Assembly Floor

The Assembly is now in session. Assembly Member Aguiar Curry notices the absence of a quorum. The sergeant at arms will prepare the chamber. Bring in the absent Members. The Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Father God, we thank you for all the blessings of this life, especially for new friendships and for old ones made stronger and more precious with each passing day. Give us grace to listen to each other and to the prompting of your spirit, so we may work in unity in the bonds of peace. Help us to do with all our soul and mind and strength the work committed to us by the people so that we may not fail them or you. Amen.

Thank you, Assembly Member Soria. Please rise now. Mr. Lackey will lead us in the pledge.

Please join me in this important American tradition. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and the the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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

Assembly Chamber of Sacramento Friday, January 12, 2024. The Assembly meet at 9:00 a.m.

Moves and Mr. Flora seconds that the reading of the previous day's journal be dispensed with. Presentations and petitions, there are none. Introduction 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 medical leave, Assembly Member Addis and Assembly Member Dahle. Members, your respectful attention. Members, your respectful attention. Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry, you are recognized for your procedural motions.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 45.5 to allow Assembly Members Weber and Quirk-Silva to speak on adjournment in memory today.

Without objection. Such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 118 A to allow the Speaker and Assembly Member Cervantes to have guests in the rear of the chamber and to allow Assembly Member Reyes to have a guest seated at her desk today.

Without objection. Such shall be the order.

I'm giving a one day notice to remove file item 8-22, SB 586, Eggman, from the inactive file at the request of Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry.

Clerk will note.

Pursuant to the Assembly rule 98, I request unanimous consent to strike 27 vetoes from the file at the request of the authors. The list of the bills is at the desk. I ask that the clerk read the bills to be stricken.

Clerk will read.

[Roll Call]

Without objection, the bills are stricken. Members, let's wish a happy belated birthday to Assembly Member Bonta who celebrated on Friday. Happy birthday, Assembly Member Bonta. Please also join me in wishing a happy birthday to Assembly Member Ramos who is celebrating his birthday today. Additionally, Assembly Member Ramos has brought cupcakes for Members and they are located in the lounge. No report on the flavor at this point. Assembly Member Cervantes, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I am honored to introduce several distinguished guests to our chambers today. Joining us on the Assembly Floor is Consul General Mexico here in Sacramento, Consul General Christian Tonatiuh González. Accompanying him are Didya Fong Olmos, Political Affairs Department, and Cesar Ocasio from the Press Department. Consul General González recently served as chief of protocol and public diplomacy at the Permanent Mission of Mexico in the United Nations.

During Mexico's recent participation as an elected member of the Security Council, he served as a spokesperson and was in charge of disseminating Mexico's activities, results and positions as well. During his tenure as a UN delegate, he served as an election officer from 2016 to 2023, in which he obtained 100% of the elected Mexican candidates and more than 40 multilateral nominations presented by Mexico at UN headquarters.

Between 2008 and 2015, he represented the Third Committee of the General Assembly as a delegate of human rights, cultural, social, and humanitarian affairs. In this distinguished position, he furthered the agenda of protecting children, women, migrants, and people with disabilities, LGBTQ plus, and other minorities throughout his management of the Mexican delegation in the UN. His responsibilities also include cultural affairs sector.

As chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, on behalf of our Members, I welcome you and our team as our future partners. May our interests in maintaining strong ties between us help us address shared challenges. Through combined economies and representation, we can resolve rapid changes in our economic and social political landscapes and the issues we face by improving the quality of lives of our communities.

Thank you, Consul General, for joining us today. It is an honor to be able to work with you side by side. Colleagues, if we could give another round of applause to our Consul, General Gonzalez.

Thank you, Assembly Member Cervantes. And once again, welcome, Consul General González. Thank you, Assembly Member Quirk-Silva. You are recognized for your guest introductions.

The button's not on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, please join me in welcoming the North Orange County Community College Leadership Academy program. This program brings together individuals who are working, they are up here behind me, that are working within the community college system in my district. My district is known as an education community with Fullerton College, Cypress College in my district, including also higher education, Cal State Fullerton. This leadership academy fosters a multidimensional perspective of leadership, from developing individual strategies to engaging in broader advocacy. Welcome and thank you for making the trip to Sacramento.

Thank you, Assembly Member Quirk-Silva. And welcome to the Assembly today. Thank you. From your desk, Assembly Member Reyes, you have a guest to introduce today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I'd like to introduce to those of you who don't know my husband, Frank Reyes, trustee for the San Bernardino Community College District. He's here for a conference. That's the reason he's visiting, not because it's my birthday. My husband, Frank Reyes.

Thank you, Assembly Member Reyes and Mr. Reyes, for joining us here today. Moving on to business on the Daily File, governor's vetoes. Pass and retain on file items one through 73. Reconsideration. All items shall be continued. Moving on to Assembly third reading. Pass and retain on items number 76 through 80. Moving to file item 81. AB 82 by Assembly Member Weber. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 82 by Assembly Member Weber and others, an act relating to public health.

Dr. Weber, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise today to present AB 82. AB 82 would ban the sell of diet pills to minors unless prescribed by a doctor. This bill would establish an ID check for the sale of dietary supplements and drugs to prevent minors from purchasing them. While California is at the forefront of regulations concerning weight loss dietary supplements and diet pills, we do not prohibit the sale of these products to minors despite the well-documented dangers.

Recent studies from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and Stanford University found that individuals using diet pills and laxatives were more likely to be diagnosed with and develop serious eating disorders later on in life. Teens are especially targeted by these diet pills, as self-image issues are prevalent among adolescents. These teens turned to quick measures without considering or having even knowledge of the long-term, lasting impacts these diet pills and supplements could have on their bodies.

This bill is needed so that parents might be aware of the products their children are taking and to prevent teens from looking for a quick way to lose weight by consuming products with unknown or mislabeled ingredients. I'm committed to working with the Chamber of Commerce and addressing their concerns, which came in at the last minute and am in communication with them to find solutions for their concern. And with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote on AB 82. Thank you.

Seeing and hearing no further debate, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes: 48; noes: two. Measure passes. Moving on to File Item 82: AB 810 by Assembly Member Friedman. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 810 by Assembly Member Friedman, an act relating to postsecondary education.

Assembly Member Friedman, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, colleagues. As you may know, in 2018, I chaired the Joint Rule Subcommittee on Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response. We heard in that Committee from experts and advocates from across the spectrum about best practices in preventing harassment as we took steps to increase transparency and accountable to ourselves and our colleagues and for our staff and amongst our staff, while it's past time for similar protections for staff and students at our colleges and universities.

AB 810 builds on existing best practices established by UC Davis by codifying their employee verification process for public and private universities. This bill provides an additional layer of protection for the campus community by providing another tool for human resource officers to engage with previous employers to ascertain whether the applicant--and we're talking about teachers, coaches, et cetera--to find out whether that applicant has sustained allegations of misconduct while employed by a previous employer.

This bill is one of many bills this year that will help strengthen policies to prevent and address sex discrimination and sexual assault on college and university campuses in California. I want to thank and commend the Chair of Higher Education for his efforts to address this issue, and I, along with many of my colleagues, look forward to the report, which will be issued later this month with key recommendations of which I have learned my bill will be one of them.

There is no registered opposition for this bill. On behalf of the survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault on our college campuses, I respectfully ask for an aye vote on AB 810 so that no longer can someone leave a school in shadow and secrecy after having it proven that they committed some kind of assault or harassment and have that hidden when they go to their next job. We need to do this to protect our children. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Assembly Member Mike Fong, you are recognized.

Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of Assembly Bill 810. Thank you so much to my colleague from Glendale for bringing this very important bill forward. As you know, in our Committee, Title IX and sex discrimination has been a major focus of our Committee by the Assembly Higher Education Committee.

Our Committee, in conjunction with the Senate Education Committee, will be releasing a report soon on how the state can best assist in the prevention of sex discrimination on campus. Assembly Bill 810 is consistent with the recommendations in a coming report and I respectfully urge an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Fong. All debate having ceased, seeing and hearing no further debate, would you like to close? All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote.

All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close a roll on tally the votes. Ayes 52 no zero. Measure passes. Moving to file item 85. Assembly Bill 977 by Assembly Member Rodriguez. The Clerk will read

Assembly Bill 977 by Assembly Member Rodriguez an act related to hospital emergency departments.

Assembly Member Rodriguez, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, thank you for allowing me to present AB 977 this Bill to increase the penalty for committing assault and battery against an emergency Department. ED workers this Bill to make the penalties for committing assault and battery inside the emergency Department equal to the penalties for committing assault and battery outside an emergency Department. Workplace violence in the ED is rising and increasing healthcare burnout stress rates.

As a first responder for over 30 years, I've personally witnessed assaults on emergency room staff and even physically restrained folks myself. ED staff are exposed to workplace violence, can suffer from burnout, traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue. Unfortunately, many ED workers are told workplace violence is just part of the job. As a result, only 3% of assaults are result impressed charges, according to the Marin College of Emergency Physicians.

I'll take a note that judges are allowed to consider any mental and physical psychosis period prior to sentencing. By establishing parity between the penalties for assault and battery against an emergency worker both inside and outside of a healthcare facility, AB 977 will provide workers with the respect they deserve while protecting them from workplace violence. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Seeing and hearing no further debate, all debate having seized, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote, Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 48 no zero. Measure passes. I did not say pass and retain on file items 83 and 84, but I'm saying it now. Moving on to file item 86, AB 990. Assembly Member Grayson the Clerk will read

Assembly Bill 990 by Assembly Member Grayson and others an act relating to

water. Assembly Member Grayson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB 990 would require the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Water Quality Control Board to revisit a part of the municipal regional stormwater permit. Recently, the Water Board's adoption of stringent inclusionary standards in their updated municipal stormwater permit would have detrimental impacts on developments already in the works across the Bay Area.

AB 990 requires the Regional Water Quality Board to visit the special Category C permits that have an effect on affordable infill housing and consult with regional and local stakeholders to ensure that the updated permit won't impair housing development in the Bay Area. This bill is narrowly tailored to address affordable housing concerns without making any changes to parts of the permit related to stormwater pollution management and would only have an impact in the Bay Area. Thank you and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 54 no zero. Measure passes. Moving on to file item 87, AB 1135 by Assembly Member Lowenthal. Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1135 by Assembly Member Lowenthal, an act relating to telephone services.

Assembly Member Lowenthal, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members.

Today I rise to present AB 1135, which will initiate a transition away from the use of toll free lines by state agencies and departments while ensuring that the public maintains equitable telephonic access to state services. Folks, this is a Bill that's going to save the state millions of dollars per year without interrupting service for our constituents.

The Bill allows agencies and departments to maintain their existing toll free lines, but requires that they also offer nontoll free lines as the primary means by which a Member of the public contacts an agency. This Bill achieves this by requiring agencies to update their websites with nontolll free numbers as the primary contact number displayed on the website by July 1st 2025 and it requires any publications to be updated with a nontolll free number when they are next updated.

It is important to note that the Bill requires that any toll free line that is currently operated by a state agency must continue to be operated when the other provisions of the Bill are implemented, thereby guaranteeing continued access by the public. This solution ensures that anyone who's trying to contact an agency or Department via toll free number can continue to do so while curtailing overall use. by publishing a nontoll free number as the primary means of contact.

Thank you Mr. Lowenthal. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 46 no zero. The measure passes. Moving on to file item 88, AB 1170 by Assembly Member Valencia. The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 1170 by Assembly Member Valencia and accolading to the Political Reform act of 1974. Assembly Member Valencia, you are recognized.

AB 1135 will result in an annual cost saving to the state in millions of dollars by drastically reducing the number of calls to state operated toll free numbers. As our state faces budgetary shortfalls, this Bill is a common sense approach to saving the state money by transitioning away from antiquated technology that results in significant and unnecessary costs. Respectfully ask for your Aye vote.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Buenas tardes, Members. AB 1170 will make it easier for individuals to file their statements of economic interest, also known as Form 700s. Since January of 2017, the Fair Political Practices Commission has operated and maintained the electronic filing system for all Form 700s. Filing through the FPPC's e-filing system is currently voluntary. AB 1170 will shift the FPPC from Form 700 filers over to fully electronic filing system.

In addition to creating efficiencies for the FPPC and saving the state resources, e-filing also has benefits for the filers. In my effort to achieve the intended goal of improving accountability and transparency, I'm working with stakeholders on amendments that would narrow the bill to redact only a filer's residential address.

By modernizing state processes and improving government efficiencies, we are focusing on the priority of saving the state money during this critical budget time, but that will not come at the expense, in my opinion, of the public's access to government documents or that could lead to the discovery of potential conflicts of interest. AB 1170 will help modernize the state processes, increase agency efficiency, and streamline the filing process for Form 700s. Gracias and I respectfully ask for a yes vote.

All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. Members will note that this is a 54 vote bill. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Members, this is a 54 vote bill. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 58 no zero. Measure passes. Pass and retain on item number 89 through 90-something. Two, no, yes. Moving on to item number 93, AB 359 by Assembly Member Holden.

Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 359 by Assembly Member Holden and others, an act relating to pupil instruction.

Assembly Member Holden, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Today I rise to present AB 359, phase one of dual enrollment reform, which ensures that every high school student has the opportunity to earn college credits by 2030. AB 359 builds on the accomplishments of CCAP throughout the years by incorporating policy recommendations from the fall oversight hearing on dual enrollment. Specifically, this bill eliminates barriers faced by schools when establishing a CCAP partnership.

AB 359 does the following: ensures career and course pathways are included in every CCAP partnership, streamlines student enrollment and participation in CCAP by removing the principal's recommendation, always allows schools to enter into supplemental CCAP partnerships with community colleges outside their service area, and provide schools with the opportunity to teach courses online if an in person course is unavailable. AB 359 is a phase one of dual enrollment reform and ensures students entrance into higher education and the workforce is streamlined. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes: 61; noes: zero. Measure passes. Moving to File Item 94: AB 456 by Assembly Member Maienschein. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 456 by Assembly Member Maienschein, an act relating to public postsecondary education.

Assembly Member Maienschein, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and Members. With the academic and economic burdens of higher education, college students face an overwhelming amount of pressure and struggle with a variety of mental health issues. AB 456 would require California state universities and California community college campuses to develop a detailed plan to create a campus mental health hotline at each campus. This will direct students to a licensed mental health therapist, peer mental health trained support staff, or a psychiatrist.

AB 456 aims to address the demand for more mental health support, emphasizing the importance of accessibility by ensuring students have a resource to call when they are struggling with their mental health or any other burdens they may face. Thank you and I respectfully request an aye vote.

All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes.

Ayes 60, noes zero. The measure passes. Do want to make back a reference? I did pass and retain on file items 89 through 92. That was not correct. We are passing temporarily on file 89, 90 through 92 are pass and retain. Pass and retain on file items 95 through 97. Moving to file item 98, AB 884 by Assembly Member Low. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 884 by Assembly Member Low and others, an act relating to elections.

Excuse me, Assembly Member Low, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. AB 884 helps to increase language access in our democracy and voting. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes: 50; noes: zero. Measure passes. Pass and retain on File Item 99.

Moving on to file item 100, AB 930 by Assembly Member Friedman. The Clerk will read

Assembly row 930 by Assembly Member Friedman and accolades local government. Senate Member Friedman, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, this is a Bill that we will continue to work on with the Senate. In the Senate, this is a Bill to help our cities, if they want to, to opt in to zones where we would help them with the infrastructure investments that they need to increase public transportation and other types of amenities that would help them densify and add the housing that we desperately need in the State of California.

AB 930 would permit two or more local governments to jointly form a reinvestment in infrastructure for a sustainable and Equitable California, District, otherwise known as a RISE district, to unlock tax increment financing for infrastructure and equitable development and transit oriented developments. This is 100% an opt in for those communities. They don't have to do it. This would give them a tool to help to upgrade their public transportation and other things that they need if they're going to add more housing.

For jurisdictions that opt to form a RISE district, we hope to use revolving loans and tax increment financing to jumpstart that investment in the infrastructure. The Bill will also align the planning and the infrastructure investments to refocus growth towards community centers while reducing car dependence and sprawl to lower carbon emissions and encourage economic development. And climate resilient housing production near transit and walkable communities.

The Bill is sponsored by the Council of Infill Builders, Spur, Civic well, and it's also supported by the California Home Building Alliance, the City of Oakland, Monterey County, and Skag. I look forward to working with any opposition on any remaining concerns, and I would respectfully request an I vote so that we continue working on ways to build what we need in California. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Friedman all debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote, Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 42 noes 15 measure passes. Moving to file item 101 AB 1160 by Assemblymember Pacheco. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1160 by Assembly Member Pacheco, an accolade in the student debts. Assembly Member Pacheco, you are recognized.

Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise to present Assembly Bill 1160 AB 1160 protects students from the educational and economic harms associated with institutional debt. Institutional debt as defined by debt owed by students directly to their schools. This Bill provides clarity on the definition of institutional debt and clarifies that the Bill does not cancel institutional debt or require institutions of higher education to cancel institutional debt.

Clarifies that the Bill does not require students to re enroll students that have violated code of conduct, honor codes, or other policies that keep schools and students safe. AB 1160 establishes important safeguards on the use of third party debt collection, requiring schools to wait 180 days before subjecting students to collections, and ensures that schools are working directly with students to help them get back on track.

Data shows when a trusted school is the one collecting on debts, it is more successful on getting the student back on track and to get payment, which is more than a school would receive when sending said debt to collections Members. Students already face so many barriers and receiving an education should not be one more. AB 1160 is a tool to helping students succeed in their educational attainment. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Pacheco. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 46 noes five measure passes. Moving to file item 12 by AB 1284 by Assembly Member Ramos, our birthday boy. The Clerk will read

Assembly Bill 1284 by Assembly Member Ramos and others an act relating to Native American tribes.

Assembly Member Ramos, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB 1248 would allow federally recognized tribes in the State of California to enter into co-governance and co-management agreements with the California Natural Resources Agency. For thousands of years, California's First People have been stewards of this land and its natural resources.

This bill would encourage the natural resources agencies to reach out and consult with tribal governments and integrate them into the decision making process in all matters regarding the management of California lands throughout the natural resources jurisdiction. These meetings will be recognized as government to government consultations with a mutual goal of protecting and conserving our land's precious natural resources. I ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. I rise in support of AB 1284. As we know and have experienced in the past, when we get some governmental agencies involved in things that are dealing with the tribal lands, a lot of times they don't understand the culture, they don't understand the history, and we found a lot of impacts to sacred sites and things which are normally not made public. So I urge support of this. I think it's very important that the tribes be involved in decisions that have to do or impact their tribal lands. I urge an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Waldron. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assembly Member Ramos, would you like to close?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I ask for your aye vote.

All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 64, noes zero. The measure passes. Pass and retain on file item 103.

Moving to File Item 104: AB 1575 by Assembly Member Irwin. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1575 by Assembly Member Irwin, an act relating to public postsecondary education.

Assembly Member Irwin, you are recognized.

Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker and Members. I am pleased to present AB 1575: Katie Meyer's Law. AB 1575 seeks to provide a better system of support for students who are involved in an administrative proceeding at a college or university. These include disciplinary proceedings for violations of student codes of conducts, academic violations, athletic violations, as well as Title IX violations. This bill was motivated by a devastating experience of a family in my district.

Their daughter, Katie Meyer, was an outstanding Stanford student athlete, a captain on the women's soccer team whose death by suicide was precipitated by a threatening notice of a student code of conduct proceeding that could have derailed her future. Her death was one of a number of student athlete deaths by suicide in 2022 that brought to light the need for a new approach that prioritizes the mental health of students.

The family of Katie Meyer--and I believe that AB 1575's mechanism to allow a student to select an advisor to assist them through a proceeding--will provide continued support through what may be one of the most challenging moments a student has to face in their life. I am also committed to working to enhance the roles of confidential advocates and respondent coordinators on our campuses.

Provisions relating to confidential advocates were removed from the bill so I could introduce legislation next month in line with the recommendations of a forthcoming Title IX report by our legislative committees. With AB 1575 and the efforts of Californians like the Meyers Family, we can provide life-changing support to our students who encounter suicidal ideation. Thank you, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Seeing and hearing no further debate, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes: 65; noes: zero. The measure passes. Moving to File Item 105: Assembly Bill 1635 by Assembly Member Ward. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1635 by Assembly Member Ward, an act relating to state property.

Assembly Member Ward, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

AB 1635 is a district Bill that will be able to improve upon existing law with respect to a state property in my district to make sure that timelines are adhered to and that we are providing more affordable housing. I respectfully ask your I vote.

All debate having seats, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. I 61 no zero.

Assembly Bill 1516 by Assembly Member Culbra and accolade to employment. Assembly Member Kalra, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB 1516 would require the labor and Workforce Development Agency to convene a working group to study and report back to the Legislature on raising the minimum wage and ending the sub minimum wage for incarcerated workers.

The measure passes. Moving to file item 106. AB 1516 by Assembly Member Culbra. The Clerk will read

All debate having ceased. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote, Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 50, noes. 10 measure passes passing. Let's see. Going to move to Senate third reading. At this time. Members, we are in Senate third reading. Pass and retain on file items 107 and 108. Moving to file item 109, SB 551. Senator Portantino. By Assembly Member Blanca Rubio. For the purpose of amendments, the Clerk will read Senate Bill 551 with amendments by Assembly Member Blanca Rubio. Assembly Member Rubio, you are recognized.

The group's final report to the Legislature will guide lawmakers in enacting a minimum wage that truly reflects what working families need to make ends meet. Amendments taken last week to add an organization representing employers to the working group removed opposition from the California Chamber of Commerce. With that, I respectfully ask your Aye vote.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members, for the opportunity to present amendments to SB 551 on behalf of Senator Portantino. These amendments strike the current content of the bill and instead introduce cleanup language for mandatory minimum recycled content standards. This language takes consideration of supply chain and production realities by balancing compliance and reporting requirements. Thank you, Members, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Rubio. Is there any objection to a voice vote? Seeing none. All in favor say aye. Opposed say no. The ayes have it. The amendments are adopted. The bill is out to print back on file. Members, pursuant to Assembly rule 77.2, I am re-referring item number 109, SB 551, to the Rules Committee.

We do have a couple of more items we will be pursuing shortly, but for now, in the interest of time, we would ask that Members give their respectful attention. The quorum call is in place. We still have business before us, but we are going to go ahead with our adjournment memory now. So I'm going to ask that. I don't see the Members here though, so we are going to move to our adjournments in memory, please.

We are not leaving yet, so we have an adjournment in memory by Dr. Weber. Please give your respectful attention to Dr. Weber for her adjournment in memory. Dr. Weber, you are recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise to adjourn in memory of Dr. William Tayari Howard, a beloved father, grandfather, deacon, mentor, and friend, who transitioned on Friday, October 13, 2023, at the age of 73. Dr. Howard, or Tayari as he was more affectionately known, was a Louisville, Kentucky native that relocated to San Diego, California after enlisting to serve in the United States Coast Guard in 1971.

After health issues interfered with his military service, Tayari pivoted his career plans by becoming a dental hygienist and enrolling at San Diego City College as a Radio, Television, and Film major. While there, he joined the college radio station where he hosted Mainstream Jazz Program for two years. He then moved on to KPBS in San Diego and graduated from the Columbia School of Broadcasting in San Francisco. Tayari worked for multiple radio stations in San Diego.

During the day he worked at the SDG&E Collections Department, but at night he drove to Tijuana to record his smooth jazz show operated by entrepreneur Willie Morrow at the time because many stations in San Diego would not hire a black host. He spent 16 years at Magic 92.5 and 16 years at Smooth Jazz 98.1.

He amassed many accomplishments throughout his career including over 50 years of radio broadcasting in the County of San Diego, the production of over 6,000 radio, television, and public service announcements, and 39 years, consecutive years, of service at the official parade announcer for the San Diego Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade. He was a host of more than 7,000 events since 1981. He truly was the voice of San Diego.

He had a passion for giving back to his community, especially his beloved fourth district in San Diego, teaching broadcast media, arts, and the effects of social media to our high school students. He was a community activist, supported causes targeting homelessness, poverty, and the educational needs of black children and military veterans. One of Tayari's proudest moments was watching both of his daughters continue the family legacy of radio broadcasting. He took pride in and told everyone that he knew that his daughters also worked in the industry.

He survived by his former wife and lifelong friend Pamela Howard, two daughters, Summer Howard and Mercedes Howard, three living brothers and a slew of other family members. I want to thank Tayari for everything that he was, all that he gave and may you now and forever rest in peace with the certain knowledge that you were, that you are, and you will always be dearly loved and terribly missed. Members, please join me in honoring a wonderful person by adjourning in the memory of William Tayari Howard. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Weber. Assembly Member Quirk-Silva, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to adjourn in memory of John Michael Keller. John was born on March 14, 1963 at St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton, California to his parents, John and Maxine Keller. His childhood was defined by exploration and a passion for learning, evident in his self-taught expertise in computers from a very young age. He attended Raymond Elementary, Wilshire Junior High, and Fullerton High School, graduating in 1981.

John and I met when we were 15 years old, when I swam on the water polo team and he also was a water polo team member. It was during his time at Fullerton High School that he met his wife, Pamela Rich Keller, whom he married in 1989.

John's commitment to furthering his education led him back to Fullerton College where he was recognized as man of distinction in math and computer sciences and spoke at his graduation. To succeed in the rapidly changing field of computer sciences, John continued to self teach and explore, becoming a problem-solving expert. His family, including his three sons, Christopher, Dakota and Alexander, brought him immense pride and joy. He instilled in them a love for questioning, exploration, and creativity.

Throughout his career, John wore many hats from entrepreneur to corporate professional, showcasing his creative skills and ventures like ditto snaps photo booth businesses. An early enthusiast of 3D printing, John spent the pandemic building printers and creating various projects showcasing his limitless capabilities. For the past decade, he worked at Boeing as a system design and integration specialist, earning respect and love from his team for his problem solving prowess. Often referred to as a mad scientist, John was an entrepreneur, artist, designer, inventor, and thinker.

A true Renaissance man. On November 8, 2023, John passed away suddenly. His absence will be deeply felt by all who were blessed to know him and he will be missed more than words can be expressed. Please join me in honoring John Michael Keller's memory and in extending our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Quirk-Silva. Members, please bring the names to the desks to be printed in the journal. All requests to adjourn in memory will be deemed read and printed in the journal. Members, we're going to move back to Assembly third reading, back in file to item number 96, AB 627 by Dr. Jackson. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 627 by Assembly Member Jackson, an act relating to air pollution.

Dr. Jackson, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. AB 627 requires the implementation of a sliding scale for vouchers based upon fleet size. This bill prioritizes fleets of five or fewer for vouchers provided by CARB, additionally places a priority on drayage trucks, the most common fleet that transports goods from ports to warehouses. Members, we have so many individual truck owners, and many of those trucks, an owner might have one truck but that truck feeds the whole family. That truck feeds and sends the kids to college.

And we want to make sure that the smallest of our fleets are prioritized so that then we can make sure that we hasten the ability for these truckers to transition to cleaner trucks. And if you're along the goods corridor from the ports to the warehouses, you know that these are the ones that are contributing to some of the worst air quality in this nation. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Assembly Member Gallagher, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I will be supporting the bill today, but I think this is indicative of an issue that we really need to get on top of. CARB is moving forward with these all-electric mandates, and it's having a very devastating impact on small businesses, on farms. Why farms? It's not going to Ag trucks yet, but that's on the horizon, and by the way, moving our goods around the state and getting food to your table requires trucks.

And so these fleet operators who transport a lot of goods throughout the state are having to meet this mandate. Here's the other thing: many of them are trying to. They can't get the trucks. They've literally ordered them and they still can't get those trucks. They're on backorder. There's supply chain issues when they get here in many parts of this state. In my part of the state. There are no charging stations.

You literally would need a substation right next to it to actually charge an electric truck. So I think what we really need to be doing to get on top of this issue is we, as a body, in a bipartisan way--good opportunity for us--let's talk to CARB as a legislative body and say, 'let's hold back on this. Let's have some more flexible ways to meet emissions goals without devastating whole industries.'

That's why the author's bringing this because people in his district are getting crushed by this mandate. It's happening throughout the state. But we could do something about it, and I would encourage us as a body, let's do hearings on it, but then let's act and let's direct CARB to do this in a much better way.

There is a way to reduce emissions without crushing small businesses and people who rely on these trucks for their livelihoods. There's a way to do it. We can do better, and I hope that we will do that this year as a body. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Gallagher. Mr. Jim Patterson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Look, I have to rise in opposition to what we're attempting to do here. I appreciate the comments of our caucus leader, but I have in my district some of the largest, most significant truck dealers in the State of California, the Fresno Truck Center, and that organization has at least a dozen truck centers up and down the State of California. What CARB is proposing to do is to say that these dealerships cannot sell those trucks in California.

But the reality is that what CARB is proposing is going to eliminate jobs locally, eliminate tax revenues, and yet truck dealers outside the State of California can still sell trucks that are not electric, and they still will travel in and out of the State of California. So here's the crazy circumstance that we're in. People will lose jobs in California. We're going to lose tax revenue from these sales. The sales will happen outside the border of the State of California.

And yet these very trucks that should be sold in California, we should have the jobs. We should have the tax revenue. We'll traverse California. We'll lose jobs, we'll lose tax revenue, but we'll still have these trucks driving in and out of California because of interstate travel. And so I think instead of suggesting we support this, I think we can respectfully object to it and do what our leader has suggested.

Let's go talk to those people who are selling trucks in California, and let's ask them the question about what this is going to do and what CARB is attempting to do. The Fresno Truck Center not only employs hundreds of people up and down the state, it pays substantial sales tax, but they are very successful at what they do. And so what do they do? Yes, they are profitable, they pay a good wage, they pay significant taxes, but they are exceedingly generous to our local community.

The Truck Center has contributed to our Valley Children's Hospital in the last year or so, over two million dollars. So I'm asking you to think seriously about what CARB is trying to do. We lose jobs, we lose tax revenue. We lose contributions to our hospitals and our universities and others. And yet dealers in Nevada and Arizona and other places get to sell them, get to have the profit, get to have the jobs, but we don't.

If this continues, this is one of those significant decisions that essentially cuts our own nose off despite our face. Is this wise and prudent for CARB to tell our truck dealers, 'you can't sell it,' which means many of them will simply go out of business, and yet these other states--

30 seconds.

Will be able to sell it. We still get the pollution, but we don't get the jobs and we lose the tax revenue. I can't support this, and I will be voting no. I will be also introducing a bill that's going to instruct CARB to do something very, very different with respect to their decision here. We deserve better than losing tax revenue, jobs, employers, employees, and literally shifting off to other states the benefits of selling trucks that will drive in California and pollute nonetheless. This is not a good idea.

Seeing and hearing no further debate, Dr. Jackson, would you like to close?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Surely appreciate the comments of those who are--whether they're in support or opposition, obviously a tough issue. The idea is that California, of course, has limited resources, so we got to make priorities. These are one of those priorities. I live in a district that has some of the worst air quality in the nation. Remembering not being able to play on the playground because the air quality was so bad.

And so I think the idea is that this has been a very inclusive process where business, environmentalists have been a part of this process every single part of the way, which is why the truckers are not opposing this, which is why the Chamber is not opposing this. I respectfully ask for an aye vote so we can continue to work in a meaningful, positive direction. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Jackson. All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes: 61; noes: one. Measure passes. Still have a couple of items here, Members, so please don't stray, but give us a couple of minutes, please. Okay. Moving to File Item 89: AB 1588 by Assembly Member Wilson.

The Clerk will read

Assembly Bill 1588 by Assembly Member Wilson and others in Appalachian communications Members. Assembly Member Wilson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members, I'm here to present AB 1588, the Affordable Internet and Net Equality Act. Internet access is not a luxury, it is a necessity and should be treated as such. This Bill will ensure vulnerable and Low income communities across the state are not left behind in the 21st century.

AB 1588 builds off of over a decade of precedents set by FCC and the PUC regarding broadband affordability and aligns with the governor's 2020 Executive order, which directed CDT in collaboration with dgs, to seek opportunities to leverage the state's contract authorities as resources to further statewide broadband access and adoption. This Bill also aligns with the second goal for the state, broadband for all action plan, which requires all Californians have access to affordable broadband and the devices necessary to access the Internet.

While the state has made efforts to address geographic availability and digital literacy to enable adoption, the state has not yet found a solution to affordability, which is the biggest barrier to Low income households signing up. According to the PPIC, broadband in the US costs $68 on average, which is more expensive than Europe, a place more strictly regulated, yet only cost $45 per month.

While the Federal Emergency Broadband benefit originally provided a $50 subsidy towards any plan, the follow up program, the affordable connectivity program, affectionately known as ACP, provides a lower $30 subsidy towards any plan offered by the Internet service provider. Through a voluntary agreement with the Biden Administration, most major isps have agreed to offer a specific $30 plan for the 100 over 20 megabytes per second through the ACP.

This Bill is especially important as it is expected that affordable connectivity program is set to expire early this year and is not expected to be renewed. Based off of the current composition of Congress, it should be noted that they are no longer accepting applications after February 7 due to the lack of progress made.

This would leave almost 3 million Low income families in California who are currently enrolled in ACP with no subsidy and more importantly, no guaranteed plan that is affordable for them to access without the subsidy, particularly if there's a change in the Administration. This brings us to my Bill AB 1588. AB 1588 is substantially similar to a Bill that many of you previously supported and passed the Assembly in 2022.

AB 2751 this Bill would require the Department of Technology to create the net equality program, which would require the states and state agencies to only do business with an Internet service provider that offers affordable home Internet service to households participating in certain public assistant program.

This Bill would require that the affordable offer cost no more than $40 per month and meet specified minimum speed requirements of 100 megabytes per second download and 20 megabytes per second upstream, as well as latency that supports distance learning and telehealth services. This aligns the affordable offer in our Bill with the voluntary agreement reached between President Biden and the isPs. In short, our Bill is simply codifying this voluntary agreement.

Additionally, the reason why the cap in our Bill is at $40 it matches the federal funding account definition of affordability adopted by the PUC Members. This is the only Bill in the Legislature aimed at addressing the issue of affordability. Affordability is currently dependent on the stability of government funding. It is imperative we have a permanent, affordable option even if there are no subsidies from the Federal Government or the state government due to the volatility of budgets and reoccurring spending.

In regard to opposition, it is worth noting prior author amends adopted last year were worked on with some of the opposition and we were successfully able to remove them to neutral. We also understand there is a coalition that has shifted to oppose unless an amended position earlier this month. We've made adjustments to bring them on. We appreciate their position and understand that they would like us to go further.

Like noted we did, and we look forward to working with them to address their remaining concerns like we would with any opposition. And for those that remain opposed, we're always open to working with them. We have not received alternatives for their opposition, but looking forward to doing that conversation. If my colleagues are willing to push this over to the Senate, we'll be sure to do that to continue to work with them.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to working with all of you to ensure that we provide an adequate, affordable option for people to access standalone broadband. With that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote

Thank you, Assemblymember Wilson, Assembly Member Boerner, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members, as Chair of Communications and Conveyance Committee, I'd like to offer a few comments. I will be supporting this Bill today. I want to thank the author for a focus on broadband affordability and for working collaboratively with the Committee to improve the Bill. Our Committee had a very robust discussion about this policy, and I believe the author has shown good faith effort to hear the concerns that were raised by the Members in that Committee.

I will be supporting this Bill because I do think it's important that we move on a Bill on broadband affordability. I think we should give the author the opportunity to move this Bill forward and continue working with all stakeholders. She's done it already she's going to keep doing it. So with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Berner. Assembly Member Jim Patterson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members, as Vice Chair of the communications and conveyance Committee, I rise in opposition. The story we are not telling on this floor is that every single provider in the State of California already offers significant availability to the Internet at speeds that are competitive. That's less than $40 a month. Did you hear what I said in your district, in your community?

In my community, I am seeing advertising for significant ability to connect to the Internet with the kind of speeds that we have been pushing for in the Committee. And they are significantly below $40 a month. Significantly below $40 a month. The private sector has a whole lot more interest in providing affordability than demands from the government.

To suggest that $40 a month is affordable in light of 16 or 18 or 20 or $25 a month from at&t in my community, Comcast in my community, others up and down the state says that this is a problem we are chasing that essentially doesn't exist, because the private sector has much more interest in solving these kinds of problems than the dictate from government. That's the reality that we are facing in my district and up and down the State of California.

Those who are in opposition to this make the case that this does not solve a problem. It creates more problems than it solves. And I think we need to pay attention to what the private marketplace does instead of thinking that this body knows everything about everything. Who are we to tell people what they can and cannot afford, particularly when those in the private sector are under pricing the amount that we are setting in this Bill? So I ask that we seriously consider this.

I voted no in the Committee. I raised these same kinds of concerns, and those who are still in opposition raised similar concerns. It's not necessary. It gets in the way of companies who really do act, care and price so that people can be connected. That's the reality. So let's not pretend that these companies are gouging people, just the opposite. They're coming up with pricing that is better than this Bill suggests at $40. So I'm going to vote against it. I do understand that the author has been willing to take a look. At.

The concerns of the opposition and all of that, but we're not looking at that right now. The Bill is in front of us with a $40 number. If this Bill passes, we will be raising the cost of Internet connection to so many in my district and in your districts, because right now they can access substantial Internet up down at the levels that we've been asking for for less than $40 a month. You want to raise the rates? Vote for the Bill.

Thank you, Mr. Patterson. Mr. Hoover, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Rise in respectful opposition. I appreciate my colleague from, you know, want to work on affordability in California. I think there is a lot of ways that this body can work on improving affordability in California. I do, however, share some of the concerns that my colleague from Fresno raises. Right now in my district, you can search up plans from a number of different carriers. They come in at $10 an hour, I'm sorry, a month.

$10 a month for Internet service, not including the ACP program. And I think it's really important that we remember that there are programs out there being offered that currently come in at the rate below that is being offered in this Bill. I am concerned that this Bill is creating a floor and not a ceiling, and that providers could treat it as such. And so I know that she is committed to continuing to work on the Bill if it moves forward.

But on the current version today, I'd respectfully ask for no vote.

Thank you, Mr. Hoover. Mr. Gallagher, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just two quick points on this debate that I think we should take into consideration. One is this will likely be looked at as rate regulation, preempted by federal law.By putting this prohibition on anybody who contracts with the state, it will be looked at that way. Similar things were done in New York. It was struck down. So you have to take into account that this is likely preempted under federal law.

And then secondly, we're talking about a product where one of the only ones right now where prices have actually dropped since 2015, we've seen prices increase substantially because of inflation and many different sectors, but in the area of broadband, they've actually dropped by 37%. So the market is actually working in terms of bringing prices down, which might bring another question. Why would we want government to come in and look, traditionally, when they come in and do these kinds of things, it doesn't lead to greater competition.

It doesn't lead to prices coming down. It actually leads to stagnation and in many cases, actually higher costs. So, look, this is the wrong way to approach this issue. And I think that we should really be thinking about this instead of just passing things through again without them being fully cooked and continue to say, well, we'll continue to work on this and we'll try and make it better. Like no, let's cook it here. It's on the floor. Right.

And many people in this industry are expressing big concern about how this Bill is developing and where it's going, and that it's not going to result in the outcome that you want. So rather than just passing this through again, as we've done too many times, I think we should hold this Bill here and work on things and actually work on, hey, what is the way to actually get broadband prices, along with many other prices in this state, to drop? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Gallagher, seeing and hearing no further debate, would you like to close Assembly Member Wilson?

Yes, I would. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, to my colleagues to address some of the concerns that were brought up. Yes, there are offers where you can find something lower in price than what we're putting in this Bill, and those are introductory offers. And we all know what happens after a year or a set period on an introductory offer. But what this Bill really does is it sets a ceiling and a floor, a ceiling of $40 and a floor of minimum seeds of 100 and over 20.

That means you can have four devices on in your house and stream, and you can do work from home or school with that level of speed. And it says it can't cost any more than $40, which is the current definition of affordability by PUC. That's why it's $40. And two, the concern that this Bill is not cooked. This Bill is cooked. We've spent over a year working on this Bill. We've adjusted based on opposition that we've heard and addressed those concerns.

At this point, as always, the legislative process is not over until it passes out of both houses and the Governor signs it. And so my commitment is if there are additional concerns and alternatives brought up by the opposition that can make this Bill better, I am open to looking at those when it's in the Senate. However, I would like this to go to the governor's desk, just as is, because I think we've done the work to make this a good Bill. We have an affordability issue.

This addresses that affordability. And, yes, costs have gone down year over year. As with all technology, the cost to deliver that technology is cheaper. And if there is a change in the definition of affordability, then we as a Legislature can come back and change that number. If there's a higher minimum speed, then our Bill allows the Department of Technology to adjust that speed to the new standard.

But I know, having worked in private industry, and I support the free market, and you'll see most of my votes align with that is, how do we then support the free market? But at the same time, the free market is geared towards profitability. They're geared towards their shareholders. We as government are geared towards the people and protecting the people, and having a framework in which the free market can operate that does not sacrifice individuals and allows them to have a high quality of life.

This Bill allows our community, our Californians, to have a high quality of life and have access to broadband no matter what the Federal Government does. Remember, February 7 is the last day you can even sign up for ACP. And if they don't strike a deal, which our Congress has proved, that they are a bit dysfunctional. So if they don't strike a deal, this program goes away.

But if this Bill is signed into law, that program $30, or a program that's less than $40 and minimum of 100 over 20 our Internet service providers have to offer if they want to do business with the State of California. So I encourage and respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Assembly Member Connolly, you are recognized. Thank you.

Assembly Bill 828 by Assembly Member Connolly and accolade into water.

Thank you, Assembly Member Wilson. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote, Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 44. noes 14 measure passes. Moving back in the file to file item number 83. Assembly Member Connolly, AB 828. The Clerk will read

Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise today to present AB 828 to extend water protections to small disadvantaged communities and endangered wetlands. There's been significant work done by groundwater sustainability agencies, local water users, and the Department of Water Resources to design and implement sigma, the Sustainable Groundwater Management act. However, groundwater sustainability plans in some cases did not do a thorough job identifying managed wetlands and small community water systems in their basins and how GSP management will adversely affect them. Unfortunately, only 5% of California's historic wetlands remain.

These important public trust resources continue to face numerous threats, including water availability. Nearly 85% of Californians depend in whole or in part on groundwater for their public water supply. That percentage increases even more for small water systems, which have fewer than 3300 connections and service communities whose access to clean drinking water is most at risk. This Bill now only exempts the average groundwater usage annually from 2015 to 2020. Any increase over that average is subject to regulation by gsas. I want to be clear.

This Bill does not protect increased pumping by these water users. This Bill offers a modest and reasonable step toward protecting safe and clean water accessibility for our communities. Managed wetlands and small disadvantaged communities face unique challenges as California works toward achieving water sustainability statewide. AB 828, to conclude, will help ensure that the groundwater needs of these vulnerable users are better accounted for in groundwater sustainability plans and in Sigma, and that that act is further improved and implemented.

Thank you, summary Member Bennett, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise in support of AB 828, a Bill that will protect small community water systems and manage wetlands under conservation easements, which make up less than 2% of the groundwater in the Central Valley. I think it's important for us to remember that groundwater agencies are oftentimes dominated by the largest pumpers and the largest water users, but it is much more difficult for the small water user to get the proper representation at the groundwater agency. This is a modest Bill.

To try to address that challenge and to give you a specific example of how modest it is, the amount of water that the Assembly Member from San Rafel specifically was referring to when he was looked at, this Bill was 2500 acre feet in a basin that had a million acre feet pumped out of it. This is a reasonable, modest adjustment, and I encourage an I vote. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Bennett. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assembly Member Connolly, would you like to close?

I thank my colleague from Ventura and respectfully ask for an aye vote.

All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 41-14. Measure passes.

So that was Ayes 41, Noes 14. Moving to file item 95. AB 544 by Assembly Member Bryan. The Clerk will read.

Assembly bill 544 by Assemblymember Bryan, an act relating to elections.

Assemblymember Bryan, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to present AB 544. This Bill will create a pilot program that requires the Secretary of State to provide additional resources and support to three counties who want to improve their voter participation in local jails.

People who are incarcerated pre-trial, meaning they have not been convicted of any wrongdoing, are currently legally eligible to vote. However, many counties do not have the technical assistance to ensure that all eligible voters can exercise their civic duty and participate in democracy. This Bill addresses that gap and takes us one step closer to a democracy that includes everybody. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Mr. Bryan. Mr. Essayli, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to this Bill at a time when our state is facing a financial crisis. 68 billion deficit. We have to prioritize our taxpayer resources. I don't think spending money to help inmates vote is a good use of our resources. Inmates can vote by mail. I introduced legislation to make polling locations more accessible. That we vote in person on election day. We even make it a holiday. And that was rejected by this body.

So if mail voting is good enough for the rest of us, it's good enough for the inmates. So I oppose this Bill.

Mr. Essayli, seeing and hearing no further. Well, I'm sorry, Assemblymember Pellerin, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to rise to support this Bill. I've actually done voter registration and outreach in jail facilities. And I cannot tell you how vitally important it is to get this information out to folks who are incarcerated. So I ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing and hearing no further debate. Would you like to close, Mr. Bryan?

Yes, Mr. Speaker, thank you. In contrast to what was said by my colleagues across the aisle, I think it's always important, and especially in down-budget years, to make sure that our democracy is fully funded and thriving. And with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Mr. Bryan. All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote.

All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 45. Noes 13, measure passes. Moving to announcements, the session schedule is as follows. Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 30, floor session at 10:00 a.m., promptly, please. All other members, all other members heh, how about all other items remaining will be passed and retained. All motions shall be continued. Seeing and hearing no further business, I'm ready to entertain a motion to adjourn.

Assembly Member Aguiar Curry moves. Mr. Flora seconds. The House stands adjourned until tomorrow. Tuesday, January 30, at 10:00 a.m. The quorum call was lifted and the House is adjourned. We have a vote change, Mr. Rodriguez. Okay, do you want to come up? How do we do this again? We're good. Item number or a Bill number? Okay, whatever. Changing is it ready to say vote change. Rodriguez? Vote change. AB 930 from I to not voting. Perfect. Vote change.

Assembly Member Rodriguez. Assembly Bill 930 aye to not voting.

Vote change. Petrie Norris. AB 930 yes to not voting.

Vote change. Assembly Member Petrie Norris. Assembly Bill 930 aye to not voting.