Assembly Floor

[Roll Call]

Members, a quorum is present, and we ask our guests and our visitors in the gallery and in the rear of the chamber to please stand for today's prayer and pledge. Today's prayer will be offered by Assemblymember Grayson. Mr. Grayson.

Please join me in prayer. Lord, as we begin each day to examine issues and discuss proposals, never let us be so distracted by the argument and rhetoric as to forget that we are dealing with the lives and living patterns of human beings, those who have and have not, but all possessing an indescribable dignity and destiny. Amen.

We ask you to remain standing as we recite the nation's pledge. Please join Assemblymember Hart as he leads us in the pledge.

Please place your right hand over your heart and join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it's.

Thank you. You may be seated. Reading of the previous day's journal.

Assembly Chamber of Sacramento Monday, March 202023 the Assembly met at 01:00 p.m. The Honorable Stephanie Quinn, Assistant Speaker, Protemporia the Assembly presiding Chief Clerk Sue Parker at the desk. Assistant Clerk Taylor Martin reading roll call. The roll was called quorum called the Assembly. Assembly Member Lowe moved a quorum called the Assembly. Motion carried. Time 100 and 02:00 p.m. The assistant Speaker Pro Tem directed the sergeant at arms. Close the doors and bring in the absent Members.

Quorum present at 01:11 p.m., Assistance Pro Tem Nguyen declared a quorum of the Assembly present. The roll call was completed and the following ... to their names. Addis Aguiar-Curry, Alanis Alvarez Ray is moved.

Mr. Flora seconds that the reading of the previous journal, day's journal will be dispensed with presentations and petitions there are none. Introductions and references of bills will be deferred. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments deemed adopted. Messages from the Governor there are none. Messages from the Senate? There are none. Moving to motions and resolutions. The absences for the day for personal business. Assemblymember Garcia and Assemblymember Gallagher for illness. Assemblymember Gabriel and Majority leader Reyes, you are recognized for your procedural motions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rules 45.5 to allow Assemblymember Rubio to speak on an adjournment in memory today.

Without objection. Such shall be the order.

And I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 118 A to allow Assemblymember Haney to have guests seated at his desk.

Without objection. Such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to allow the utilities and Energy Committee to notice AB 1182, Petrie-Norris for their hearing on April 26 pending re referral from the jobs, economic development and the economy Committee.

Without objections. That shall be the order.

Pursuant to Assembly Rule 96, I request unanimous consent to re refer AB 772 Jackson from the Utilities and Energy Committee to the Human Services Committee.

And without objection, such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent for the Public Safety Committee to hold a special hearing Thursday, April 27 for the following bills. AB 33, Baines AB 367, Maienschein AB 474, Rodriguez AB 675, Soria AB 955, Petrie Norris and AB 158 Jim Patterson.

That objection. Such shall be the order. Members, we have some guest introductions with us today and we will begin with Assemblymember Haney who has guests at assemblymember Bonta's desk. Mr. Haney, you're recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker and Members, I am very excited to welcome two very special guests, my grandparents, to the floor of the State of Assembly, Alan Calvin and Dorothy Calvin. My grandfather is celebrating with us a recent 95th birthday and they're here with us. My grandfather grew up the son of Jewish immigrants.

He served in World War II in the US Navy on the USS Iowa and he was a close confidant and friend of Martin Luther King's and worked his entire life on civil rights and education and the work that we do here in this body. They are incredibly important to me and my journey to be here and I'm so honored to welcome them and celebrate with them my grandfather's 95th birthday. If you'll please welcome them to the State Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. Haney and Assemblywoman Cervantes, you're recognizing your desk for your guest introductions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for allowing me to introduce students from the Fuente program from Riverside City College. They traveled from Riverside to their state capitol. Appreciate the opportunity. Please join me in welcoming students and future leaders to the State Assembly.

Welcome to the California State Assembly. And Members, today we got two special announcements. We have a happy early birthday to Assemblywoman Soria, whose birthday is Saturday, April 22.

And if we could ask our floor photographer for the democratic caucus, Jeff Walters. Where's Jeff? Members, with great sadness, today is the last day on the floor for Jeff Walters, who's been here too many years providing us his exceptional services. Thank you, Mr. Walters. Best wishes in your next steps. And Members will be moving to our business on the daily file for second reading, the Clerk will read.

[Second Reading]

All bills are deemed read, all deemed adopted and Members were on Assembly third reading.

Members we're going to go ahead and start on the third reading, and we're going to start with file item 118. AB 933. The Clerk will read

Assembly Bill 933 by Assembly Member Agria Curry and others an act relating to privileged communications.

Assembly Member Aguirra Curry, you may open.

Madam Speaker and Members, I rise to present AB 933 legislation authored by myself and the gentleman from San Diego. AB 933 will protect survivors of sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination who speak out against their abusers. The MeToo movement gave many assault and harassment survivors the opportunity to bravely share their stories. However, as survivors courageously came forward, many were served with defamation lawsuits meant to intimidate, punish, and silence the very people they had abused.

AB 933 will clarify that claims made in good faith are a form of protected speech. Members, these survivors are our family Members, our friends, and the staff who support our every accomplishment. Our neighbors and our other community Members, including the extended capital community. It is imperative that we use our power here to protect them from sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination. And it is just as imperative that we protect them from revenge lawsuits when they come forward to put a stop to abuse. I will respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Assembly Member Ward, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise as a proud joint author of Assembly Bill 933. According to the rape, abuse and Incest national network, two out of three sexual assaults are not reported to police. This is disproportionately affecting California's women, our daughters, our mothers, our neighbors. It disproportionately affects LGBT community Members, including gay men. And it disproportionately affects our students and our young professionals and California's most vulnerable. And why is this?

Because the decision to speak out publicly about one's own experience is highly personal, and it's often made more complicated by the fear of retaliation from the abuser. That retaliation can take many forms, from physical or emotional, to the growing trend of legal retaliation in the form of defamation lawsuits filed for the sole purpose of silencing the survivor.

Now, this has had an immense chilling effect on survivors coming forward and speaking out, as many are unable to afford costly litigation or publicly relieve their trauma through invasive discovery processes. Allowing their survivors to share their experiences is a necessary form of prevention of future sexual crimes.

So this Bill, Assembly Bill 933, will not only lift up those voices of these survivors and allow them to speak their truth without fear, but it will allow them to seek justice and put an end to the weaponization of defamation lawsuits. To silent them, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Assemblymember Ward seeing and hearing no others wishing to comment on this item. Assemblymember Aguilar Curry, would you like to close?

I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

The Clerk will open. All those who desire to vote, vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote, the Clerk will close the roll. We have 59 ayes and three no's. This motion carries. Next we have file item 136 ACR 51. Assembly Member Hart, you may open. I'm sorry, the Clerk will read Assembly.

Concurrent resolution 51 by Assembly Member Hart Relative to Donate Life DMV Partnership Month. Assembly Member Hart

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Members, I'm pleased to present ACR 51 to recognize April as Donate Life Month. Today, there are over 100,000 people nationwide who are waiting for a life saving donation. A single individual's donation could heal and save up to eight lives, and one donation of tissue can save more than 75 lives.

Donate Life Month brings awareness to the kind of impact just one individual can have to those in need of a transplant, please take a minute to take a look at your driver's license to make sure that you have the pink donation button and card on your driver's license, please join the nearly 19 million Californians who've taken that step to go to the DMV website and to volunteer to be a donor. Donate Life Month brings awareness to the kind impact just one individual can have.

Californians who are interested in becoming donors can easily register with the DMV or visit the Donate Life website. I respectfully urge your ivote to help give adults and children another chance at living full lives. Thank you.

Thank you Mr. Hart and Assemblywoman Davies, you are recognized.