Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations

The Senate Committee on Appropriations will now come to order. We are meeting today in Room 2200 of the O Street Building. Sergeants, please contact any absent members and have them come down to the hearing room so we can start-- go ahead and get started with the file today. Just to note, I wanna welcome everyone to today's hearing. This is my first hearing as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

This year, nearly 1,800 bills were introduced in both Houses of the Legislature. Many of these bills will come through this committee on their way to the governor's desk. I recognize that the Golden State is in a difficult, ongoing financial situation, and as chair, I will continue to work to balance the need to maintain California's values while being a good steward of public dollars. We have 26 measures on today's agenda, all of which meet the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.

The authors for all of these bills have waived presentation as usual. However, we will be taking testimony from the public on every item. The Department of Finance has notified us that they do not have comments on any of the bills before the committee this morning, but their representative will be making some opening comments regarding the state's fiscal condition. Before we begin, I wanna remind any witnesses to limit their testimony to the fiscal aspect of the bill.

Please refrain from lengthy policy discussions and repeating prior testimony in your comments. Before we begin today's testimony on the measures, let's establish a quorum. Madam Assistant, please call the roll.

[Roll call].

A quorum has been established. I will now allow the Department of Finance to issue opening comments.

Good morning, Madam Chair and members of the committee. My name is Christian Beltran, and I'm the Deputy Director of Legislation with the Department of Finance, and although we don't have any specific positions for the bills on the agenda today, we appreciate the invitation and the opportunity to be here to provide some just general overarching comments. And appreciated the comments in your opening remarks too, Madam Chair.

As many of you know, in addition to the great work your staff does, the Department of Finance assesses nearly every bill that has a fiscal impact, and will share our assessment of a bill's potential fiscal impact with you here in committee during the second House process. Our analyses are also shared online and on our website.

We look forward to working with you and committee staff when we near that part of the process, and further, I would like to underscore that the work you do here in this committee will continue to be critical as the state continues to face unknowns related to the state budget. The Governor's Budget recognized several risk factors that could negatively affect the economy and state revenues.

These factors include stock market and asset price volatility and declines, particularly those affecting high-income earners, as well as a geopolitical instability. And although the Governor's Budget was balanced, both the LAO and our estimates forecast shortfalls in subsequent fiscal years that are driven by expenditures exceeding revenue growth.

And with all this in mind, the Administration looks forward to continuing partnering with the Legislature on tackling some of the most pressing policy challenges, but doing so within the confines of our budgetary constraints. Thank you, and I'm happy to answer any questions members have about our role in the coming months.

Thank you so much for your opening comments. We will now move on to the regular business of the day. SB 881 is a Suspense File candidate, and Senator McNerney has waived presentation, so we will go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who would like to testify in support of SB 881? Seeing none, are there any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 881?

Seeing none, the Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure, so we will bring it back to members of the committee. See no questions or comments from committee members. This bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 881 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1240 is a Suspense File candidate. The Senator, McNerney, has waived presentation, so we will go directly to witness testimony. Please testify in support of SB 1240.

Thank you, Madam Chair and members. My name is Jennifer Fearing. I'm the Sacramento advocate for the California Association of Nonprofits, which is sponsoring SB 1240, so we're clearly in strong support, and we were asked as a courtesy to also convey the support of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, Community Resource Project, Inland Empire Community Collaborative, and WEAVE. Thank you.

Good morning, Chair and members. Julianna Tetlow, also a Sacramento advocate for CalNonprofits, following up with some additional support from some of our members: San Diego Humane Society, Microenterprise Collaborative of Inland Southern California, San Marcos Community Foundation, Siskiyou Community Food Bank, Villages of San Mateo County, and Yolo County Children's Alliance, all in strong support. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 1240? Thank you to our witnesses. The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure, so we'll bring it back to discussion to the committee. See no questions or comments.

This bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1240 will move to Suspense File. SB 886 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Padilla has waived presentation, so we will go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who would like to testify in support of SB 886?

Are there any witnesses who would like to testify in opposition to SB 886? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure, so we'll bring it back to discussion to the committee. Seeing no questions or comments from committee members, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 886 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1006 is a Suspense File candidate.

Senator Padilla has waived presentation, so we will go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who would like to testify in support to 1006? Are there any witnesses who would like to testify in opposition to 1006? Seeing none, the Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure, so we'll bring it back to discussion to the committee. No comments or questions from committee members.

This is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1006 will move to the Suspense File. SB 891 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Cervantes has waived presentation, so we'll go directly to witness testimony. Is there anyone in the room who would like to testify in support of SB 891?

Seeing none, any opposition to SB 891? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure, so we'll bring it back to the discussion to the members of the committee. Seeing no questions or comments, we will go ahead-- and I mentioned that this is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 891 will move to the Suspense File. SB 920 is a Suspense File candidate.

Senator Archuleta has waived presentation, so we will go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who'd like to testify in support of SB 920? Any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 920? Seeing none, the Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure, so we'll bring it back to the committee. Seeing no questions or comments, this bill is a Suspense File candidate.

Without objection, SB 920 will move to the Suspense File. SB 937 is a Suspense File candidate, and Senator Gonzalez has waived presentation, so we will go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who would like to testify in support of SB 937? Are there any witnesses who'd like to testify in opposition to SB 937?

The Department of Finance does not have file on this measure, so we'll bring it back to discussion for the committee. Seeing no questions or comments from committee members, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 937 will move to the Suspense File. SB 943 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Becker has waived presentation, so we'll go directly to witness testimony. Do we have witnesses in support of SB 943?

Good morning. Jonathan Young with the State Water Contractors, in support of SB 943. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 943? Thank you to our witness. The Department of Finance did not have a file on this measure. We will bring it back to discussion to committee members.

Seeing none, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 943 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1009 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Becker has waived presentation, so we will go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who would like to testify in support of SB 1009?

Are there any witnesses who would like to testify in opposition to SB 1009? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure, so we will bring it back to discussion to the committee members. Seeing no questions or comments, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1009 will move to the Suspense File.

SB 944 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Wiener has waived presentation, so we'll go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who would like to testify in support to SB 944? Any witnesses who would like to testify in opposition to SB 944? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure, so we'll bring it back to discussion to the members.

See no questions or comments. This bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 944 will move to the Suspense File. SB 946 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Seyarto has waived presentation, so we'll go directly to witness testimony.

Are there any witnesses present who'd like to testify in support to SB 946? Are there any individuals who would like to testify in opposition to SB 946? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure, so we'll bring it back to discussion to the members of the committee. No questions or comments? This bill is a Suspense File candidate.

Without objection, SB 946 will move to the Suspense File. SB 948 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Arreguín has waived presentation. We'll go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who'd like to testify in support to SB 948? Any witnesses who would like to testify in opposition to SB 948?

Hi there, Madam Chair, members of the committee. Mark Hennelly with California Waterfowl. On the fiscal aspect, I just wanted to note that this bill will require people moving in from out-of-state to get a Firearms Safety Certificate within sixty days. Most of them would be totally unaware of this requirement, and so therefore, they're gonna get caught up within the court system. That's gonna cost the courts money, and as the analysis correctly points out, that will put pressure on the General Fund. Thank you.

Thank you to our witness. The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure, so we'll bring it back to discussion to the members of the committee. Seeing no questions or comments. This bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 948 will move to the Suspense File.

SB 959 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Grayson has waived presentation. We'll go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who'd like to testify in support of SB 959? Are there any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 959?

The Department of Finance has not-- does not have a file on this measure, so we'll bring this back to discussion to the committee. Seeing no questions or comments, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. SB 959, without objection, will move to the Suspense File. SB 1056 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Grayson has waived presentation, so we'll go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses who would like to testify in support of SB 1056?

Good morning. Stephanie Jimenez, on behalf of Volare, in support. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 1056? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure. We will bring it back to discussion to the members. See no questions or comments. This bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1056 will move to the Suspense File. SB 964 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Smallwood-Cuevas has waived presentation. We will go directly to witness testimony.

Anyone wishing to testify in support of SB 964? Are there any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 964? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure. We will bring it back to discussion to the committee. Seeing no questions or comments, the bill is a Suspense File candidate.

Without objection, SB 964 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1132 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Smallwood-Cuevas has waived presentation, so we'll go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who would like to testify in support to SB 1132? Any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 1132?

The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure. We will bring it back to discussion of the members of the committee. See no questions or comments. This bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1132 will move to the Suspense File.

SB 1241 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Smallwood-Cuevas has waived presentation. We will go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who would like to testify in support of SB 1241? Any individuals present who would like to testify in opposition to SB 1241?

The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure. We will bring it back to discussion to the committee members. Seeing no questions or comments, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1241 will move to the Suspense File. SB 987 is a Suspense File candidate.

Senator Weber Pierson has waived presentation. We will go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who'd like to testify in support of SB 987? Are there any individuals who'd like to testify in opposition to SB 987? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure.

We will bring it back to discussion to the committee. See no questions or comments. This bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 987 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1049 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Weber Pierson has waived presentation. We will go directly to witness testimony. Are there any individuals wishing to testify in support of SB 1049? Are there any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 1049? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure.

We will bring it back to discussion to the committee. Seeing no questions or comments from committee members, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1049 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1044 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Reyes has waived presentation.

This bill will go directly to witness testimony. Are there any individuals wishing to testify in support of SB 1044? Any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 1044? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure. We will bring it back to discussion to the committee members.

Seeing no questions or comments from members, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1044 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1047 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Niello has waived presentation. We will go directly to witness testimony.

Are there any witnesses present who would like to testify in support to SB 1047? Any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 1047? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure. We will bring it back to discussion to committee members. Seeing no questions or comments, this bill is a Suspense File candidate.

Without objection, SB 1047 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1053 is a Suspense File candidate, and Senator Niello has waived presentation. We will go directly to witness testimony. Is there any individual wishing to testify in support of SB 1053? Seeing none, is there any individual wishing to testify in opposition to SB 1053?

The Department of Finance did not have a file on this measure. We will bring it back to the committee. Seeing no questions or comments, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1053 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1054 is a Suspense File candidate.

Senator Cabaldon has waived presentation. We'll go directly to witness testimony. Are there any witnesses present who would like to testify in support of SB 1054? Any individuals who would like to testify in opposition to SB 1054? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure.

We will bring it back to discussion to the committee. See no questions or comments. This bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1054 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1108 is a Suspense File candidate.

Senator Caballero has waived presentation. We will go directly to witness testimony. Are there any individuals wishing to testify in support to SB 1108? Any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 1108? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure.

We will bring it back to discussion to the committee. Seeing no questions or comments, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1108 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1140 is a Suspense File candidate. Senator Ashby has waived presentation.

We will go directly to witness testimony. Any individuals wishing to testify in support to SB 1140? Any individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 1140? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure. We will bring it back to discussion of the committee members.

See no questions or comments, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1140 will move to the Suspense File. SB 1198 is a Suspense File candidate, and Senator Menjivar has waived presentation. We will go directly to witness testimony.

Any individuals wishing to testify in support to SB 1198? Are there individuals wishing to testify in opposition to SB 1198? The Department of Finance does not have a file on this measure. We will bring it back to discussion of the committee. Seeing no questions or comments, this bill is a Suspense File candidate. Without objection, SB 1198 will move to the Suspense File.

We will have a short recess as we get the other committee member here momentarily. Thank you.

Recess. Recognizing Senator Wahab is present. We can record her being present. We can move all items to the Suspense File. I'd like to thank everyone for participating in today's hearing. We have now concluded the agenda. This meeting of the Senate Committee on Appropriations is adjourned.