Assembly Standing Committee on Judiciary

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to Assembly Judiciary Committee rules. Witness testimony. Each side will be allowed two main witnesses each, up to two main witnesses each. Witnesses will have approximately two minutes to testify. We do not have quorum yet, but we'll go ahead and proceed as a subcommitee. And I'm happy to have Doctor Jackson here with us. And you may proceed whenever you're ready.

Thank you very much. The bill before you today is a bill to simply make sure that we are addressing the continued increase in hate crimes throughout our state. The bill simply makes a correction and authorizes the Department of Civil Rights.

As it stands right now, if a hate crime happens, the Department has to wait until someone contacts them for assistance. This bill just simply says that they can actually be proactive because in many cases, many of these committees don't even know the Department exists and what they can do for them. So, this is that.

The Department will now be able to contact them to offer assistance if they wish to utilize it. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Any questions or comments? Oh, do you have witnesses today?

Nope.

Okay. Are there anyone here in support? Yeah, we're close. So close. Is there anyone here in support of AB 672? Anyone in opposition to AB 672? No questions or comments from the dais. And so, we'll take up a motion when we have a quorum.

But I do want to thank you for bringing this forward. It's common sense, I know that, and I've heard directly from CRD that they would be more proactive if they could. To your point, a lot of folks don't even know the Department exists, let alone the services exist. So, I appreciate you for bringing this forward. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

We need one more for quorum. All right, if we could have the secretary take roll call for quorum, please?

[Roll call]

All right, we have a quorum. Is there a motion on file item one, AB 672? Okay, we have a motion and a second. If you could take a roll call vote, please, on AB 672.

The motion is to recommend concurrence in the Senate amendments. [Roll call]

Okay, we'll place that on call. And that one needs two more, I believe. Okay, so we'll go on to file item two. HR 117, Assembly Member Carrillo.

Good morning, Mister Chair and Members, I'm here to present HR 117, which calls on the Federal Government to pass sensible and just immigration reform for the 11 million immigrants who call the United States home.

In particular, California is home to more immigrants than any other state in the country, and with nearly 20% of our population being foreign-born. Immigrants are what makes California an incredible state. They are our friends, our neighbors, and family, and contribute greatly to the fabric of our society.

It has been nearly 40 years since the last time the Federal Government passed immigration reform during the Reagan Administration in 1986. It's actually how I obtained a pathway to residency, and data shows most immigrants have lived in the United States for more than 10 years. We simply cannot wait another 40 years for immigration reform.

The State of California has and will continue to pass state legislation that ensures that all Californians, including immigrants, have the opportunity to thrive and call California home. Here to testify and support is Samantha Guerrero with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Mister Chair and Members.

My name is Samantha Guerrero, summer public policy fellow with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, CHIRLA, and we are very proud to be sponsors of HR 117, which urges the Federal Government to pass meaningful immigration reform, in particular by supporting legislation introduced by California congressional leaders HR 1511 and S 2606, also known as the registry bills.

Updating the registry would allow undocumented people living continuously in the U.S. for at least seven years to apply for legal permanent residency. California has always paved the way for the nation on issues of immigration, and this is a trend we must continue.

However, there are limits to what we as a state can do, and we need leadership at the federal level to make these necessary strides to support the immigrant community who contribute to the fabric of our society and are the backbone of our workforce and economy.

CHIRLA has a long history of supporting immigration reform, and recently we held a three-day-long delegation in our nation's capital to advocate for the registry bills.

In partnership with other organizations, over 150 people exhibited their dedication to this effort by traveling to DC and speaking with federal lawmakers about how these bills could entirely change the lives of over 8 million people in this country.

And as we speak, over 200 people are participating in a three-day caminata from San Jose to San Francisco, walking over 21 hours and 55 miles in support of the registry.

Today, we urge you to stand alongside the 80% of Californians who believe there should be a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and vote in support of this important legislation.

Thank you Mister Chairman, Members, for this consideration, and special thanks to Assembly Member Carrillo for her authorship of this measure and her continued dedication and support to the immigrant community. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anyone else here in support of HR 117?

Good afternoon, Chair and Members. Cynthia Gomez, Deputy Director of State Policy and Advocacy with CHIRLA, in strong support.

Thank you. Is there anyone here in opposition to HR 117? We'll bring it back to the Committee. Do we have any comments, questions, or motions? Okay, we have a motion. Is there a second?

Second.

And a second. Any further comment or question? Thank you for bringing this forward, Assembly Member. This is a long journey that I know so many, particularly in the immigrant community, have been fighting for. And so I appreciate your leadership in making sure that California is calling on our congressional leaders to do the right thing. Would you like to close?

Thank you, Mister Chair. And thank you, Members. When we think about immigrants in the United States, we think about a vast variety of different types of residencies. Temporary residents, permanent residents, TPS holders, refugee seekers. There's a whole series of different type of immigrant status in the country.

And we need a pathway forward to ensure that TPS holders that have been in this country since the eighties and the nineties, in particular with the country of El Salvador, where I'm from, have a pathway to residency and citizenship.

And those that want to come to this country in terms of a various different type of work visas, also have a pathway that enrich their lives or family's lives. And our nation respectfully request and aye vote.

Thank you. If we can have a roll call vote, please, on HR 117 vote.

The motion is to be adopted. [Roll call]

Okay, we'll place that on call and reach out.

Thank you so much. It was nice meeting you.

Sure. So, while we're waiting a vote change. Assembly Member Sanchez. Great, thank you. That needs one now.

Okay. Mr. Haney, would you like to record your vote?

Would love to.

Item one. AB 672. Haney. Haney, aye.

Mr. Patterson, would you like to record your votes?

We're on file item two right now?

We're all done.

Oh, we're on one support.

AB 672. Patterson, aye.

Oh, you haven't done that one. He's got one more to go.

So file item two. HR 117. Haney. Haney aye.

Okay, Mr. Patterson.

Item two, HR 117, Patterson.

Just waiting for one more. Yeah.

Making sure we record your vote.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

So file item one, AB 672, Bauer-Kahan? Bauer-Kahan aye.

This bill passes and goes, where does it go?

That's a recommend concurrent. So it now goes to the floor.

Okay, now to the floor.

HR 117, Bauer-Kahan. Bauer-Kahan aye.

117 passes and onto the floor. All right, thank you very much.

This hearing is adjourned.