Assembly Standing Committee on Education

All right. I'd like to call this meeting to order. Good afternoon everyone. This is the hearing of the Assembly Education Committee. We do welcome Ms. Bonta. Welcome the rest of the Committee to please join us in room 1100 so we can establish decorum. I will welcome Assembly Member Flora who will be serving as our Vice Chair today in Assemblymember Dahle's absence. We miss Ms. Dahle and look forward to her returning. We have 31 bills on file today.

One Bill has been pulled by the Committee. File item number 20 AB 2245 so that will not be heard. That is AB 2245 by Mr. Carillo. There are 15 bills on consent. They are AB 1796 with amendments AB 1871 with amendments AB 1884, AB 1913, AB 1930, AB 1939, AB 1955, AB 2046, AB 2073 with amendments AB 2251 with amendments AB 2345 with amendments AB 2377 with amendments AB 2588 with amendments AB 2630 and AB 2831 with amendments.

All of those are on consent and so if you're here for any of those bills we will not have testimony on those bills. We will have a special order to accommodate Mr. Ta and his very special guests. AB 185 at the top of the hearing. Other bills will be heard in sign in order. Finally, Assembly Member Hoover will be presenting file item 14, AB 2053 on behalf of Assembly Member Mathis.

As a reminder, generally for the procedure, each Bill we have two witnesses in support, two witnesses in opposition, each of whom may speak for up to two minutes. Members of the public in the hearing room will have an opportunity to state their position. Please state only your name, affiliation and position on the Bill. Members of the public are also welcome to provide comment public comment through the position letter portal on the Assembly Education Committee website.

And so with that, our first author is file item number one, Assemblymember Ta Assembly Bill 185. Welcome Assembly Member Ta and would you like to introduce your special guest? Is your mic on?

Hello, yes, I'm here with my very special guest, civil rights movement icon Sylvia Mendez.

Welcome Ms. Mendez. And you'll be talking about the important contribution that Ms. Mendez, the impact that Ms. Mendez has had not only on California schools but all schools across America.

So good afternoon chair and Members of the Committee. I'm here to present Assembly Bill 185 a bipartisan measure to ensure California students learn the chair blazing civil rights story of Mendez versus Westminster I want to begin by accepting the comedic amendment to AB 185 which would amend the Bill to instead require the instructional Quality Commission the next time it recommends instructional material in history, social science for adoption to the State Board of Education consider in its evaluation criteria for instructional material contained on the Mendez versus Westminster case.

This Committee amendment would make the Bill more effective and get Mendez versus Westminster case into California history textbook to better reach student and teacher. I want to thank the chair and Committee staff for working with my office on this Bill. I also want to thank Senator Tom Umberg for his support of this measure and for his leadership in promoting awareness of this landmark court case.

I'm deeply honored today to present this Bill alongside with Sylvia and Santra Mendes, their parents Gonzalo and Felicias Mendez, alongside other Mexican American families, successfully challenged the disrematory policy of folks separation in California school Sylvia Mendez has become a civil rights icon working to raise awareness of the Mendez versus Westminster case and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. We can think of no better witness to explain the significance of the Mendez case.

In 1943, the children of Mendez family were denied entry into the 17th Street School in Westminster, California because they were Mexican American. The children were told instead they would have to attend the secret Mexican only school. Nine years old, Sylvia Mendez had to walk past the white school to the School of Mexican Children further down the street. The Mendez family along with other Mexican family successfully challenged this rematory policy in Cork in the case now famously known as Mendez versus Westminster.

Two months after the 9th Circuits court ruled in favor of the family. Governor Warren side view that make California the first state to outlaw or public school separation. Mendez versus Westminster were the first federal lawsuit openly to challenge separate but equal separation in K 212 school. This landmark case led to California becoming the first state to outlaw all public school separation. The ANF separates school for mexican American children Ross American Southwest and paved the way for nationwide school.

The separation by segment legal and strategic President for proud versus board education as a former mayor city Westminster I know the power of the Mendez versus Westminster case. It is important for California students to learn the civil rights challenge faced by Mexican American in this state. California students would benefit from learning the historical link between Mendez vs. Westminster and Brow vs. Board education and of how California led away at the first state to outlaw a public school separation. It passed AB 1805.

We enshrined Mendez versus Westminster alongside prow versus board education in the state education curriculum. This legislation has no opposition. He is supported by the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the state PTA and various city and school district and enjoys support from a broad coalition of co authors. Look forward to AB 185 common law California student learning the story of the Mendez family in California pivotal role in the civil rights movement.

Thank you very much, Ms. Mendez, welcome. Did you pull the microphone so that rest of the world can hear you?

Thank you for allowing us to be here today. It's an honor to be here today to hear our story. I've been going around the country for over 20 years talking about Mendez versus Westminster and the importance of integration that happened at that time. And as you all know, we are far from it. We have De facto segregation at this time.

But I still think it's so important for everybody to know the possibilities that we have in this wonderful country of ours, how anything is possible, as it was at that time in 1947, when my parents fought Mendez versus Westminster. I think it's so important for students of all nationalities to know that in this wonderful, powerful country of ours, anything is possible. And education is the number one. And I call myself an education advocate. I am not a civil rights activist.

I am an education advocate because I learned very young that education will give you anything you want. And it has not been easy, and I know how hard it is for some students. So I go around the country talking about the story, Mendez versus Westminster, how my parents fought to have equal education for all, and I want all the students in this wonderful country of ours to know that it is possible for all of them to have that same equal education at this time.

And I want them to know the roots of how it all happened, how Mendez versus Westminster was started, and how California was the first state to be integrated. And how can it not be in our history books, that California, out of all the states, was the first state that our Governor integrated. Thank you for listening to me.

Thank you for sharing.

Thank you again. It's an honor to be here. It's been an honor to be just among all these people, such accomplished people. I was educated. My name is Sandra Mendez Duran. I was educated in California, of course, and I did not learn about the case.

I am the youngest daughter of Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez did not learn about the case till I went to college in UC Riverside and took a Chicano studies class, because not only was it not taught in schools, my parents did not discuss the case at home, because one of the things that's not talked about is that fighting this case was a true struggle for them. They took everything they had, including all their finances, everything. They had to fight this case.

When they won, they moved back to Santana. Santana, and life just went on, and life was difficult, and they worked hard, so they never talked about it because they did not realize the impact this case had. So I was away at UC Riverside back in the days before cell phones, had to stand in line at the dorm to call my mother and say, I am reading this book, and there are not a lot of people named Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez. So could this be us?

And my mother said, it's in a book. And I said, yeah, mom, is this real? And she said, yes, we fought because they wouldn't let your siblings into the same school as the white kids. I had to learn this in college and only because I took a Chicano studies class. It was not part of the regular curriculum.

I am asking that you consider putting this in the school books because it is so important for kids, again, of all nationalities to know this story, because it is not a Latino story. It is about a caucasian banker. It is about a Japanese family that were interred. There were a lot of things happening in the country at the time. It is about a Japanese family. It's about a Jewish lawyer. It's about people of all colors and all ethnicities coming together to right or wrong.

And that's the story of Mendes. And that a young couple were just not highly educated people, not people of wealth, but just everyday, hardworking people saying, this is not right. What can we do? They had nothing. No college education, no backers, no supporters. They had to fight to get the other families involved. But when the other families stepped up, they fought and they won this case. And I, as a daughter, am extremely proud. But as a student of California, I'm proud of California.

I'm proud of everybody working together. And I think that it is everywhere we've been. We've been all over this country, from the White House, everywhere else, people say this story motivates them. And that's why we want this story told, because it motivates everyone to know how things can happen and that people can change things. So I appreciate your time. I appreciate all the efforts and all the work that's gone into. Thank you for allowing us to be here. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you for sharing. It's our honor to have you here in the hearing room here today. I would like to invite any witnesses or any public comment in support of this measure to please come forward.

Chair Members John Winger, on behalf of the California Charter School Association, in support.

Martha Zaragoza-Diaz, representing the Delta Kappa Gamma California, in support.

Jennifer Baker, representing the California Association for Bilingual Education in support.

Good morning, Mr. Chair and Members. Tristan Brown with CFT, a union of educators and classified professionals. We apologize for a late letter our State Council this past weekend. So every Bill today has a little asterisk that we. Sorry you missed the deadline, but happy to support. Thank you.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. Pamela Gibbs, representing the Los Angeles County Office of Education. We are so proud to join in support of this Bill.

Good afternoon. Sarah Lillis, Executive Director of Teach Plus California, in strong support. Thank you.

Good afternoon. Casey Elliott, on behalf of the City of Westminster, the coast Community College District and the Rancho Santiago Community College District in strong support. Thank you.

All right. Thank you very much. Any witnesses in opposition to the Bill? Seeing none. Any public comments in opposition to the Bill? Seeing none. Let me bring it back to the Committee. Ms. Bonta, thank you so much.

I'm very proud and honored to be a principal co author on this Bill. Thank you, Mr. Ta, for allowing us an opportunity to speak to this important Bill. We all know Little Rock nine. We all know Ruby bridges. We all know Brown v. Board of Education. I, as a law school student, learned for the first time about Mendez v. Westminster as a black Latina when I was in law school.

And I learned about the critical and really life saving actions of the Mendez family as a Mexican American tenant farm family, ensuring that I had the ability to be at that law school. So I want to thank you all for bringing forward this measure. And I believe that every student starting in elementary has the right to learn about this critical history and the importance of fighting for educational advocacy education within, not under the ideal of separate but equal, but fully integrated educational opportunities for all. So thank you for bringing forward this Bill.

Thank you. Mr. No, Mr. Alvarez,

Thank you very much. I want to thank the Mendez family for the courage to continue to share your story and continue to be education advocates for students of all backgrounds. Certainly admire the work that was done. And I'm sure your recognition with the presidential award is in honor of your parents and what that means to your family. So thank you for sharing your story.

It reminds me a little bit of a history that I learned in San Diego of another case that isn't really well known, but it was Alvarez versus Lemongrove, which I know, you know well, no relation, by the way, Alvarez, not at all related, but that I also only learned in college, even though it happened literally in my own backyard.

And so the courage of your family and their family, certainly brown versus board of education would not have occurred without so much of the foundation in the 30s, in your case in the 40s, ultimately to the decision. So I proud to support and I would be honored to be added as a co author to your Bill. Mr. Ta, thank you very much for bringing this.

Thank you. Ms. Addis.

I want to do a bit of a. Me, too. And say thank you so much. I'm a special education teacher by trade, and much of the desegregation for students with special needs is founded in this case in Brown versus board of Education and other cases that desegregated prior to students with disabilities being included, and then worked for much of my career with students who are learning English as an additional language.

And many of the gains we've made really goes back to this case and other desegregation cases. So want to say a deep thank you to you and to your family for the work that is still changing lives for children today, and would be proud to co author if you're accepting additional co authors.

Thank you. Any other comments from the Committee? Seeing none. Let's see. Before I go any further, let me ask the secretary to please call the role to establish quorum.

[Roll Call]

All right, we have a quorum motion has been made and seconded. Mr. Ta, would you like to close?

Thank you so much. I asked for an aye vote. Thank you.

All right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Ta, for bringing this important measure forward. Thank you to the Mendez sisters for joining us today. I would also be honored if I can be added as a co author to this important Bill. And, Ms. Mendez, I think if you look behind you, you'll see many students who are part of your legacy. And so I hope that they all have an opportunity to meet you and, yes, motion has been made and seconded. Madam Secretary, please call the role file.

[Roll Call]

60. The Bill is out. Congratulations.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. Thank you.

And hopefully you'll have a chance to meet some of the students. Thank you very much for joining us. Okay. All right. Why don't we take care of the consent calendar? As I indicated earlier, there are 15 bills on consent as indicated on the agenda. Do I have a motion to adopt the consent calendar? Seconded. Motion has been made and seconded. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

All right, consent calendar has been passed. We are going in signing order. So, Mr. Ramos, file item number three. AB 1821.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members, I would like to begin by accepting the Committee amendments and thanking you and your staff for working with our office to get through those amendments. For far too long, California's first people in their history has been ignored or misrepresented represented it in the state classrooms. Instruction of the Spanish colonization and the gold rush periods leave out the true impact on California's first people that in many cases led to atrocities, genocide, and the taking of land forcefully from California's first people.

Those historical omissions in curriculum are misleading and prevent our students from learning an accurate history of California's first people. I am grateful that Native American leaders have continued to work to ensure an accurate history of our people is presented in the State of California.

My Bill would build upon my previous efforts on accurate history and make it a requirement that schools teach on the treatment and perspectives of Native Americans during the Spanish colonization periods and the gold Rush eras, that they shall talk about the impact on California's first people during those parts of history in the State of California.

I'm proud to have the support of various groups across the state and the bill's sponsors, the Saboba tribal government, the San Manuel tribal government, and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurman. With me to testify on behalf of the San Manuel tribal government is Frank Molina. And on behalf of the Saboba tribal government, Chad Mays.

Welcome. Please proceed.

Chairman and Members of the Committee. I'm Frank Molina, and I'm testifying on behalf of the San Manuel band of Mission Indians and our Vice Chairman, Johnny Hernandez, who was unable to join you today. Testifying in support of AB 1821, a Bill to amend the education code regarding student instruction to include the factual and accurate history of California's first people.

For too long, the truth about tribal cultures, languages, traditions, and the crimes and atrocities inflicted upon many generations of native people has been eliminated from mainstream conversation, especially in the classroom. This has been nothing short of a betrayal to native people. What Native Americans hold is true is very different from what is taught in schools. This has left them vulnerable and has cast doubt about their place in California. This Bill will help ensure future generations won't experience the same pain moving forward.

Moreover, this Bill will ensure that all California students will learn the truth about the Native American experience as a part of their education. It is important for students and communities to have the opportunity to learn about and understand California's first people. Past generations within all tribes have lived through violent repression of their language, culture and identity in schools.

San Manuel took a grassroots approach to bridge this divide in San Bernardino, a collaboration between San Manuel's tribal citizens and educators created the San Bernardino City Unified School District Title VI Indian education program in the late 80's. The program has its origins in the work of tribal elders from San Manuel who for decades before went to local schools on their own to share their culture with students and teachers while building relationships on a school by school basis.

They understood that if their children and other native children witness authentic representations of indigenous people, it will help to affirm their identities, leading to better outcomes and closing the divide between school and home. To continue the path forwards by the San Manuel elders, four young fathers from the reservation, Assembly Member James Ramos being among them, began a collaboration with San Bernardino City county schools and Cal State San Bernardino in 1998.

They organized large scale field trips of students and teachers offering a weeklong California indian cultural awareness event in honor of the state's Native American Day. At this event, native people become the teacher to students and teachers alike, presenting the factual accounts of tribal communities and cultures. AB 1821 is a critical and positive step forward that helps ensure future generations know and understand the truth. It also builds upon the foundation of AB 1703 the California Indian Education act.

It was a pivotal day for Indian country when AB 1703 was signed into law. It is an important truth to be told, which requires patience and respect when seeking to capture the authentic and real truth of native people. We look forward to the passage of AB 1821 and encourage each of you to consider the significant impact this will have on future generations to know and understand the truth of California's first people. Thank you for the opportunity to share this testimony with you today.

Thank you, Mr. Molina, and welcome back Member Mays.

It's good to be here. Thank you Mr. Chair and Members, I'm Chad Mayes with capital advocacy. I'm here today representing the Saboba Band of Luiseno Indians and acting as a proxy for Chairman Isaiah Vivanco. Saboba stands united in our support for AB 1821 legislation deeply resonant with our values and critical for honoring the truth of our collective history. AB 1821 is a call for truth.

This legislation will require that California schools accurately teach the impacts of the Spanish mission and gold rush eras on Native American communities. These periods marked some of the darkest chapters in our history characterized by forced assimilation, displacement, and profound suffering. AB 1821 is a step in creating a more relevant and accurate curriculum for all California students. During the Spanish mission era, indigenous people were stripped of their cultural identities and subjected to harsh labor.

The gold rush era further escalated violence and displacement with the 1850 act for the government and protection of Indians, legalizing injustices that still echo today. Yet amidst this adversity, our ancestors showed resilience and resistance, striving to preserve our cultures, language, languages, and traditions. Their survival and the enduring spirit of Native American communities underscore the critical need for a curriculum that reflects our true history.

By supporting 1821, we advocate for an educational system that acknowledges these historical truths and celebrates the contributions of Native Americans to California's rich tapestry. This is not just about correcting inaccuracies. It's about fostering respect, understanding, and reconciliation. Our children and students across California must learn from a curriculum that reflects historical facts with integrity, especially those pertaining to the significant contributions and experiences of Native Americans.

By supporting AB 1821, this Legislature has the power to correct historical inaccuracies and provide a platform for understanding the profound effects of these eras had on indigenous people. We ask that you seize this opportunity with AB 1821 to educate future generations on the full spectrum of our shared history, ensuring a legacy of truth and inclusivity. Thank you for the ability to be able to speak today, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you very much. Any public comments in support of the Bill, please come forward.

Hi there, chair and Members, Rachel Bhagwat from ACLU California Action and strong support.

Jennifer Baker with the California Association for Bilingual Education and support.

Chris Lindstrom, California Tribal Business Alliance and strong support.

Juan Herrera with the San Mano Band Mission Indians as a sponsor and support.

Martha Zaragoza-Diaz representing the Delta Kappa Gamma California in strong support.

Sarah Lillis with teach plus California in support.

Marissa Maharashtra, legislative representative for State Superintendent Tony Thurman, strong support.

Mr. Chair and members Adam Keigwin on behalf of the California Charter Schools Association in support.

Mr. Chairman, Tom Dolan with inland congregations United for Change here in strong support.

Mr. Chairman: CEO of Pow Wow and Parade. We're a foundation that works with public and private schools in strong support. Thank you.

Thank you. Any witnesses in opposition to the bill? Seeing no one coming forward, any public comments in opposition to the bill? See none. Bring it back to the Committee. Mr. Alvarez, Ms. Bonta.

Thank you. Mr. Chair. I want to thank Mr. Ramos for bringing this forward as a parent of 2:1 who is heading to high school now and one who is in the middle; I said earlier, I can't say it enough; today is my son's birthday. He's a fourth grader. Fourth grade, as we all know, is an important year where you learn a lot about California's history.

As I've shared with Mr. Ramos personally, I'm looking forward to see what my child is learning and how accurate it is, given the history of the state. And so we as parents, try to provide accurate information about history. And certainly, on this particular issue, as missions are such an important or have such a heavyweight in the instruction of fourth grade in the history of California, it's important for it to be accurate, and it's important to reflect what California has been, the eras of California.

And your bill is actually quite simple, and its beauty in its simplicity, which is just to make sure that instruction regarding the Spanish missions in California or the Gold Rush era also includes instruction regarding the treatment of Native Americans during that same period. That's what this bill does, and it's significant, even though it is a very small change.

And so I want to thank you, as a parent of someone who's still going to go through our education system, that I hope that my limitation of the knowledge of Native Americans and their history in our state receives additive support from instruction at the school where my kids are learning about who they are as Californians and certainly what Native Americans meant to California and their significance.

So I thank you for making my children, and future children's education much more inclusive and much more thorough and real so that we get to learn about our history. Thank you very much for doing so, and I'm happy to support the bill. Thank you. And move it when appropriate.

Thank you. Motion's been made and seconded. Ms. Bonta.

I'll second, or did it happen over there? I just wanted to thank the author for bringing forward this bill. As a mother of three kids who've gone through California public schools, who did have to do a mission project in the fourth grade, and who had to wrestle with essentially being taught a lie by their school system about the treatment of Native Americans within the State of California. I'm very thankful to the author for bringing forward this bill.

I think it's the start of a very long road that we need to take in terms of overall lifting up of the curriculum related to Native Americans and indigenous peoples in the State of California, but I certainly very much appreciate that we have an opportunity now to correct a long-standing wrong through this reparative legislation. So thank you, Mr. Ramos, and if you are open to taking co-authors, I would love to co-author.

Thank you so much. We are.

All right, Ms. Addis.

I'll do another quick me-too and thank you for this bill. I think it strikes a really important note in being additive about history and not erasing anybody's history, and I very much appreciate your perspective on this and would be honored to co-author if you're accepting.

Thank you so much.

All right. Any further comments from the committee? Seeing none. Chairman Ramos, thank you very much. I know that we've been talking about this bill. I know how personally significant, important this bill is for you. I get it. And I would also be honored if you would add me as a co-author to your bill.

Thank you so much. Mr. Chair.

Would you like to close?

Thank you so much for those comments. And it is drastically needed here in the State of California to give the true, accurate history of California's first people. Thank you for your support, and I ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Motion has been made and seconded. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

File item three, AB 1821. The motion is do pass as amended to Appropriations. [Roll Call]

6-0. The bill is out. Congratulations. I see Mr. Carrillo next, but I don't see him in the room. And so I see... And is Ms. Reyes coming in? So we will take up file item 30, Assembly Bill 2724 by Ms. Reyes. Welcome.

Thank you. Mr. Chair and Members, thank you for the opportunity to present AB 2724. But first, I'd like to note that I will be accepting the Committee's proposed amendments. AB 2724 will provide high school students in California the opportunity and the resources needed to preregister to vote by the end of 11th grade. Every election cycle, we discuss how low voter turnout from all across California affects our elections.

Unfortunately, millions of Californians pass up on the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote at every election. One critical strategy we can employ to address this is by ensuring that Californians who are eligible to vote are registered to vote. Voter preregistration is an excellent tool that makes it possible for 16 and 17 year olds to preregister to vote, so that upon their 18th birthday, they are automatically registered voters. However, currently only 11% of 16 and 17 year olds in California are actually preregistered to vote.

By focusing on our youth and bringing the resources to them at their high schools, we can ensure more Californians, especially young Californians, are voting and developing the habit of doing so at an early age. Civic engagement is invaluable, which is why we need AB 2724, the High School Voter Registration Act, so more voices can be heard at the polls on election day. Here to testify in support of the bill are Nora Pham and John Haro. Both are youth leaders from the Inland Empire and are with our sponsors, the Inland Congregations United for Change.

Hello. Thank you Mr. Chair and Members of the Committee. My name is Nora Pham and I am a senior at Riverside STEM Academy High School. I'm here to express my strong support for AB 2724, a bill that holds immense potential to empower youth like myself to become informed and engaged participants in our democracy.

Growing up in an era defined by social media and a constant stream of news, many of my peers and I have developed strong beliefs and a desire to make a difference in our communities. However, despite our passion and enthusiasm, we often feel uncertain about how to translate our convictions into meaningful action. Voting can be the start like many other first generation Americans, the significance of civic engagement was not a topic commonly discussed in my household.

Growing up, voting felt like a distant concept, something reserved for adults or those who were already well versed in the intricacies of politics. It wasn't until extending my hand into clubs like Young Democratic Socialists of America and organizations like the Inland Congregation United for Change that I began to understand the profound impact each individual can have on shaping our society. Only then did I truly understand the phrase, every vote counts.

We live in a world where we learn the history of our country and study the complexities of the sciences, yet we are never adequately empowered to leverage this knowledge through voting. AB 2724 presents a crucial opportunity to address this gap by providing comprehensive voter education in our schools. It lays the groundwork for fostering a culture of civic engagement.

It will send a powerful message that our voices matter and that our votes have the power to shape the future of not only our state, but our nation. Lastly, it will take the first step in placing voter literacy at a higher standard starting within our curriculum. With the right resources and support, we can harness our passion and energy to address the pressing issues facing our society, from climate change, LGBTQ rights, to social justice. But we need your help to make this vision a reality.

It starts with you, every Committee Member. Help us support and give energy to every student and give every student in California the education in order to have a voice. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members of the Committee. Hello. My name is John Haro and I'm a senior Arroyo Valley High School in San Bernardino, and I'm here today discuss the importance of AB 2724. AB 2724 seeks to increase voter registrations among the youth in California. By enlightening students on their voting rights and preregistering them to vote, AB 2724 is a vote that will empower and form a culture where students will actively be able to involve in shaping their own future.

I grew up in an immigrant household where all my parents didn't have the opportunity to educate me and my siblings about our rights as US citizens. Growing up without the knowledge my voting rights is not only a predicament that I suffer from. Young adults ages 18 to 34 make up 31% of California, but only 18 are likely to be voters.

Youth, not just in San Bernardino and in California, suffer from this lack of voting illiteracy, either from being told that their vote didn't matter or growing up in an environment where voting didn't matter. My friend Sara Mendez was told her whole life through the means of religion she shouldn't get involved in politics yet alone voting. This fixed mindset influences a culture that diminishes youth's sense of empowerment and instead adds to this already existing lack of voting literacy.

Our voting literacy isn't only constructed by our uprising, but by the environment we are placed in. Although we live in a nation built off democracy, it is driven by social media or misinformation and deceptive tactics used on uneducated and unsuspecting voters. This misinformation is embedded into our society, creating a social norm where the people who know very little are persuaded by manipulative means.

This policy would inform students of the facts and allow them to come to their own conclusions, give students the opportunity to vote, and understand that their vote really does matter, which will create a culture of healthy voter literacy. AB 2724 will form a culture where all students will be given the opportunity to vote, equipping students with the information that they need and resources to understand how their participation affects democratic activities. Thus, supporting bill AB 2724 is not only a step towards teaching students both their civic duties, but also investing in the future of democracy in California. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Good job to both of you. Public comments in support of the bill, please come forward to the microphone.

Good afternoon, Chair and Members. Thank you so much for introducing this important measure. Karen Stout, on behalf of my client, Power California Action, we are in strong support. Thank you so much.

Hello. My name is Rocio Ruiz, and I'm here in strong support of this bill with ICUC.

Hello, my name is Emilio Sanchez, and I'm here in strong support with ICUC.

Hello, my name is Ozzie Dolan, I'm in strong support from ICUC.

Hello, my name is David Gomez with ICUC, and I'm in strong support.

Hi, my name is Amy Alvarado and I'm from the Inland Congregations United for Change, and I support this bill.

Good afternoon, Members of the Committee. Alex Walker-Griffin with Arnold and Porter on behalf of Generation Up in support.

Hello, my name is Ana-Victoria Chavez. I'm from ICUC, and I support this bill.

Hello, my name is Jacqueline Reece. I'm from ICUC, and I support this bill.

Hello, my name is Achilles Warquez Vala. I'm part of ICUC, and I support this bill.

Hello, my name is Alexander Sifuentes. I'm with ICUC, and I strongly support this bill.

Hello, my name is Serenity. I'm from ICUC, and I strongly support this bill.

Hello, I'm Atzili Barragan from ICUC, and I support this bill.

Hello, Members of the Committee. My name is Maegha Ramanathan, and I'm here on behalf of Generation Up in support of this bill.

Hello, my name is Yara Rodriguez. I'm from ICUC, and I support this bill.

Hello, my name is Jocelyn Rodriguez from ICUC, and I'm in strong support of this bill.

Hello, my name is Patricia Orozco. I'm with ICUC, and I'm in strong support.

Hello, Members of Committee. I'm Jimena Cristiano and I'm with ICUC, and I'm with strong support of the bill.

Hello, my name is Antonio Hernandez. I'm with ICUC, and I'm with strong support of the bill.

Hello, my name is Giselle Blanco. I'm with ICUC, and I'm in strong support of the bill.

My name is Alexandra Arroyo. I am part of ICUC, and I strongly support this bill.

My name is Damaris Casillas, and I'm strongly supporting this bill from ICUC.

Hello, I'm Savannah Flores. I'm from ICUC, and I strongly support this bill.

Hi, my name is Vivian Esparza. I'm from ICUC, and I'm in strong support of this bill.

Hello, my name is Asher Eskoy. I'm with ICUC, and I support this bill.

Hello, my name is Natalie Mendez. I'm with ICUC, and I support this bill.

Hello, my name is Angel Orozco, and I'm in strong support of this bill.

Hello, my name is Lynn Hernandez. I'm with ICUC, and I also strongly support this bill.

Hello, my name is Mariana Venegas, and I'm from ICUC, and I strongly support this bill.

Hello, I'm Julie Hernandez. I'm with ICUC, and I'm in strong support of this bill.

Hi, my name is Damon Gonzalez. I'm with ICUC, and I strongly support this bill.

Hi, my name is Ashley Pluzar, and I support the bill.

Hi, my name is Roxana Barrera, and I'm also from ICUC, and I also support this bill.

Hello, my name is Angela Cardenas, and I'm also from ICUC, and I support this bill.

Hello, everyone. My name is Ayla Lopez, and I'm with Inland Congregations United for Change for support of this bill.

Hello, everyone. My name is Arturo Orozco with ICUC and also strongly support this bill.

Hi, my name is Tom Dolan. I'm with ICUC, and I strongly support this bill.

All right, thank you very much. Any further witnesses in support? Seeing none. Any witnesses in opposition? Seeing none. Any public comments in opposition? Seeing none. I'll bring it back to the Committee. Any comments, questions from the Committee? Mr. Hoover, then Mr. McCarty.

Thank you. Just want to thank the author for bringing this bill forward. I will be supporting it today and really excited just from the standpoint of, I think it's really important that, in addition to this, I think we all know that the first step is obviously registration. But the second step is actually voting. Right. And what we're seeing in our trends today is record low voter turnout. I think these are the trends that we really need to improve and change.

And that's where I think a lot of the folks on this Committee care as well about civic education and improving that in our schools as well. And not teaching people, obviously, who to vote for, but how important it is to use your voice and how important it is to participate in the democratic process. And so just want to thank you for bringing the bill forward.

Mr. McCarty.

Yes, thank you. And I was important to note, first of all, I'm in full support of this bill. And I think Mr. Hoover made a motion, and I'll second it. That we've done a lot of work in 10 years to make it easier for young people to pre-register. And I actually did a bill a couple of years ago with our former colleague, Assembly Member Gonzalez, that made it easier or automatic for people to pre-register when the young people go get their driver's licenses.

But young people aren't always getting their driver's licenses at 16 and 17 anymore, as we're learning too. So I thought that we could fix the issue that you're attempting to do by doing automatic pre-registration when they get their California ID or licenses. But that's not enough, and we need to make it easier. And so I'm in full support. But I also note, as the prior comment, that it's not just your name on the sheet, it's engagement and how to vote. And all of that is part of the equation, and this is what you're trying to accomplish. So thank you.

Thank you. Seeing no further comments from the Committee. Ms. Reyes, thank you very much for this important bill. I'm happy to support. I wanted to commend your excellent high school witnesses, as well as each and every one of the students that came all the way up here from Riverside and San Bernardino. All of you students, great job. Perhaps someday you can grow up to be just like Ms. Reyes. Ms. Reyes, would you like to close?

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the Members who commented. You're right. We need to find a better way to get our young people registered to vote. Get them engaged in a nonpartisan way, in a safe place in their high school where they can have dialogue. And as you can see, the number of students from a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization in the community to have taken the time to come up here. This is an important issue for them. And I want to thank our two witnesses who did a fabulous job. And with that, I would request your aye vote.

Thank you. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

File item 30, AB 2724. The motion is do pass as amended to Elections. [Roll Call]

4-0. We'll wait for Committee Members to come back to add on. Thank you. Okay, four to zero. The Bill is out. Sign in order. Next in line is Ms. Rivas, file item number 28. And this is AB 2595. Is there a microphone on?

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. I want to start by thanking your Committee staff for working with my office on this Bill. Before I present AB 2595, I'll explain what the Bill does. I want to start by sharing a story of a personal experience that I have with summer meal programs.

I'm the founder of a nonprofit and I chose to run programs at libraries during the summer because of the meals that they provide, and many of the girls that participated in my programs qualified for free meals in the community, and what I witnessed was when parents would come pick up their child, they just would watch their child eat and couldn't share a meal with their child.

That's what motivates me to bring this Bill forward again, because many parents are there also food insecure if they come from a food insecure household, and I really feel that this Bill is needed. So AB 2595 seeks to combat household hunger during the summer by allowing public libraries that provide children with meals also to provide participating parents and caregivers with those meals. According to studies from the Institute for Policy and Research, one in four households with children in California is food insecure.

If children from a food insecure home are hungry, it is almost certain that their parents or caregivers are also facing hunger. During the summer months, students and their families become increasingly vulnerable to hunger. When school is not in session, students are not provided the free breakfast and lunch meals that are normally provided at schools. Families that depend on these school meals are estimated to spend an additional $300 per month for a single child on food during the summer, which can be a significant financial strain.

However, the United States Department of Agriculture supplements meals for children through their summer food service program. This is a voluntary program for schools, libraries, community based organizations, faith based institutions, and government agencies to host and provide free meals to children ages 18 and under. Currently, the federal Summer Food Service Program mandates that only children 18 and younger are eligible to receive the free reimbursable meals. Since parents are not allowable under program guidelines, it's stressful for them when they are hungry and cannot receive food.

Many program directors want to feed the hungry parents but are unable to do so. While some locations offer parent meals at a reduced price, sometimes the reduced price is not affordable. The program can be a difficult sell for parents to take the time off, especially if they are working to bring their children to a short, tiny minute meal they cannot eat.

AB 2595 creates a state summer meal program for participating libraries to also provide meals to parents or caregivers for families that are utilizing the summer meal program for their children. Today, to provide testimony in support of the Bill, I have Itzúl Gutierrez, senior policy advocate with the California Association of Food Banks.

Hi, good afternoon, Chair and Committee Members. My name is Itzúl Gutierrez, senior policy advocate at the California Association of Food Banks. At the Association, we have a network of 41 food banks leading the collective effort to end hunger in California. No child should go hungry, yet California's high cost of living leads many families to struggle to make ends meet. Current data shows, as we heard, that over one in four households with children in California are food insecure, with deep disparities for Latine and Black households.

And thanks to the tremendous leadership by the Legislature and the Administration, in 2021, California became the first state to pass a statewide universal school meals program for children during the school year. Now we look to addressing hunger during the summer months when schools are closed, which not only affects children, but the whole family. Prior to joining CFB, I worked at the Redwood Empire Food Bank overseeing summer meal programs at about 40 sites across Sonoma County.

One of the hardest parts of the program was serving meals to children, knowing that parents who were hungry themselves too, were not allowed to eat meals. As mentioned, the federal USDA rules prohibit parents and caregivers from receiving meals along with their children. But one summer, we were fortunate to receive a temporary grant funding providing a pilot to provide caregiver meals.

We achieved remarkable success in addressing hunger for entire families, including parents and grandparents, while fostering a positive atmosphere for children throughout the summer months. I wanted to read a quick quote from Maria Fuentes, Every Child Every Day Manager at the Redwood Empire Food Bank, currently where they operate summer meal sites. "Our summer lunch program serves seven libraries in Sonoma County, providing lunches close to 1600 children a month."

"We already know that as children are out of school and experiencing a gap in nutrition, their caretakers are also experiencing a similar gap. The children's caretakers are attending our meal service to bring their children to receive a nutritious meal and would highly benefit from a meal themselves. Our library contacts have provided feedback that we could serve more children facing food insecurity if we could have meals for caretakers as well."

Got to ask you to wrap up.

Okay. So AB 2595 ensures that caregivers sit down and have a meal with their children. And we know that public library sites are a good place to start this pilot because libraries are an ideal space providing as a hub for families to connect and get resources and are accompanying their children. So thank you for the opportunity to speak and happy to answer questions.

Thank you. Any public comments in support of this Bill please come forward.

Hello, Leilani Aguinaldo, Fresno Unified School District, in support.

Seeing no further witnesses in support. Any witnesses in opposition? Seeing none. Any public comments in opposition? Seeing none, bringing it back to the Committee. Any comments? Ms. Addis?

I'll move the Bill, but also, if it hasn't been moved, I'll make a very brief comment, though. I just so appreciate this. I coordinated summer school programs and hosted one of these on campuses, and it was food only for the children, and it was awkward, to say the least, that caregivers weren't able to sit down and have the nourishment they needed when they were having long days as well. So appreciate your thinking along these lines.

Thank you. Seeing no further comments from the Committee. Second motion. Okay. Motion has been made and seconded.

Yeah, I just thank Assemblymember, I know this is your final year, and you're cleaning up this work that you've worked on. We have universal school meals in California, in large part because of your effort pushing this issue three or four years ago. So we need to make sure that we continue this and how it's implemented year round for home kids. So thank you.

Thank you. I guess I'll wrap up. Ms. Rivas, this Bill, I know, is you're continuing to fight this good fight, and so we wish you the best as you move forward. Motion has been made and seconded, Madam Secretary. Oh. Would you like to close?

Thank you. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

File item 28, AB 2595. The motion is do passed to appropriations. [Roll call]

4-0, the Bill is out. Thank you. Next, the file item is file number 15. Assemblymember Carrillo, AB 2071.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members. Thank you for allowing me to present Assembly Bill 2071. As many of us know, the education system in California has not always served English learners fairly and equitably. As an immigrant, bilingual speaker, and English learner, and maybe still learning English, I know the struggle of learning a new language while trying to seek higher education.

As a Spanish speaker, I also understand the experience of many English learners in California, with over 82% of them having Spanish as their home language for a long time; native or home languages were seen as a barrier to academic and professional success. In 2017, the State Board of Education took an important step forward in adopting the California English learner roadmap policy.

The roadmap transformed teaching methods to recognize students' native language as an asset, but despite this adoption, there remain gaps and challenges within the implementation of the policy. The Educator Workforce Investment grants help implementation of the roadmap, but the program alone was not enough to move the needle for systemic and broad change across the state. Starting September 1, 2025, AB 2075 would provide 25 separate one-time grants to schools to implement the English Learner Roadmap program over three years.

Those schools with the highest number of English learners will be prioritized along with those with the lowest number of English learners to ensure no one is left out. AB 2071 ensures that school districts have the necessary tools to successfully implement the roadmap by requesting enrolling and fluency data in the application process, it will also allow us to begin evaluating best practices.

As a parent, I also recognize the value of playing an active role in my children's education, especially when it comes to empowering parents with ways to participate in their child's unique English learning journeys. AB 2071 will additionally require the State Board of Education to create and adopt a California English learning enrollment parent toolkit. Recognizing that implementation will look different in each school, the toolkit can be applied in ways that reflect the needs of parents.

The toolkit would provide questions for parents to ask their schools, including information that is translated into their primary language and a glossary of terms. Parents will also have a seat at the table to assist in the development of this toolkit. By ways of incentive grants and with the help of parent toolkit, California will be better able to ensure the English Learning Roadmap policy has been effectively implemented.

Joining me to testify in support and answer questions is Olympia Kyriakidis, Senior Director of Multilingual Education and Global Achievement Learning and Leadership Services at San Diego County Office of Education, and Elodia Ortega-Lampkin, Superintendent of the Woodland Joint Unified School District.

Good afternoon. Thank you for allowing me to speak today on behalf of AB 2072. My name is Elodia Ortega-Lampkin. I'm the proud superintendent of the Woodland Joint High School District. But most importantly, I'm a very proud English learner. A product of migrant education and a daughter of Avaricero, I'm here today, representing the California Association of Bilingual Education.

While California has had an English Learner Roadmap policy since 2017, approved by the State Board of Education, we have yet to ensure full implementation, and our students are suffering for this. The important policy became lost in the complexity of dealing with the pandemic for so many of our school districts across the state, including mine. As a result, we do not have a complete picture of how many districts have either fully or partially implemented the English learner roadmap. My district began implementing during the pandemic.

It was very challenging and we did our best that we can and we continued to work on it. I know that many of my colleagues have not even started or even know about the English journal map. I believe that to ensure this policy is implemented, that we need to fund it and support it.

During my tenure, assistant superintendent and superintendent of the Woodland School District, I have worked to ensure that our district is taking this policy very seriously, and we need our colleagues across the state to also do the same with support. One of the best tools I've had has been my understanding of the numerous programs, programs, and services of English learners. Because I am bilingual. I've been a bilingual teacher, bilingual educator, but many of my colleagues do not, and those are the children that they serve in California.

Not all of our school districts have the skills and the longevity of suburban English learners. Frankly, many districts need more comprehensive support to implement the English learner roadmap, providing dedicated resources as they consistently begin supporting and moving in this direction. This important measure would provide funding and mechanism to provide 25 3-year incentive grants to districts with a high number of English learners to assist with local planning and implementation efforts to ensure the English learner roadmap can be implemented across multiple districts across the state.

It's a very powerful policy. It's an opportunity for us to implement it and make a difference for our English learners. In addition, I would ask the State Board of Education to create a parent toolkit. Our parents also, and our community Members also need to be empowered and have the knowledge to understand what is going to need, the actions that are going to need to be taken to fully implement. Please support by voting yes on AB 2071. I have to say, I'm a little nervous.

I wish I could have done as well as the kids did earlier.

Thank you.

Hello.

Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to be here to speak on behalf of AB 2071. I'm Olympia Kyriakidis. I'm the Senior Director of Multilingual Education at the San Diego County Office of Ed. I was very excited to see this legislation for the implementation of the EL roadmap at the LEA level. It is really needed. In my experience, I helped support 42 school districts and half a million students overall, 88,000 of which are English learners in San Diego County.

What we tend to see is that this is a comprehensive policy, and it is intended to be so by design, and it's intended to touch all parts of the system, of the educational system. But successful implementation requires coordinated alignment and capacity across an LEA that crosses many different functions in the districts, many different departments, and job roles within a district.

And it also calls for district leadership, like our wonderful speaker just shared, to speak to the shared responsibility across the system and across different stakeholders, including our parents, but definitely, our educators and leaders, to improve education for English learners and to have those really strong outcomes. It's everyone's shared responsibility to do so.

And in my experience, in the schools that are further along in this process, the English learners in those programs have higher academic outcomes, they have access to more rigorous courses, and they are more likely to be bi-literate. On the other hand, schools that have not implemented the program don't have those same outcomes at all, and they're struggling to implement this very important policy that is assets-oriented and research-based.

They really lack the capacity to do so, and they often share with us and myself and my team, and when we do our work, that they really need more support. A dedicated person, for example, would go a very long way in helping them to build capacity and implement this really important work.

So the power in this legislation is the grants would go a very long way to help be a benefit in implementing the EL roadmap and really improving the outcomes for students and helping to rid us of this persistent opportunity and achievement gap for our English learners. Thank you for your listening, and we hope to have your support.

Thank you. Any public comments in support of the bill, please come forward.

Cristina Salazar with Californians Together, Californians Together, proud Co-sponsor.

Tristan Brown, CFT, here in support.

Martha Zaragoza Diaz, representing the Delta Kappa Gamma California, in support.

Hi, good afternoon. Carol Gonzalez here on behalf of Hope Hispanos, Organized for Political Equality and support. Thank you.

Greetings. Dr. Edgar Lampkin, CEO of CABE and also former superintendent, implementing seal, highly needed, in support.

Good afternoon. Sam Nasher with the Los Angeles County Office of Education in support. Thank you.

Hello. Sarah Lillis with Teach Plus in support.

Angie Wright with Azusa Unified in full support.

Mr. Chair and members, Adam Keglin, on behalf of the California Charter Schools Association, in support.

Sara Bachez with Children Now in support.

All right, any witnesses in opposition to the bill? Seeing none coming forward. Any public comments in opposition to the ill? Seeing none. Any comments from the committee? Ms. Addis.

I'm doing a lot of me-toos today, which means I think there are a lot of good bills coming forward, but I think I'm already a co-author, and I just want to thank you for this. I worked with the English learner roadmap and was in charge of professional development in our school district when the ELD standards were getting rolling, and then when the EL roadmap came forward, and the constant issue that I ran into is exactly what you're talking about, the need for resourcing and the need to get this to teachers so that boots on the ground we could understand what the components of the roadmap looked like in the classroom. So the roadmap is such a phenomenal start, but if we really want to make education policy that touches the lives of kids, then we need to go deeper with this.

And so I really want to appreciate you for continuing this conversation and for pushing it to the next step, and I'll move to approve this.

Motion has been made and seconded. Any further comments from the Committee? Seeing none. Thank you, Mr. Carrillo, for bringing this important measure. Mr. Alvarez and I also have another measure to implement the English learner roadmanp, and so we are joined in this effort. I would also be honored to be added as a co-author to your bill. And would you like to close?

Well, thank you. I respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you. Motion has been made and seconded, please call the roll

File item 15, AB 2071. The motion is do pass to Appropriations. [Roll Call]

4-0. The bill is out. All right. Mr. Holden has been patiently waiting. File item number 22.

Is AB 2273.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members of the Committee for the Opportunity to present Assembly Bill 2273. The Career technical paid internship Bill AB 2273 ensures equitable access to CTE opportunities for all students in California. CTE programs have emerged as pivotal pathways for enhancing high school graduation rates and facilitating higher education enrollment in the academic year 2021 through 2022, California witnessed the participation of over 647,000 students in these programs, a testament to their widespread impact and efficacy.

It is imperative to acknowledge that CTE programs serve as a crucial platform for a diverse array of students, particularly those hailing from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, individuals preparing for nontraditional career paths, students with disabilities, and English language learners. Data shows CTE students graduation rate in high school is 90% versus only a 75% average nationwide graduation rate for non CTE students. However, significant impediment to the participation of students in CTE programs persist in the form of unpaid internships.

These internships pose a considerable disadvantage, particularly for students who require meaningful work experience but lack the financial flexibility to engage in unpaid labor. Notably, individuals from Low income households often face barriers in accessing quality internship opportunities, thereby exacerbating existing disparities in the workplace. Assembly Bill 2273 seeks to address this disparity by advocating for the compensation of high school intern participating in CTE programs.

By providing financial renumeration, the Bill aims to empower students to fully engage in the workplace learning experience, alleviating concerns regarding financial instability, and ensuring equitable access to professional development opportunities. Testifying in support of AB 2273 its legislative representatives Peter Callas, who's here today to join in support of the Bill, I respectfully ask for your I.

Good afternoon chair and Committee Members. My name is Pete Callas. I'm the Director of the Korean College Transition Division at the California Department of Education. On behalf of State Superintendent Public Instruction Tony Thurman, we're proud to sponsor Assembly Bill 2273 by Assembly Member Holden. The Bill creates the California Pilot paid internship program, which would support high school seniors to participate in eight week internship programs that provide up to 40 hours of paid work per week at the minimum wage.

We'll need to amend the minimum wage level that we have in the Bill right now. A critical workforce challenge in the United States is the skills gap, particularly among jobs that require either a high school diploma, post secondary certificate, or associate's degree. Another concern is living in poverty, in which people earn wages but quality and rely on essential safety net programs to make ends meet.

According to the Future of Works Commission 2021 report, nearly 45% of approximately 7 million Californians in poverty reported living in a family with at least one family Member working full time. CTE provides an important avenue for young adults to gain soft and industry specific skills beginning in middle and high school so they are ready for college and career. Taught by specialized instructors, a unique design of CTE programs offers students an integrated learning of academic knowledge and applied skills for high demand industries.

The State of California offers more than 10,000 CTE courses that meet the A through G requirements necessary for entrance into the UC college system. Schools select CTE content areas that are the best fit for their region and align with their local high schools. Manufacturing, construction, industrial technology, healthcare, and hospitality are some examples of industries students gain exposure to through CTE content and hands on experience.

Data shows that students who are enrolled in CTE courses are more likely to attend and graduate from high school than their peers. They're also more likely to be employed full time, eight years after expected graduation.

Got to ask you to wrap up.

Yes. All right. Paid internship provides equitable resources for participating students. This additional income can benefit participating students born into families with limited resources or underserved communities. It is for these reasons, we request for an I vote on AB 2273. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Any public comments in support of the Bill?

Good afternoon. Lucy Salcido Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education in support.

Sam Nasher with the Los Angeles County Office of Education in support.

Any witnesses in opposition to the Bill? Seeing none. Any public comments in opposition to the Bill? Seeing none. Any comments from the Committee? Mr. Alvarez.

Thank you. I want to thank you, Mr. Holden, for bringing this before us today. I also just want to acknowledge that not too long ago, chair and myself in sub three, now education finance, held a Joint Hearing related to CTE programs. And the message to me was very loud and clear from practitioners, from those who were on the ground.

And time and time again, we heard from practitioners saying that the multiple programs make it difficult for them to be able to essentially make their programs effectively run.

And so my only feedback to you would be because I think this is completely well intentioned and it's looking to support that good work that they are already doing, is how can we, as you move forward through this, how can we create not a new program that requires new funding cycle with more work for them to apply for, with the uncertainty of whether they'll get the money or not, a lot of the work that your program would help fund, they're already figuring out and they're doing.

And so how do we just support the work that they're already doing without making them have to go and apply for more funding? That's what I heard loud and clear from them. And so I want to voice what I heard from them. Otherwise, I think I would not be doing justice to their testimony before us at that Committee. And it was pretty evident that people feel burnt out by having to go and apply for these little programs here and there.

By the way, they're not all in the same place. Department of Education has one. We've got one at school construction. They're all over the place. And it doesn't make it easier for them to accomplish the work that you are hoping to support with your Bill and that they are working hard to try and accomplish on a daily basis. So that's what I would ask of you.

That doesn't give me enough pause to not support the Bill today, but I would hope that as this moves forward, and if we get to see this on the Assembly floor, that's probably where I'll see it again.

I'll be checking in with you on what work has been done to ensure that, that collaboration, that, that simplification, that we don't just create another program and another bureaucracy that doesn't facilitate the work that you're hoping to support and that I think is definitely well intentioned and that we do need to help propel. So that'll be my comments for today. I have no other further questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bonta.

Thank you. Thank you, Chair Alvarez, for sharing that. I share a very similar sentiment and I wonder if there's not an opportunity to ensure that the existing paid internships for students do have a clause in there that requires them, or internships for a portion of those for the existing programs requires a minimum wage payment for students. The other just curiosity I have with this is that the minimum wage in California right now is $16 and this is set to be $15.

So also, wanting to perhaps have the author address the issue around why there isn't parity with the existing minimum wage standard for these paid internships and also question to the CDE around whether there would be an opportunity to shape or reframe or reallocate the existing dollars and programs with this requirement around having a portion, at least a portion of those be paid internships.

Permission of the chair first of all, I agree on all fronts. Look, we're trying to find a way to be value added to recognize that there is a real opportunity to engage more young people in this process, and giving them an opportunity to have resources attached to it, I think creates a pathway for them to participate for a variety of reasons that we see that they're not engaging in internships in the way that we believe they should and can benefit from.

And the statistics show those who do excel exceedingly well. We are blessed to have the partnership of the Superintendent of public instruction to be a part of this Bill. To the Member Alvarez's question around making sure that there's opportunity for efficiencies. We don't want to have a bureaucratic process. We're just trying to find ways of creating opportunities for young people to be excited about valuing from an internship program.

And so those that are already established and in place, I'm sure that in partnership with the Superintendent, that we can think about how with him having a broader understanding of all the different pots of resources that are there and the participants in programs, that we can try to figure out the right way to carve a pathway so that there are those who are participating currently that don't feel like they have to go through additional barriers.

We'll have to circle the wagons and figure out how best to structure that. As it relates to $15 versus 16, I think we certainly want to make sure that it's all the way equitable, that we're staying in line with what current minimum wage is. I think when we look at the fact and those organizations that are already participating in finding ways to make this work, this is a program or pilot that's in partnership with private industry to partner, to bring resources to the table.

And we want to make sure that certainly where it was zero, we want to make it sure that it's something that meets the right standard for participation and what we can find in the resources within the General Fund budget to help augment. But again, we're perfectly comfortable making the adjustment to see how we can step up to the minimum wage number. Certainly not problem on our end. It's all about making sure we can find the $12 million to pull this together.

But we do think it's worth the effort and we certainly want to meet all the appropriate standards that we've set.

Any further comments from the Committee? Mr. Hoover?

Sorry, late to the party here. Just want to say thanks for the Bill. I won't be able to support it today, but do appreciate the effort here. And I just think more generally speaking, I was actually at a high school in my district last week where talking to some of the students who are just trying to get jobs in their communities, first time jobs, and really struggling to do that.

I feel like a lot more companies, especially as the minimum wage continues to rise, are not wanting to take that chance on high school students. And so any way that we can find to better engage them, I think at that level too, is really important.

Mrs. Addis?

I fully support this Bill. I see it as a great equalizer, and there was a pretty popular book written a while ago called Lean In, and it really talked about the importance of internships. But some of the pushback was around pay and pay inequity and lack of pay, and what a huge barrier that is for women to get into certain fields because they simply cannot afford to do free, unpaid internships.

High school students, I think, are very much in the same boat and a whole host of other communities. And so I just want to commend you. I do think there's clearly, from the conversation today, there's a bit of work to do.

I'll definitely be supporting it because I think it's the right step towards creating equity for the pipeline of jobs that are out there and some of them that are going to end up being very high paid jobs once people can get through these entry level learning experiences. So thank you for that.

Okay. Seeing no further comments, I would agree with Ms. Addis that I'm seeing, as a parent of a teenager how important. Back in my day, we didn't have to worry about internships until college, but now it seems like more and more high school kids are worrying about internships. But we know how critical it is to get your foot in the door for a lot of these careers, a lot of these job opportunities.

Well, first of all, I thank you for a lot of the constructive direction that you've given us, and that certainly gives us an opportunity to fine tune it as we move forward. I think that we're all agreeing that the General principle here of making sure that young people who are being disadvantaged for participating in internship programs are encouraged and given an opportunity to really participate.

Because then we see what the data shows and how they are opened up to opportunities and see clearly a vision and a vista of opportunity down the road that they should not be precluded from participating in. And so getting expertise and being able to, at as early age as possible, to know what it's like to be in a work environment, how to operate, how to understand, how to function and to excel, the sooner it happens, the better.

And it pretends for a bright future down the road. So I appreciate the Committee's support, and I respectfully ask for your. I vote.

Okay. I heard a lot of support, but I didn't get a motion and a second.

I'll move.

Motions made and seconded. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

File item 22. AB 2273. The motion is do passed to appropriations. Muratsuchi?

I.

Muratsuchi, I. Flora Addis. Addis. I. Alvarez?

I.

Alvarez I. Bonta?

I.

Bonta I. Hoover, no. Mccarty? Mccarty, aye.

5-1. The bill is out. All right. Ms. Davies has been patiently waiting. This is file item number 19, AB 2179.

Yeah, here we go. Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. Members. Today, I'm here to present AB 2179. I first want to thank committee staff for working with my staff and stakeholders on the measure. I will be accepting proposed Committee amendments. Under current law, California high schools are required to provide students and parents information about a variety of courses offered, including outside opportunities for job corpse activities such as California Conservation Corps.

However, there is no standalone educational code related to informing students and parents about the benefits of joining or applying for an apprenticeship. California is at a crossroads. We have thousands of jobs that need to be filled by educated and trained workforce, yet not enough workers to fill these roles. For years, our educational system has promoted a high school to higher education opportunity. It's important that we are able to update and include, and promote a high school to hard hat opportunity as well.

AB 2179 is simple measure to ensure at the beginning of school year, parents and students are informed about local apprenticeships opportunities open to students. According to Zip Recruiter, on average, an apprentice can earn roughly $72,000 a year in entry-level positions in a variety of apprenticeships. Not enough young students know that being employed in that type of field can lead to a lucrative and stable career.

This measure has no opposition and is supported by the very groups who need the generations of workforce, including the State Building and Construction Trade Council, California State Pipe Trade Council, the California State Association of Electrical Workers, and the Sheet Metal Workers Local Union, number 104. With me here to testify in support is Vince Sugrue from the Sheet Metal Workers Local Union, number 104. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Honorable members of the Assembly Education Committee, my name is Vince Sugure, State Legislative Director with Sheet Metal Workers Local 104 in Northern California. We represent over 10,000 hardworking members and their families, and I'm before you today to advocate strongly in support of 2179 and to thank Assembly Member Davies for bringing this forward. This legislation is about reshaping our approach to education and career guidance, ensuring that every student has access to diverse and fulfilling pathways to success.

In recent decades, our high schools have veered away from emphasizing the unionized trades and the apprenticeship pathways associated with them as viable career options. The prevailing narrative has pushed students towards a traditional four-year college education, often neglecting the immense value and opportunities that exist within the skilled trades. In Local 104 currently, we have over 1000 active apprentices, two-thirds of whom are people of color, and we are witnessing a striking trend. The average age of our apprentices is 29 years of age.

This statistic is a clear indication that many individuals are not exposed to these opportunities until later in life, missing out on years of potential growth and development; the value of exposing younger individuals to DAS-approved apprenticeship programs cannot be overstated. I could provide you countless stories of members whose lives have changed when they found stability through their career choice. And time and time again, we hear: the only thing I regret is not becoming a union sheet metal worker sooner in life.

For many young people, the traditional classroom setting may not resonate, but the opportunity to work with their hands and see tangible results while earning while they learn after high school can ignite a passion and drive that makes them successful in the building and construction trades. To conclude, AB 2179 represents a critical step forward in bridging the gap between education and industry.

We feel this bill is long overdue and would ask for your support on this important legislation to invest in the future of our youth and our state. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

Fernando Ochoa with the Western States Council of Sheet Metal Workers in strong support.

Seeing no further witnesses, any public comments in support of the bill, please come forward.

Good afternoon, Chair and members. Mike West, on behalf of the State Building and Construction Trades Council and if I could just take a moment, since there was no other primary witness. I'm a proud member of Glazers Local 1621. After graduating high school in 1982, I didn't have an opportunity or the financial means to go to college. In my junior and senior years, it wasn't a safe environment, and I spent many nights couch-surfing and sleeping in a vehicle. State-approved apprenticeship programs provide a path to the middle class for underserved, underrepresented, and basically under-encouraged and under-financed youth like myself. So I want to thank you so much for your time and please vote aye on this bill.

Thank you.

Lucy Salcido Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education in support.

Good afternoon, Chair and members. Roman Vogelsang with the Pray & Company on behalf of the California Workforce Association. Apologies. We weren't able to submit a letter before the deadline. We finalized our ledge packet just yesterday but are here to testify in support. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and members. Tristan Brown with CFT, happy to support.

All right, are there any witnesses in opposition to the bill? Seeing none. Any public comments in opposition to the bill? Seeing none. Questions? Comments from the committee? Seeing none. Ms. Davies, thank you very much for your bill. Happy to support this very important measure. Would you like to close respectfully?

Ask for an aye and thank you.

Thank you. Second motions made and seconded. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

File Item 19, AB 2179. The motion is do pass as amended to Appropriations. [Roll Call]

6-0. The bill is out. Next in the sign-in order is file item seven. Mr. Arambula, AB 1915.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and members. I will begin by thanking the committee staff and will be accepting the committee amendments today. People on high school campuses should know what to do when confronted with an opioid overdose emergency. AB 1915 makes available to public high schools an opioid overdose response training toolkit so students and teachers are prepared to respond in a crisis to save lives.

This bill will direct California Department of Public Health to develop the opioid overdose prevention training program and response toolkit to be made available to the public high schools voluntarily. Wishing to train students to identify, respond, and administer an opioid overdose and to access resources after an event has occurred, this bill will require that the opioid antagonists that are made available on campus to be in locations that are widely known and easily accessible.

Time is tissue, so we need our students to be our eyes and ears and to identify as early as possible those who would benefit from Narcan. AB 1915 is an opportunity to prevent overdoses, to bring hope, and to empower others to save a life during an emergency. While schools may provide naloxone to school nurses and to trained personnel, there is currently no training for young people. Learning the technical process of administering naloxone only takes a few minutes.

However, only through comprehensive training will students be prepared to support their peers experiencing an overdose. In support of AB 1915 today we have two witnesses. First, we have Maegha Ramanathan with GENup. And second, we have Jim Horton with the Zachary Horton Foundation.

Thank you, Assembly Member Arambula, for the introduction. And thank you, committee members, for allowing me to testify. My name is Maegha Ramanathan. I'm a junior at Dublin High School and the chief of campaigns at Generation Up, a student-led organization created to foster educational equity. Today, I'm here in support of AB 1915 because I firmly believe it's a critical step towards addressing the urgent issue of opioid overdoses among young people in our state.

Opioid overdoses are a life-threatening condition that has ravaged communities across our nation, including right here in California. In 2021, fentanyl has contributed to 80% of drug-related debts among youth in California and has caused over 7000 deaths by itself. Because of the competitive environments that many districts like mine produce, many of my peers often resort to drug use. I've seen my very classmates overdose because of taking pills before tests or smoking Marijuana because of inability to handle so much academic and social stress.

One of my classmates in my French class freshman year was an engaged student who wanted to do well in school, but unable to cope with the toxic environments where everybody was constantly out to get the highest test scored and do better than their peers. He began to isolate himself from an environment. From such an environment, he began to take painkillers to offset the mental strain he felt because of such pressure. Eventually, he overdosed at a social gathering after school.

After the arrival of police and the ambulance, he was put into rehabilitation and slowly began to recover. His story isn't the only one. The risk of youth overdose is a reality for students just like me. As school environments become more competitive and toxic, equipping the youth to fight opioid overdose is more important than ever. Having toolkits to help overdose can allow for quick intervention and prevention and help millions of youth. AB 1915 just does that. I urge you to vote aye on this life-saving legislation.

Thank you. Good afternoon. Chair and members of the committee. I'm Jim Horton. I'm President of the Zachary Horton Foundation. The mission of our foundation is to end the stigma of addiction. My son and only child, Zach, died of an accidental overdose on January 7, 2020. He was 19. He had just graduated seven months earlier. He'd spent the last nine months of his young life in rehabs and sober livings. He was making great progress in his recovery.

However, he made a fateful choice to spend the night with an old partying friend of his on January 6; several of Zach's relapses in his recovery journey had been with this young man. But that night, Zach tried a mixture of heroin and meth with his friend, and this is my son's first experiment with this combination. And during this time, his friend Facetimed some mutual friends of theirs on the phone who commented on how distressed Zach seemed and that he might need some help.

They told him of places he could get Narcan, but for reasons unknown, either it was late, or they were loaded or unconcerned, his friend opted to leave Zach alone and go to bed. That night, his friend's mother heard Zach's labored breathing, which is referred to as death rattles of an opiate overdose. My son died that night, but Zach didn't have to die. Zach had Narcan in his car.

But neither my son's friend nor his friend's mother knew the signs of an overdose or how to react to it. Just two weeks ago, I spoke to 75 faculty members of a high school in Ventura.

At the end of our discussion, I asked a simple question about, and at that time, they instructed me I was not allowed to distribute Narcan to their adult teachers. And I asked them at the end of our discussion during lunch, if their student population, if someone needed Narcan, would they know where to access it on their campus? And a couple of the administrators said, "Well, yeah, our nurse has it." The teachers didn't even know that.

And then, I asked the question with the students at lunch if they wanted to know where to go get illegal drugs during lunch. Would they know where to get that? And, of course, the chuckles came from all over the room. Until we are able to make Narcan, the life-saving medicine, more accessible than the illegal drugs that permeate our streets today, we're fighting an uphill battle.

Thank you very much. Thank you. Any public comments in support of the bill please come forward.

Good afternoon. Lizzie Cootsona here on behalf of the California Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the California State Association of Psychiatrists, in support. Thank you.

Good afternoon. Trent Murphy with the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives in strong support.

Thank you.

Lucy Salcido Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education in support.

Mitch Steiger with CFT, also in support.

Jia Chen, on behalf of the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals, in strong support. Thank you.

Joe Saenz, on behalf of the County Health Executives Association, in support.

Sam Nasher with the Los Angeles County Office of Education, in support.

Alex Walker Griffin on behalf of Generation up with Arnold and Porter in support.

Thank you. Any witnesses in opposition to the bill? Seeing none. Any public comments in opposition to the bill? Seeing none. Comments - Mr. Vice Chair.

Thank you to my colleague for bringing this forward and to the father. I agree with you. Until the administration of Narcan is as prevalent as CPR, we're going to have a problem. And this is not a we all want to take the drugs off our streets, but we know the fight that we have ahead of us. Right on that. So, I completely support this bill. Incredibly sorry for your loss. But the acknowledgment of what we're dealing with, I think it is not lost on me.

So we need to make this education as prevalent as we do CPR.

Ms. Addis?

No, I mean my huge condolences for your loss. And I think it takes so much fortitude to come to a testimony like this and to try to move beyond condolences and beyond well wishes to true state action. And so I want to commend the author as well for taking action. I do think we can attack this issue, and I think this is one of the many things that we need to do. So thank you so much, and I'll move the bill.

Any further comments from the committee? Thank you. Mr. Arambula. I know that you are continuing to fight this fight. Thank you to both of your witnesses, but especially to Mr. Horton for keeping your son's memory and turning it into action. Happy to support the bill. Motion has been made and seconded. Madam Secretary, please call. Would you like to close?

Thank you, Mr. Chair; I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

File item seven, AB 1915. The motion is do pass as amended to Health. [Roll Call]

7-0. The bill is out. Next. In signing order, file item nine, Ms. Mckinnor AB 1929. Motion has been made and seconded. You know what that means, Ms. Mckinnor. Actually. Please turn on your microphone.

Hello, Chair and members of the committee; I'm here to present AB 1929. Currently, there exists a concerning underrepresentation of descendants of enslaved people within STEM fields and associated career technical education programs, both at the high school and college levels. Regrettably, existing legislation fails to adequately address this disparity, which perpetrates systemic racial inequalities within STEM industries. AB 1929. It is important to recognize that it is not an isolated effort but rather an integral part of the California Legislative Black Caucus's 2024 reparation package.

In closing, AB 1929 represents a crucial step towards fostering inclusivity and equity with the STEM education. By addressing the underrepresentation of descendants of enslaved people in career technical education programs, we are actively working towards a more just and equitable society for all, and I am requesting an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you. Seeing no witnesses in support. Any public comments in support? Please come forward.

Mel Assagai, for the California African American Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Sacramento Urban League, both in strong support.

Lucy Salcido Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education and support.

Sam Nasher with the Los Angeles County Office of Education and Support. Thank you.

Good afternoon, Chairman and members. Jessica Moran with the California Dental Association in support.

Thank you. Any witnesses in opposition to the bill? Seeing none. Any public comments in opposition to the bill? Seeing none. Comments? Questions from the committee? Mr. Alvarez.

Ms. Mckinnor, thank you very much for the bill. I just want to acknowledge certainly the significance of the package. This is the first bill I actually get to see and thank you for the work that you did overall on the reparations package, and acknowledge that this is part of the work that you are leading with your colleagues in the black caucus. And I just think this one's just a no-brainer. Collecting the data, the only way we will know if we're actually making strides to address the inequalities and certainly to ensure that we don't perpetuate them is if we have the information, and this is absolutely what is needed. And I'm looking forward to other bills that are looking to do the same so that we can have the data and then we can point to the data and say we've got more work to do. I think that's what we'll find out.

I think, you know, that we'll find that out, but without having it, we can't point to it. And So, I thank you for moving this forward in this way, and I would be happy to move the item.

Motion has been made and seconded. Any further comments from the committee? Seeing none, Ms. Mckinnor. Thank you very much. I also recognize the significance of this measure as part of the larger effort, recognizing that we have, unfortunately, operating within the parameters of Proposition 209 and the United States Supreme Court recent decision that we need to start by breaking down the data by race to make sure that our programs are reaching all communities equitably.

If you're taking co-authors, I would love to be a co-author to measure and would like to give you an opportunity to close.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Appreciate that. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Motion has been made and seconded. Madam Secretary, please call the roll file.

Item nine, AB 1929. The motion is do pass to Higher Education. [Roll Call]

7-0. The bill is out.

Thank you.

All right, we are. Mr. Alvarez is a step ahead of you, Mr. McCarty. So Mr. Alvarez has file item number 25, AB 2429.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And Members, I bring Assembly Bill 2429 to try and help be part of the solution to address what you are all well aware of, which is the alarming rise of fentanyl related deaths and overdoses in our communities. I want to say thank you to the Committee staff for working with us to make sure that we brought forward a Bill that would address what we're hoping to address, and happy to accept the Committee amendments today as we move forward.

The Bill is asking that school districts in California with high school health education requirements to incorporate lessons on the dangers of fentanyl into the curriculum. Fentanyl, originally developed in 1959 for medical pain relief purposes, has become a perilous force in our society. One of the most sobering statistics that I've learned as I was doing research and trying to understand fentanyl and the impact on young people's lives is that fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 49, the leading cause of death.

The CDC found a significant surge in adolescent overdoses from 2019 to 2021, and California has been particularly hard by the crisis. Between 2019 and 2021, opioid related deaths in our state have surged by an alarming 121% in my own county, San Diego, County, and we'll hear from the county in a second. Deaths involving fentanyl rose by 2300% in a five year time period.

Education is our strongest tool against the spread of fentanyl, and AB 2429 ensures that our high school students are comprehensively educated about the dangers of fentanyl and equipped with the tools to protect themselves and others. We have Michelle Rubalcava from on behalf of the County of San Diego here to testify as a witness in support and help answer any questions.

Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. Michelle Rubalcava from Nielsen Merksamer on behalf of the County of San Diego, the county is very proud to be sponsoring this legislation. As you all know, accidental overdose deaths caused by fentanyl have reached historic levels across California and the nation.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that over 80,000 overdose deaths caused by fentanyl occurred in 2021, and that accidental deaths caused by fentanyl is the number one killer of people between the ages of 18 and 45, while fentanyl is the number one killer of people between the ages of 14 and 18 and 45. It is worth noting that increasingly, the drug is posing threats to our youth.

In 2020, 112 children under the age of 18 died from the accidental illicit fentanyl overdose in our county. That is more than twice the number from the year before. The youngest was only 13. Poisonings from fentanyl are greatly impacting our already strained emergency departments and in doing so, further harming our community at large. As trusted messengers, the education community is uniquely positioned to provide youth with life saving information and education in a safe, structured and supportive environment. Investing in the well being of youth is an investment in the future of our overall community health, and with that, we would respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Seeing no further witnesses in support. Any public comments in support please come forward.

Thank you chair Members. Joe Saenz with County Health Executives Association in support

Seeing no further public comment and support. Any witnesses in opposition? Seeing none. Any public comments in opposition? Seeing none. Any questions or comments from the Committee? Seeing none.

Thank you very much, Mr. Alvarez, for carrying this on behalf of your county, the County of San Diego, to make sure that more of our young people, I know that when I started learning more about even the dangers of trace amounts of fentanyl, I immediately had that conversation with my daughter when I got back home from Sacramento. And so you are trying to make sure that those conversations happen with all California students and families. So was the motion made and seconded? We have a second motion. Madam Secretary, please call the roll. oh, yes, Mr. Alvarez.

Just thank you. And trying to do our small part in educating our young people on the dangers. And I appreciate an aye vote on this measure. Thank you.

File item number 25, AB 2429. The motion is do pass as amended to the floor. [Roll Call]

All right, 6-0, the bill is out. Next we have file item number 18. Ms. Addis, AB 2173.

Well, thank you, chair and members. It's a pleasure to be here today at my first committee hearing for education. I appreciate you, and I'm going to try to be quick. I'm here today to present AB 2173 the Reducing Stigma in the Education act. And I just want to start by saying that we're all here serving on the Education Committee because we believe it's our job to open doors for kiddos.

But I would also say what I've heard today is that we believe in helping children through those doors. So we have great responsibility here. And I want to thank each of you for the comments that I've heard today. And we in the legislature, I would also say, believe that words matter. Words are very, very important to us, and that's why this bill is important today.

So as I've shared, my background is as a special education teacher, and I worked for many years in programs specifically serving students with emotional disabilities, but also in public special education classrooms as well as inclusion settings. And what I experience time and again is that we're required to use language and required to use categories such as emotional disturbance or calling students emotionally disturbed that aren't just hurtful and disrespectful, but actually close doors for students by stigmatizing them.

And it's well past time to change this by simply allowing educators, families, and students to officially use an interchangeable term of emotional disability or saying a student has an emotional disability. The reason we need a legislative fix is because the individual with Disabilities Act, or what's called IDEA, is the federal law that was established in 1975. And IDEA provides the requirements for all special education programs, and it sets out 13 different categories of disability.

And in order to receive specialized supports and services, students have to be diagnosed and labeled into one of those categories. And so in California since 1975, to get services and supports for a broad set of mental and emotional challenges, students have had to have the label emotional disturbance. And so, because of the stigma, some families, many families, I would say, have opted out. They do not want their children labeled emotionally disturbed.

And in opting out, they're missing out on the aligned, needed supports and services, which often can cause an increase in dropouts and an increase in involvement in the justice system. And so because of that stigma, it's really caused us to close doors on California's children. So this is a pretty straightforward bill. It doesn't change idea, it doesn't change federal law. The term emotional disturbance will still exist, however, in California.

We will join 20 something other states and be able to use the term emotional disability when we are going through the special education or the IEP process, and so that we can regain some dignity for California's children and California's students and families. With me to testify today is Veronica Coates, the assistant superintendent at the Tahama County Selpa, and I'll turn it over to her.

Oh, thanks. Rookie move. Good afternoon, chair and Members. My name is Veronica Coates, assistant superintendent of the Tahema County Selpa, also speaking on behalf of the Selpa, administrators of California, proud sponsor of AB 2173. If enacted, AB 2173 would finally replace an outdated term, emotional disturbance, with emotional disability, and California would join many other states. As Assemblymember Addis said, making this change. As we all know, language matters.

The term emotional disturbance as described under state law is an offensive term and could be replaced without altering the meaning. Under state law, not only do I come with a leadership lens, but a personal lived experience. My career journey was really born from this very issue. I was in Dr. Margaret byerly's exceptional child class in college, learning about special education and the career I was about to embark on.

At the very same time, my mother was navigating the education system for my younger sister, who has extensive mental health needs. I attended those IEP meetings with my mom to support her and saw the immensely painful dilemmas she had to face in those moments. In the end, she refused the label of emotional disturbance, and with that, the services that my sister so desperately needed, it really changed the trajectory of our family and my sister's life.

Much of those outcomes Assemblymember Addis talked about were the outcomes that she faced, and it sent me on a path to become a school psychologist, a role that does assessments for special education eligibility. What a juxtaposition of my personal experience, right? I have attended thousands of IEPs with families having the same conversation, around the same label that impacted my family so deeply. I also provided therapeutic services to students with this label, heard firsthand the impact to their self worth and identity.

I always had hoped I would see this change in my lifetime, and it is truly a dream realized to be here today. I will close by saying I think this should only be the beginning of an examination of labels and how they stigmatize and further pathologize our children and youth. And I commend Assemblymember Addis for taking this important step in that journey and being a catalyst for change.

This bill is simple, yet impactful, and will make a difference for many students and families across the State of California. I respectfully ask for your I vote on AB 2173. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Any public comments in support of the bill, please.

Michelle McKay Underwood, on behalf of the Coalition for Adequate Funding for Special Education, also in support.

Mitch Steiger with CFT. Also in support.

Sarah Lillis, executive director of Teach Plus California, in support.

Andrea Wright, Teach Plus policy fellow and I support as well.

Sam Nasher, Los Angeles County Office of Education, in support.

thank you. Any witnesses? In opposition? Seeing none. Any public comments? In opposition? Seeing none. Comments, questions from the committee. Ms. Bonta.

Just want to thank the author for bringing forward this bill, and what a perfect witness that you have to be able to both testify to the personal experience and impact that this has, as well as the kind of institutional experience it has for so many children. I too, did IEPs and worked with children and recognized that words, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words do hurt you, and I'm very thankful that you put this forward.

Thank you. Any further comments? Seeing none. Thank you very much. Ms. Addis, not only did you have a great witness to bring this forward, but our first special education teacher on the Education Committee. It's very fitting that you are the author of this, and so thank you very much. Happy to support. Would you like to close?

Just want to thank the committee for recognizing how important it is for these students to make this very small change that can have huge effects and respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. We need a motion in a second. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

File item 18, AB 2173. The motion is do passed to appropriations.[Roll Call]

All right. Congratulations. 50. The bill is out. Mr. McCarty, file item 26 AB 2565. Move the bill.

Yes, I saw that. This is the Education Committee. I wish we weren't talking about this topic. Twenty years ago at Ed Committee, we probably weren't talking about mass shootings and interior locks, but this is the reality. And after Sandy Hook, we studied this across our country. And one of the obvious conclusions from the Commission is having interior locks, and be nice to retrofit every classroom today and have that in there.

Mr. McCarty, your bill was moved in.

But that's not a reality. This would just say, going forward with the Committee amendments, that we accept, that we would have a process to focus on installing interior locks when we go undergo construction projects. Respectfully ask for your aye vote. I have with me today Tristan Brown with the California Federation of Teachers.

Afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. I hear your call for expediency. This has been a long time coming for CFT. We have been working on this policy issue for many, many years, ever since the atrocities that we saw at Columbine and so many others since then. The nightmare scenario of hearing shots getting louder and louder through a hallway are all too real for too many people today.

We're seeing backpacks sold with body armor sewn inside. This is the world we live in. The judicial branch is ill equipped to deal with this thus far, and these are the realistic measures that we can take to protect children.

Educators have already served as human shields. So I don't think we need to talk about this anymore. This is an obvious step forward. We ask for your aye vote today, and thank you, thank the author for bringing this again so we can finally get everyone as safe as we can in our public schools. Thank you.

Thank you. Seeing no further witnesses, public comments in support of the bill? Any witnesses in opposition to the bill? Any public comments in opposition to the bill? Questions? Ms. Addis.

I truly want to thank you for this. I worked in many classrooms that were missing this, and it was always very challenging to think about how I might keep students safe, and so want to really appreciate your efforts in this area. I do think it's something very simple but profound that we can do for kids and for teachers.

Take that as a motion.

Yes, I'll move.

Okay. All right. Motion has been made and seconded. Any further comments or questions? Seeing none. Thank you very much, Mr. McCarty. I mean, just hearing about backpacks with body armor, I wasn't aware of that. But, yes, it's a sad but necessary bill, and so thank you, Mr. McCarty, for bringing it forward. Would you like to close?

Yes, thank you. This is a very heavy topic. And I'll note that I remember when Sandy Hook happened. My girls were about to start kindergarten, and one of the twins'names was Victoria. One of the teachers that died there.

I forget her last name right now, but her name was Victoria, and she put her body in front of her students. And so we're talking about this in Ed Committee, but it's a reality we face, and I think this can go a long way in making our classroom safer. And ask your aye vote. Thank you. Thank you. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

File item 26, AB 2565. The motion is do pass as amended to Appropriations. [Roll Call]

[Roll Call]

5-0. The bill is out. I don't see Mr. Hoover here. And so I think I have two of the last three bills.

All right, Mr. Chair, we're going to be on file item eight, AB 1917.

Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Vice Chair. I'm here to present Assembly Bill 1917. As a former school board member, I know how important it was for me to receive training on the basics of a school board member, whether it's school finance, whether it's dealing with personnel issues, so many important issues that members of governing boards of school districts and county offices of education should receive. Unfortunately, the current situation is that often, members of these governing boards have absolutely no background in public education prior to assuming their governance roles.

And we all know how important many of the decisions are made in being responsible for the achievement of all of their students, the trust of their communities, and, in many cases, dealing with multimillion-dollar budgets as stewards of public funds. AB 1917 would require members of governing boards of school districts and county offices of education, as well as members of governing bodies of charter schools, to receive training in K-12 public education governance laws.

Training topics to include, but are not limited to, school finance, personnel requirements, public school accountability, and open meeting laws. I am very pleased to be joined by Superintendent Davies Hughes, Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools, representing California County superintendents, and Dorothy Johnson, representing the Association of California School Administrators.

Me to go first. Good afternoon, Mr. Vice Chair and committee members. My name is Michael Davies Hughes, and I am the Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools, where I'm proud to serve 31 school districts, 15 charters, and 17,000 students across our county. I'm here on behalf today of the California County Superintendents, an association that represents the 58 county superintendents, and I'm pleased to support assemblymember Murastsuchi's AB 1917; the governance teams of LEAs throughout California play a vital role in ensuring student success.

Thank you very much. First witness, please.

They're charged with making decisions on a wide range of topics that set the course for actions and services impacting every student, staff member, and school community. Board members represent the diverse voices of the communities they serve, and we believe they deserve to be supported in their decision-making roles.

AB 1917 goes a long way to providing this support because it helps ensure that all members of a governing team come to the table with foundational knowledge and understanding of topics critical to their role, open meeting laws, school finance and personnel laws, and school accountability requirements. As county superintendent, I have attended school board meetings throughout Humboldt County, and I have witnessed firsthand the stark contrast in outcomes for well-prepared and well-trained governance teams versus unprepared or inadequately trained ones.

The contrast is most visible when things go south. For example, a well-trained board knows the appropriate response to a public comment that demands board action on a nonagenda item, knows what factors to consider when asked to prioritize the allocation of resources when district budgets must be cut, knows how to handle complaints regarding school personnel, and knows what discussions to have at a board meeting when the LCAP expected outcomes fall short for unduplicated pupils.

The vast majority of individuals who serve on governance teams don't become experts in these areas by virtue of being elected, and it's irresponsible for us to expect that on-the-job experience is a sufficient substitute for carefully curated professional learning.

Thank you so much.

In closing, I hope you support our students by supporting AB 1917. Thank you.

Perfect timing. Thank you, sir.

Good afternoon, Mr. Vice Chair and Members. Dorothy Johnson on behalf of the Association of California School Administrators, I'll briefly add that we're very pleased to be in support of this measure. We totally understand that this is a reasonable expectation considering that, as was mentioned, our board members come from all walks of life but not always having public education experience. I do want to highlight we appreciate the balanced approach that is used to create and disseminate the trainings. We think this will help with compliance and maximize resources, and limit costs. So again, pleased to be in support of this measure today. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Any other witnesses from the - in support?

Leilani Aguinaldo, on behalf of Fresno Unified School District, in support?

Thank you so much. Anyone else in support of AB 1917?

Sam Nasher with the Los Angeles County Office of Education and support.

Appreciate that. Anyone in opposition to AB 1917? Did you hit the button?

Good afternoon. I'm Carlos Machado with the California School Board Association, CSBA, respectfully is in opposition to the bill unless it's amended. We applaud Assembly Member Muratsuchi's goal of ensuring school board members are trained in important education-related laws. Among the many services it provides to school districts and county boards of education, CSBA has decades of experience in delivering training to board Members in these areas and others and recognize the value of this type of training affords to new and experienced board members alike.

I also want to thank the committee staff for our helpful discussions leading up to this hearing on this bill. We are concerned that the bill does not include a criteria that would ensure uniform training quality. We seek the addition of safeguards that the training itself is delivered without bias. Schools are nonpartisan organizations, and the training should be as well.

Inclusion of standards for trainers are also important because they ensure board members receive training from those who track not only the changes in law but also related case law. Experienced trainers will help promote better compliance by incorporating best practices addressing the issues that were discussed earlier, and those best practices can come from other districts and county offices that have addressed those situations.

Requiring training to be provided by nonprofit entities will help keep costs that LEAs bear for this new requirement to a minimum and protect resources that would otherwise go to students. Lastly, by leaving the task of curriculum accuracy and sufficiency to the state superintendent public education, the bill leaves open the possibility that the curriculum could vary with changes to the SPI. For these reasons, we must oppose the bill unless it is amended.

As noted, CSPA remains committed to work with the Chair and the author, and the committee staff to address these concerns. Thank you.

Thank you so much for that. Anyone else in opposition to AB 1917? Seeing none bring it back to the committee. Yes, Assemblymember Addis.

Just if you could maybe address the concerns that have been brought up and maybe you didn't. I missed it. My apologies.

No, thank you for the question. Actually, you know, my training as a former school board member was through a California School Board Association training program, and so I fully recognize the great training programs that CSBA provides. Unfortunately, we cannot provide a monopoly for CSBA to provide all of their training, which I know is not what you're asking for, but I certainly welcome and will continue to work with CSBA to make sure.

I mean, it's basically we want to make sure that we have quality vetted programs for training, and so we look forward to continuing to work with CSBA to that effort.

Thank you very much. I'll second the bill. Any other questions from the committee?

I just wanted to thank the author for bringing forward this bill; I, too, was a school board member and also went through the CSBA training and also had an opportunity to go through another nonprofit training.

I think, first and foremost, it was the most important thing that I actually went through training, and it was voluntary, and I think ensuring that school boards, with the hundreds of millions of dollars that they are responsible for in terms of fiduciary duty, the critical nature of the work that they do, and the fact that they are often unpaid volunteers coming from all walks of life, as was stated by the witness, we need to make sure that we're providing a standard of professionalism and care from our school boards throughout.

So I'm very supportive of this bill, and thank you, author, for bringing it forward.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. Any other questions from the dais? Seeing none. Mr. Chair, would you like to close?

Thank you. I just wanted to add to my earlier response on making sure that we do this right. I mean currently, the bill calls for the Superintendent of Public Instruction, representing the California Department of Education, to vet the training programs.

But again, we'll continue to work with CSBA to make sure that we address their concerns. So, I respectfully ask for aye vote.

File item eight, AB 1917. The motion is do pass to Appropriations. [Roll Call]

Thank you very much, Madam Secretary. Please call the roll.

Thank you very much. That bill is out 6-0. Moving on to file item 17, AB 2074. I'll move the bill.

Thank you.

I'll take that as a signal. Keep it short. I am here to present Assembly Bill 2074 along with- I know he wanted to join me- Mr. Alvarez is a joint author of this measure to require the California Department of Education to implement the California English Learner Roadmap policy. You heard earlier, Mr. Carrillo, talking about this very important policy that was adopted in 2017 by the State Board of Education, a new comprehensive and research based California English Learner Roadmap policy.

This is critically necessary as California has almost 20% of our students are English learners. Almost 60% of our students grow up in households having a home language other than English. And so making sure that our students, our curriculum, our teachers, our staff are trained according to this English learner Roadmap policy is critical to address academic gaps with too many students never achieving English proficiency and academic outcomes remaining unacceptably low.

This EL policy explicitly focuses on English learners in the context of the state's efforts to improve the educational system, the quality of teaching, quality of learning, and educational outcomes. Currently, there is no state plan for building awareness, a sense of urgency, and opportunity related to implementing this EL roadmap policy. There is no monitoring or accountability regarding the implementation and lastly, there are no Department of Education positions that are funded and designated to support this critically important implementation.

AB 2074 ensures the vision to adequately serve California's English learners to truly get in the classroom by requiring the Department of Education to develop a statewide implementation plan for the EL roadmap with input from LEAs, teachers, parents and other stakeholders. This Bill is co-sponsored by Californians Together and the California Association for Bilingual Education.

Witnesses in support: Dr. Edgar Lampkin, the CEO of Cabe and also Angie Wright with Teach Plus, California policy fellow as well as a title three teacher on special assignment from Azusa Unified School District.

Greetings, my name is Greetings. My name is Dr. Edgar Lampkin, CEO of CABE California Association for Bilingual Education, also a former migrant and English learner. Even though you hear Lampkin and you go, there's a story behind it, and today I stand proudly representing CABE as one of our co sponsors.

As the co sponsor of AB 2074, Cabe fervently embraces the transformative vision outlined in the English Learner Roadmap policy and it sets out to achieve that which states English learners fully and meaningfully access and participate in the 21st century education from early childhood through grade 12 that results in their attaining high levels of English proficiency, mastery of grade level standards, an opportunity to develop proficiency in multiple languages.

California, as you know, has weathered considerable challenges in recent years that have hindered the realization of this visionary education plan. Regrettably, our progress in implementing the English learner roadmap policy effectively across has fallen short, exposing the urgent need for AB 2074. AB 2074 serves as a critical catalyst by requiring the departments of Education to craft an implementation plan, acting as a linchpin of support for districts seeking guidance as they embark on this transformative implementation journey.

This legislation, in CABE's unwavering belief, is the linchpin that will instill accountability and deliver indispensable technical assistance to propel us towards the realization of our educational aspirations of implementation of the English learner roadmap. Armed with over 1.1 million English learners, the largest population in the nation, we cannot afford to falter in providing equitable educational opportunities as their English speaking peers.

On behalf of CABE, I want to extend a heartfelt gratitude for this moment to advocate for AB 2074, urging you to cast an impactful eye vote in support of implementing your policy. Your policy, the California English learner roadmap. I say my policy because as a former Superintendent, I also had to implement it. Appreciate that very much.

Good afternoon, Committee Members. My name is Angela Wright. I have taught for 24 years at the Azusa Unified and I'm also a policy fellow at Teach plus. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today to testify in favor of AB 2074, the legislation to create an implementation plan of the English Learner roadmap. I have been teaching English learners my entire career and I've seen many of them languish in the system because many of our teachers struggle to support their language needs. There is one student I think about often, Mateo, who came into our school as a kindergartner with strong conversational English.

The challenge for Mateo was that his academic English, which is what every student needs in order to access content and develop demonstrate English language, wasn't as strong. His previous teachers weren't equipped to address his specific language needs or to scaffold his instruction. As a result, his language development plateaued and he stopped reaching annual progress. By the time he got to me in fifth grade, Mateo was at risk of becoming a long term English learner. He felt completely defeated.

Instead of being excited about learning, he kept questioning why he was still an English learner when he spoke English so well and can even read and write it. The truth is that if his previous teachers knew of and how to implement the El roadmap, he wouldn't still have been classified as an English learner.

Six years later, when the state board first adopted the El roadmap, there was a definite feeling of hope as the State of California acknowledged that leveraging language assets was how to build equity into the education system. Seven years later, the Yale Roadmap has not reached its full potential.

I sometimes describe the El roadmap as a self guided tour lacking assistance to ensure its implementation, which is why I was so excited to learn that AB 2074 focuses on a statewide plan to ensure that English only days are long gone and that there is a desire to have staff at CDE to assist as we are trying to implement various components of the policy.

With your support today, you have the opportunity to change the trajectory of the El Roadmap and impact the educational system, which includes our 1.1 million ELS like Mateo across California, and give them the education they deserve and be part of seeing this historical policy fulfill its promise to ELS and teachers of ELS across California, I thank you for your time and attention. Encourage your support for AB 2074.

Appreciate that very much. Anyone else in support of AB 2074?

Cristina Salazar, Californians Together proud co sponsor

Martha Zaragoza Diaz Delta Kappa Gamma in support.

Pamela Gibbs, representing the Los Angeles County Office of Education in support of the Bill.

Hi, Carol Gonzalez here on behalf of Hope, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality in support.

Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair and Members, Dominique Donette from Ed Voice in strong support.

Thank you. Sarah Lillis Executive Director of Teach plus California, strong support. Good afternoon.

Andrew Avila with Early Edge California. We haven't been able to put a support letter in yet, but we strongly support.

Thank you. Sara Bachez Children Now in support.

Mr. Chair and Members Adam Keigwin, on behalf of the California Charter Schools Association, in support.

Thank you very much. Anyone in opposition to AB 2074? Seeing none bring it back to the Committee. Any question from Committee Members? Ms. Bonta,

Did we move the Bill? Sorry. I just wanted to say sometimes I'm surprised about the fact that we don't have legislation to support particular things, and given the fact that 19% of our student population, rel, or native language learners, it seems incredibly important for us to be able to do this.

I did have a question about the way in which this Bill will interact with the Bill that we just heard, AB 2071 and more broadly, how CDE and the school board will state Board of Education will work with each other on this roadmap?

Yes. Thank you. So this Bill would require the Department of Education to implement the overall English learner roadmap policy. Mr. Carrillo's Bill was focusing on specific proposals, like a parent toolkit, which may end up being part of the Department of Education's implementation of the English learner roadmap. So I think, as I tried to make the point with Mr. ... earlier, that we are working together toward the same goal of the implementation of the El roadmap. I was wondering if either of you might have any additional comments.

Sure, definitely. I mean, the other Bill actually gives everyone an opportunity, gives the Department of Education to actually implement and support effective implementation through grants that can give the Department of Education some models for other school districts to pursue and to follow. Another agency that I think also models implementation of the English learner roadmap. And I know that because I said, Superintendent, I was implementing it as the SeAl, the SEAL program, which Mr. Marucci knows well. Right. Thank you very much.

I feel like you had something to say as well.

Yeah. Jennifer Baker on behalf of CABE, one of the Bill sponsors. We're coordinating with CDE and having conversations collaboratively on both of these measures. And the previous measure that Assembly Member Carrillo is carrying indeed would help to create grants to incentivize districts to begin to implement or further implement the English learner roadmap, as well as create the parent toolkit.

This creates a mechanism within the CDE to ensure that we have that accountability and assistance to help those districts as they're implementing the English learner roadmap. We see them as a combination that is going to further California in helping our English learner students.

Thank you very much. Any other questions from the Committee? Ms. Addis,

I'll just echo my comments from earlier about how needed I believe this, that I view that as the funding model. This is the practitioner's model of how we're going to really help teachers understand how to do these things and have worked intimately with the SEAL model. So very glad that you're talking about seal being involved.

Thank you very much. Any other questions from the Committee Members? Seeing none. Mr. Chair, would you like to close?

Thank you very much. I want to thank CABE and California together for being leaders in this space. I did have an opportunity, as Dr. Lampkin referred to. I visited a SEAL program in practice in east side San Jose last fall, where I visited a kindergarten class that was taught primarily in Spanish, but it was taught by a master teacher. And just seeing how engaged and how you can just see it in the kids faces when they can learn in their own home language.

But with the plan on transitioning every year, the percentage of English instruction going up, I think that I just got a glimpse of how much the implementation of this English learner roadmap policy can really engage kids, change lives, and so very proud to be working with the leaders in this space. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you very much, ma'am. Secretary, please call the roll file item 17, AB 2074. [Roll Call]

[Roll Call].

Thank you very much. That Bill is out with 6-0. All right, last Bill of the day. Presenting on behalf of Assemblymember Mathis is Assemblymember Hoover. This is File Item number 14, AB 2053.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will be as brief as possible. I'm here today to present AB 2053 on behalf of Assemblyman Mathis. The author would like to thank the Chair and the Committee staff for their work on this measure, AB 2053, would require that, when students are taught about adolescent relationship abuse and intimate partner violence, they are provided with information on resources available to them, including national and local domestic violence hotlines, which provide confidential support services for pupils. Data from the American Psychological Association and the US Department of Justice found that up to 19% of teens experience sexual or physical dating violence.

This is something very close to my heart. I did have a Bill on this same topic last year and am very proud to present this Bill in Committee today. I think this common sense measure addresses a rising issue facing many students, and ensures that the most vulnerable and susceptible students are provided with the resources they need and the treatment and support that they deserve.

I am joined today by Richardson Davis, who's going to be speaking in support of the Bill as well, and I would like to request to be added as a joint author as well, if possible. I don't know if I'm able to do that, but anyway, I'll kick it to you.

Okay. Hello, my name is Richardson Davis with the California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies. CBHA is a statewide organization, association of mental health and substance use disorder nonprofit community agencies serving over 1 million Californians across the lifespan. Our providers also provide services to youth and young adults who have experienced intimate partner violence, or IPV, and their families. As Assemblyman Hoover just mentioned, intimate partner violence, or IPV, and teen domestic violence, TDV, is a huge issue facing many students across California, and unfortunately, it's increasing in frequency.

Alongside that data, Assemblymember Hoover outlined that, which correctly included that 19% of teens experience sexual physical dating violence and about half face stalking or harassment, and as many as 65% report being psychologically abused. Additionally, data from the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey indicate that about 16 million women and 11 million men who reported experiencing contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime said that they experienced these forms of violence before the age of 18.

Also, about one in nine female and one in 36 male high school students report having experienced sexual dating violence in the last year. The data is truly staggering, deeply concerning, and heartbreaking. Furthermore, as the CDC highlights, teens often think some behaviors like teasing and name calling are often normal parts of a relationship. However, these behaviors can become abusive and develop into a more serious forms of violence, and many teens do not report unhealthy behaviors because they're afraid to tell family and friends.

One key tool and opportunity that's available to tackle IPV and TDV is education and developing healthy and respectful, nonviolent relationships, including resources available to youth should they find themselves in an abusive relationship. So IPV starts early and continues throughout people's lives. Therefore, the curriculum and information provided to teens and young adults during their time in school is critical. For these reasons, I hope that Members of this Committee will vote in support of this Bill. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Any public comments in support of the Bill? Any witnesses in opposition to the Bill? Any public comments in opposition to the Bill? Seeing none. Moving back to the Committee, any comments from the Committee? Seeing none. Well, Mr. Hoover, I think it would only be fair, since Mr. Mathis isn't around, to deny you your request.

I'll take co-author, too, if that works. That's fine.

I'll leave that up to you with Mr. Mathis. But, yes, we recognize the importance of making sure that, especially our teens, we raise awareness of the adolescent relationship abuse. And so, happy to support this measure. Motion is--

I'll make a quick comment. Well, thank you to the author. I know that much of the data shows that teen violence actually starts in middle school, and so if we can get kids at that age, I know this may be a little bit different, but just really want to appreciate the topic, and I'm happy to move the Bill.

Thank you. Bill has been moved. Is there a second? Seconded. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

Oh, just briefly. A student in my district lost her life to teen dating violence. And I think this is something that is happening way too often in every community in California. And so I really appreciate any action that we can take on this and respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

File item 14, AB 2053. The motion is do pass to Appropriations. [Roll Call].

6-0. The Bill is out. All right. We will give an opportunity for Members of the Committee to add on. I will defer to you, Madam Secretary.

[Roll Call] Okay. We have completed our business today. The hearing is adjourned.