energy, Utilities and Communication.' Current vote: seven to zero. Chair voting aye.

Nguyen? Becker? Aye. Becker, aye. Eggman? Glazer? Aye. Glazer, aye. Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Wilk? Aye. Wilk, aye.

Current vote: eleven to zero. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. File Item Number 11: Assembly Bill 1304. Moved by Senator Archuleta. 'Do pass to Senate Appropriations.' Current vote: eight to zero.

Nguyen? Eggman? Glazer? Aye. Glazer, aye. Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Wilk? Aye. Wilk, aye.

Current vote: eleven/zero. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members. Last item: File Item Number 12: Assembly Bill 1560. Moved by Senator Ashby. 'Do pass to Senate Appropriations.' Current vote: ten to zero. Chair voting aye.

Nguyen? Eggman? Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye.

Current vote: eleven to zero. We'll hold the roll open for absent Members.

Starting with the consent calendar?

We're going to open the rolls. We're going to start with the--we're going to open the rolls. We're going to start with the consent calendar. There's one item on consent. It's File Item Number Four: AB 628. Motion by Senator Dodd. The current vote is eleven to zero. Please open the roll.

Nguyen?

Which one? I'm sorry.

This is the consent calendar. Item Number Four.

Nguyen, aye. Eggman? Okay.

Vote is twelve/zero. The consent calendar is out. The next item, File Item Number One by Assembly Member Reyes is AB 258. Bill was moved by Senator Archuleta. It's 'do pass to Senate GO. Current vote is 11 to zero. Please open the roll.

Nguyen? Aye. Nguyen, aye. Eggman? Okay.

Vote is twelve/zero. That matter is--item is out. Next item: File Item Number Two by Assembly Member Cervantes: AB 336. Current vote is eleven to zero. The motion was 'do pass the Senate Appropriations.' Please open the roll.

Nguyen? Aye. Nguyen, aye. Eggman?

Vote is twelve/zero; that matter is out. Next item is File Item Number Three by Assembly Member Chen: AB 623. Motion is 'do pass to Senate Appropriation by Senator Wilk.' Current vote: eleven to zero. Please open the roll.

Nguyen? Eggman?

Eleven to zero; that matter is--item is out. Next item is File Item Number Five by Assembly Member Haney: Assembly Bill 663. Motion by Senator Becker. 'Do pass to Senate Appropriations.' Current vote: eleven to zero. Please open the roll.

Nguyen? Aye. Nguyen, aye. Eggman?

Vote is twelve/zero; that matter is out. Next item: File Item Number Six by Assembly Member Mathis: AB 883. Moved by Senator Archuleta. Motion: 'do pass to Senate Military and Veterans Affairs.' Current vote: eleven to zero. Chair voting aye. Please open the roll.

Nguyen? Aye. Nguyen, aye. Eggman?

Vote is twelve/zero; that matter is out. Next is File Item Number Seven by Assembly Member Wood: AB 936. Motion by Senator Becker. 'Do pass to Senate Appropriations.' Current vote: eleven is zero. Yes, eleven to zero. Please open the roll.

Nguyen? Aye. Nguyen, aye. Eggman?

Vote is twelve to zero; that matter is out. Next is File Item Number Nine by Assembly Member Wicks: Assembly Bill AB 1021. Moved by Senator Ashby. 'Do pass to Senate Public Safety.' Current vote: nine to zero. Chair voting aye. Please open the roll.

Nguyen? Alvarado-Gil? Eggman? Wilk?

Vote is nine/zero; that matter is out. Next item: File Item Number Ten by Assembly Member Grayson: AB 1198. Moved by Senator Alvarado-Gil. Motion: 'do pass to Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications.' Current vote: eleven to zero. Chair voting aye. Please open the roll.

Nguyen? Aye. Nguyen, aye. Eggman?

Vote is twelve/zero; that matter is out. Next item: File Item Number 11 by Assembly Member Papan: AB 1304. Moved by Senator Archuleta. Motion: 'do pass the Senate Appropriations.' Current vote: eleven to zero. Please open the roll.

Nguyen? Eggman?

Eleven to zero; that matter is out. Final item: File Item Number 12 by Assembly Member Flora: AB 1560. Motion by Senator Ashby. 'Do pass to Senate Appropriations.' Current vote: eleven to zero. Chair voting aye.

Nguyen? Aye. Nguyen, aye. Eggman?

Vote, final vote: twelve/zero. That matter is out. I want to thank all of the Committee Members and witnesses, authors, others who participated today. Our business having finished, the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee is adjourned.