Assembly Standing Committee on Human Services

Good afternoon. I call this hearing of the Assembly Committee on Human Services to order today. Once we have established a quorum, we have three measures on the agenda, two measures on the agenda, none of which are in consent. Please note that we limit testimony to two witnesses in support and two witnesses in opposition.

Each witness has two minutes to testify. All additional witnesses will be limited to saying their name, organization, if they represent one, and their position on the bill. I will also note that we are accepting written testimony through the position letter portal on the Committee's website. Lastly, I'd like to address disruptions during the hearing.

Conduct that disrupts or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of this hearing is prohibited. If disruptive behavior occurs today, you will be removed from the hearing by the Assembly. Sergeants. Now for a little housekeeping. File Item number two, SB792, by arguing, has been pulled by the Committee and will not be heard at this time.

I believe we have a quorum, so, Madam Secretary, please call the roll for quorum.

[Roll call]

Thank you. Presently, we do not have any Senate authors here at the moment, so if your boss or you are a senator listening, please come to room 437. If you have a file item before us. Thank you, Senator Monique Limon, whenever you're ready, you can come up to present file item number one, AB412.

Thank you. Thank you, Chair and colleagues. I'd like to first start off by thanking the Committee for working with our office on the Bill, and I will be accepting the Committee Amendments outlined in the Analysis. SB 412 better prepares affiliated home care aides to handle challenges with caregiving for an individual with Alzheimer's disease.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, approximately 70% of people with dementia or cognitive impairment are living at home. Many of the state's 120,000 home care aides are employed by individuals and families affected by Alzheimer's disease to provide essential, non-medical assistance.

This Bill offers assurance that affiliated home care aides have a better understanding of this complex disease by requiring Alzheimer's and dementia care as part of the training requirement.

I have with me today, Heidi Bonnett, Volunteer Advocate for the Alzheimer's Association, Andrew Mendoza, Director of State Affairs for the Alzheimer's Association, and Tony Gonzalez, on behalf of the Home Care Association of America, in support of the Bill.

All right, thank you very much. Witnesses, two minutes each, please.

Good afternoon, Chair, Members of the Committee, and thank you for your time today. My name is Heidi Bonnett, Volunteer Advocate with Alzheimer's Association. My late husband Rich was diagnosed at 53 with young person's Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia at 61, when he passed away.

Rich was 5'11, a 220-pound man, a former bodybuilder, and very physically active person until Alzheimer's rendered him unable to do the most basic tasks and exercise. I took care of him the entire seven plus years at home where he passed.

During that time, I occasionally had to leave the house for my own appointments, rest away from home, and errands. I hired different home care aides to be with him when I needed to leave the house, depending on the aide's level of understanding of Alzheimer's, mine and Rich's experience with each of them varied wildly.

I had prepared a binder with notes so the aides could better understand Rich's needs and behaviors as well as emergency numbers and contacts. Rich was non-verbal and at times, incontinent. In one situation, the aide, a younger woman, left him in soiled clothing the entire time I was gone.

When I questioned her about it, her reply was he didn't tell me he had to use the restroom, to which I reminded her he was non-verbal. The fact that she never once checked him or spoke to him while I was gone was disturbing.

I was able to see through the home video that she sat on the couch the entire time and looked at her phone. Even when I asked for assistance changing him, she did not really know what to do.

In contrast, one other aide who came was attentive to Rich the entire time, spoke to him as if Rich understood, followed him around the house, was able to assist him with his needs, and showed a compassionate interest in my husband.

It was a guilt ridden and anxiety-provoking experience to leave Rich at home, but it was even more stressful to leave Rich not knowing if the hired aide had a baseline understanding of dementia.

As a family caregiver, I would have had greater peace of mind if I'd known there was some level of consistent baseline training about Alzheimer's and dementia caregiving among home care aides. Today, I urge your aye vote on SB 412, so that California home care aides receive basic dementia training to be better prepared to encounter families like mine.

Thank you.

Thank you for sharing. Thank you.

Mr. Chair and Members, Tony Gonzalez representing the Home Care Association of America. I'm here in support of SB 412 and thank the author for introducing this Bill.

Many of our members do, in fact, have trained our home care aides for many years and caring for individuals with dementia, but this Bill ensures that every home care aide, every affiliated home care aide, which essentially means employed by home care organization, will be trained in caring for folks with dementia.

And for those reasons, we strongly support the Bill. Thank you.

Thank you.

Andrew Mendoza with the Alzheimer's Association. I'm available for technical assistance.

Great. Thank you very much. Now, do we have any members of the public who wish to testify in support of the Bill? Please come to the microphone.

Excuse me. Mr. Chair and Members, Monica Miller on behalf of Alzheimer's Los Angeles, Alzheimer's San Diego, and Alzheimer's Orange County in support. Thank you.

Thank you.

David Feinberg representing AARP. We stand in support of the Bill.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. Dylan Elliott, on behalf of the California State Association of Psychiatrists, in support. Thank you.

Great. Thank you. And do we have any witnesses in opposition? Any Members of the public who wish to testify in opposition to this Bill, please come forward. All right, seeing none. Any questions or comments from our Committee Members? Yes, Assemblymember Calderon.

I want to thank you, Senator, for bringing this Bill forward. I think this is something that's very much needed and I'd love to be added as a co-author, if you'll have me.

Absolutely. Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other questions? Comments?

Thank you for sharing your story about your husband as well. Just as someone who has family members who passed away after having a battle with Alzheimer's, it's really powerful. So, thank you.

I want to also just thank the Senator for bringing this Bill forward and thank Heidi for sharing your testimony as well. I have extended family that also suffers from dementia and actually, Medi-Cal is the only reason they even get care right now. So, it's really important to so many of us.

So, again, I really appreciate it, and I'll invite the Senator to close.

I respectfully ask for an "Aye" vote.

Very good. The Bill has been promptly moved and seconded. Moved by Assemblymember Calderon, seconded by Assemblymember Jackson. Madam Secretary, please call the roll on File Item Number 1.

[Roll Call]

6-0. That bill's out.

Thank you so much.

All right, Senator Arreguin, if you are ready, you may come up to present File Item Number 3, SJR 3, whenever you're ready.

Well, good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. Thank you for the opportunity to present Senate Joint Resolution 3, which urges Congress to avoid any cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP Program, which is the largest anti-hunger program in the United States.

In California, CalFresh Benefit Program alleviates hunger for 5.4 million people, or 1 in 7 Californians, while supporting California's food and farming economy. Rural communities, single parent households, and fixed income seniors and students are more likely to be in need of these services that play a critical role in supporting the wellbeing of our residents.

During the Pandemic, when food insecurity worsened and still is a recurring problem in California, supplemental funding through the American Rescue Plan Act and funding provided by this California Legislature was able to provide additional funding to support the growing need of addressing food insecurity, in partnership with many local organizations providing mutual aid on the ground.

This meant not just making food accessible to our most vulnerable residents, but also providing delivery of food to communities that were not able to pick up food for themselves because they're essential workers, they're elderly, or they're a person with disabilities or face illness themselves.

In my district and the Chair's district as well and Alameda County, one in four community members are experiencing hunger. About 30% of all Bay Area tenants pay more than 50% of their income on rent, impacting their ability to afford sufficient healthy food.

And as all of us know, Congress is currently debating legislation which could result in deep cuts to the SNAP Program and accordingly, to the CalFresh Program, and this will impact Californians all over our state. California is the fourth largest economy in the world, yet despite our economic strength, agriculture, abundance, millions of Californians face food insecurity.

Currently, food banks serve 6 million people per month in California, with still increasing levels of demand. And earlier this year, the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, for example, served the most people that they've ever served in a single month. So, despite all that we've done, the need is growing.

So, it's very important to remember that while our food banks are a critical resource for literally millions of people in California, they only provide one in nine meals that SNAP provides. So, food banks alone will not be able to fill the gap if the SNAP program is cut at the federal level.

And so, just to talk about the impact that a cut to SNAP would have on CalFresh, CalFresh, which is funded through the Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, provides $6 in benefits per person per day, totaling $12 billion annually, which, if you compare that to the overall federal budget of $6.8 trillion, it's not that much money.

And in fact, we shouldn't even view this as an expenditure, but rather an investment in the health and wellbeing of our communities. So, at a time when people have very real concerns about how they're going to eat, how they're going to feed their families, and how they're going to be able to afford basic necessities, the last thing we need to do is to cut these essential programs that people rely on every single day.

So, Senate Joint Resolution calls on Congress to avoid cuts in the SNAP Program or we will have more harm in food insecurity in California.

This will disproportionately impact seniors, our youth, working families, and our farmers will also be impacted as well because it's going to impact the supply chain, as well. Just note that SJR 3 passed by unanimous vote in the State Senate on a 38 to 0 bipartisan vote.

And with, with me here to testify is Kellie Longo Flores, Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy with the California Food Banks, and Yesenia Jimenez, Senior Policy Associate with End Child Poverty California. And at the appropriate time, I respectfully request your "Aye" vote.

Great. Thank you so much. Two minutes each for each witness, please.

Wonderful. Thank you, Chair and Members. And of course, for the introduction. Kellie Longo Flores. I'm with the California Association of Food Banks. I work alongside 41 food banks across the state with a mission to end hunger. Obviously, in strong support for SJR 3. Why is this resolution so important? We've heard about that, but hunger's on the rise.

Fourth largest economy. One in four households with children face food insecurity. That's pretty striking. These numbers are consistent with state and national data showing that food insecurity rates have been elevated since 2022 and rival those of Pandemic days, which I'm not sure a lot of people know. And what are we seeing at the food banks?

In 2023, we saw a 20% increase in the demand at our food banks. So, this is post-Pandemic with only 4% more food available to be able to meet that need. So, longer lines and less food. This disparity has continued into 2024, reflecting both resource constraints and the growing number of people who have been seeking assistance.

So, with that being said, SNAP, or CalFresh here in California, cuts would be absolutely devastating for communities, farmers, the economy. It's the largest, most effective anti-hunger program. And what's on the table federally would represent the largest cut in SNAP history. Food banks, as we heard, cannot make up the difference.

For every one meal provided by a food bank, SNAP provides nine. So, if we were to see longer lines, as it has been trending, we would not be able to provide additional food. So, respectfully ask for an "Aye" vote and very grateful that this is what's under consideration.

Great, thank you. Next witness, please.

Well, first I want to say thank you to Senator Arreguin for proposing this SJR 3. Chair Lee and Members, as mentioned, my name is Yesenia Jimenez, Senior Policy Associate with End Child Poverty in California.

And as you've heard, SNAP, or which we all call CalFresh here in the state of California, is our largest and most important anti-hunger program. It is so successful because it is a public-private partnership boosting the purchasing power families have to buy groceries with autonomy, privacy, and dignity.

It is especially impactful for families with children who are the most impacted by this food affordability crisis. The Public Policy Institute of California found that CalFresh alone lowered poverty among children from 18.8% to 13.8%, lowering poverty by nearly 1/3, the single most effective program among California children.

That's why it is so distressing that congressional leaders would propose historic cuts that threaten the very future of SNAP in California.

The Senate Proposal released last week, just like the house, breaks the 50-year federal promise that no one should go hungry in the United States and would require states to pay a portion of the benefits, as well as 75% of administrative funds.

It would also impose paperwork requirements on parents with children as young as 10 years old, with no regard for childcare or children's safety. As someone whose family has personally benefited from this program, I can tell you how vital CalFresh is for families to prevent the toxic stress that comes with hunger and have food at home.

And I especially remember the days where our benefits were cut and those times were especially brutal, as being a child within a family of five other children in the family and a single parent household. Those brought the most toxic stress to our family. So, SNAP isn't just good for families, it's also vital to our food economy.

These congressional proposals would cut billions in food aid. When families can't afford food, not only do children go hungry, but parents aren't spending money in stores, meaning grocery stores lose customers, truckers have fewer groceries to haul, and farm workers have less food to pick, with job losses across our food system.

We are grateful for the unanimous bipartisan support on SJR 3 in the Senate Human Services Committee and on the floor, and we ask for your "Aye" vote today. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Now, do we have members of the public who wish to testify in support of SJR 3? Please come up to the microphone. Your name, organization, and position, please.

Libby Sanchez, on behalf of No Kid Hungry California, Share our Strength, in strong support. Thank you.

Mackenzie Richardson on behalf of Thriving Families California, as well as CHIRLA, in strong support.

Gabriel Bryant, part of the Youth Advocacy Board in Eureka, California, and you have the Board's support.

My name's Shayana and I'm with the Traditional Age Youth Division of Humboldt County, and I support this Bill.

My name is Shasta Brown, and I am with the Youth Advocacy Board of Eureka, California, and I support this Bill.

My name is Avon Branson, part of the H—Humboldt County Transition Age Youth Collaboration Board—in support of this Bill.

Wow, all the way from Humboldt County. Thank you for coming all the way here. Thank you. Now, do we have any witnesses in opposition to this Bill? Please come forward. Any Members of the public which testify in opposition to the Bill? Come to the microphone. Seeing, hearing none. Comments from the Committee Members? Assemblymember Tangipa.

Yeah. I just want to thank the author for bringing this. I grew up on EBT SNAP and you know, a lot of the times that you were talking about too, we used these benefits and then they'd run out and I'd go to Trinity Life Center to get food from there.

I'd go to Abundant Life Center, and we'd get food from there. The next week, I'd go to whichever food program and I'd always take my mom. So, I know exactly what you're talking about.

I actually went to the White House not too long ago to talk to them about how this program, you know, when you are looking at making cuts to the government, should look at other programs but not SNAP benefits because a lot of families actually depend on it.

And I think that one, I really appreciate the language in this and what you're trying to do to really protect this and protect the most vulnerable families that need this most. So, thank you.

Thank you.

Any other questions, comments from Members? All right, seeing none. I want to thank the Senator and my counterpart in the Senate for bringing this resolution forward. It's so important that the Federal Government upholds its promise to help alleviate food insecurity in this country.

If these cuts come to pass or they make it more burdensome for people to access CalFresh or EBT or SNAP, it'll have devastating effects to the entire consumer economy and especially California, who's a fruit basket of the world, especially to, of course, low-income families across the country.

I'd love to be a co-author, if you're taking co-authors and I will invite you to close.

Thank you, Assembly Tangipa, for your comments. I think, I think it demonstrates the impact that SNAP, in particular, our CalFresh Program has in the lives of so many Californians. And I really appreciate, I think, the bipartisan support that we've had around this issue. This isn't about politics.

This is about making sure that our families are able to feed themselves. This is about making sure we have healthy, vibrant communities in California. And so, with that, I respectfully ask for an "Aye" vote.

Thank you. The Bill has been moved by Assemblymember Jackson, seconded by Assemblymember Calderon. Madam Secretary, please call the roll on SJR 3.

[Roll Call]

7-0. That Bill is out. Congratulations.

Madam Secretary, can you call the roll on File Item 1 for the absent Members, please?

[Roll Call]

Business before the Assembly Human Services Committee is complete. The hearing is now adjourned.