Senate Floor

Secretary will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Would the members and our guests be on the rail and in the gallery please rise? We will be led in prayer this afternoon by our guest chaplain, Rabbi Shoshana Nambi, after which please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance to the flag.

Good afternoon, everybody. I am Rabbi Shoshana Nambi from Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, California, and I'm truly honored to be here with all of you today. Thank you so much to, Senator Baker for inviting me. And as I talk to the honorees, and happy Jewish American Heritage Month to everybody.

As a Jew who comes from America for long not long ago from Uganda, I'm especially very grateful to be part of this milestone of this first inaugural, Jewish American, celebration here hosted here at the Steselic Silica.

When we reach a meaningful moment such as this one of joy, of gratitude, a moment of a new blessing, we say a prayer called Shefeqianu. I'm going to invite everybody, if you know the words, to say the prayer with me. Blessed are you, eternal God, sovereign of the universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this moment. We all know it takes persistence, advocacy, active hope to arrive to a moment like this one and say thank you. We are here.

This is my prayer for this month, for this state, for the world, and for everyone in this room. May we continue to celebrate each other while we have built together while we continue to build together. And as are the rabbis of the old reminders, we may not complete the work, but neither are we free to abandon it. This commitment to hard work of Tikkun Olam repairing the world has been passed from hand to hand, generation to generation, and now to us.

And we take it on gracefully. And together we say, amen.

Please join me in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America. Under privileges of the floor, we have some guests to be recognized today. I would like to recognize Senator doctor Weber Pierson for your guest introduction.

Thank you, Mr. President. Senators, I rise today to recognize and welcome Jack and Jill of America Incorporated, Far West Region to the California State Senate as they visit the capitol for their day at the capitol. Founded in 1938, Jack and Jill of America is a national organization of mothers with children age two to 19 years of age. We have 271 chapters and more than 50,000 family members.

Jack and Jill of America is dedicated to nurturing and developing future African American leaders through leadership development, community service, civic engagement, educational programming, and cultural enrichment.

The Far West Region represents chapters across California and other Western states, bringing together families and youth committed to scholarship, advocacy, service, and excellence. Jack and Jill has long played a vital role in cultivating leadership and empowering African American youth and families. Growing up, I was a member of the Jack and Jill chapter of San Diego. After graduating out, I am now a proud mother member of that chapter. And so it is especially meaningful to me to welcome them here today.

These outstanding youth leaders are here to learn more about civic engagement, public policy, and advocacy. Their presence in this chamber is a testament to the importance of preparing the next generation to lead with purpose, integrity, and commitment to their communities. I commend them for their dedication to leadership, academic excellence, and service. Senators, please join me in warmly welcoming in the gallery, Jack and Jill of America, Far West Region to the state capital and wish them a very meaningful and inspiring visit.

Messages from the governor will be deemed read. Messages from the assembly will be deemed read. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments adopted under motions, resolutions, and notices. Without objection, the Senate journals for 05/11/2026 through 05/14/2026 will be approved as corrected by the minute clerk. Senator Strickland, for which purpose do you raise your mic?

Thank you, mister president. Under motions and resolutions pursuant to Senate rule 28, I move to withdraw my bill SB 1035 from Senate Environmental Quality Committee to the Senate floor for a vote. This bill will mean lower gas prices for Californians by temporarily suspending the gas tax for a year, which is a dollar and a gallon.

Senator, this is only on the procedure and not on the content of it. Okay.

So I move that we do that.

Will do. Okay. Thank you, Senator, for your graciousness. Senator Ashby, you are recognized on the procedure.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. President. I urge a no vote.

Senator Strickland, would you like to close?

Sure. Thank you, Mr. President. I urge along with, millions of Californians in a Aye vote because this bill will lower gas prices by a dollar 8 a gallon, $1,100

Again point of order. Mr. President.

Again. It's only on the procedure, not on the content of the bill. So you can speak to.

I would just remind members that Georgia suspended their gas tax because it just got over $4 a gallon. So I request a Aye vote along with million.

Thank you, Senator. We will go to roll call. The Senator Strickland is asking for an aye vote. The majority leaders, Senator Ashby, is asking for a no vote. Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 9, Noes 22. The measure fails. The motion fails. And we are moving on to Senator Ashby.

Oh, okay.

Members, we are going to move on to consideration of the daily file. Secretary, please read second reading file.

Senate Bill 994, 867, 872, 876, 881, 884.

Reading file will be deemed read. We are moving to governor's appointments, items 93, 94, 95. Members, we will begin with item 93. And Senator Grove, when you are ready to present, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Mr. President. Colley's file item 903 is a confirmation of Siva Gunda for the reappointment to the California Energy Commission. Mister Gunda has served as commissioner's vice chairman since 2021 and is the lead commissioner on the petroleum market oversight, energy assessment reliability, and demand analysis. Members, we approve a lot of talented and qualified appointees on this floor, many of whom sacrifice their time and earning potential to serve in the public capacity.

Mister Gunda is one of these talented public servants whom I've had the good fortune of getting to know over the last year and a half and was given the monumental responsibility of guiding the Energy Commission through California's self made energy crisis.

Last year, he spent countless hours discussing ways to restore the state's oil market and to save it from complete collapse, while also preserving the environmental impacts that sometimes can be affected by oil production.

He came together and brought he came together and he brought many people from all sides of the issue, and somehow made us get into a room and collaborate and cooperate together to make sure that we did the right things for Californians, right things for our energy producers, and right things to meet domestic security issues. He took the time to understand how the market works by listening to not just large producers or small ones and medium producers, but small ones and medium producers as well.

He took the time to listen to the environmental groups and individuals who were against drilling, but understood the impacts of in bringing in imported oil at a higher carbon intensity and not having it California compliant here. He somehow, with his kind and humble personality, was able to disarm almost every one of us that participated in these meetings and to make sure that we were on the right path.

While some may have expected immediate results, you can't bring industry back from destruction and just flip a switch. I do thank my colleagues who supported SB 237, which was a monumental piece of legislation that was given for Cibagunda to to put into play, I guess you would say. But what happened was is that even with all these efforts, with 24 permits the year before, there's still a lot of things that have to come back.

You have to bring people that went to the Permian in Texas back to California to take these jobs. You have to get equipment, and new California compliant Air Rules Board, equipment to back into the into the state.

But I have to tell you that 670 permits have been approved, as of an update this morning so far in Kern County, and we are doing our best to help mitigate the damage that was caused by the issue in Iraq and restricting the Strait Of Hormuz because we did overwhelmingly, were dependent on that oil. If it wasn't for mister Goonda help mister Goonda helping to navigate the state through this crisis, I think we would have been very far much far worse off than we are now.

We need a lot more production and I believe, hopefully, that will come in years to come. But we also need a thoughtful very thoughtful and round and approach. Mister Gunda's leadership has influenced other agencies as well.

When you think about department heads now looking at leakage or job loss in our districts before they make, really bad decisions. He's really a true leader. He was approved by the rules committee on May 6, and I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.

Senator Laird, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. It's not often that other members of the rules committee stand up on what was a unanimous, recommendation to speak, but I think this is a special case. He mister Gunda, commissioner Gunda brings people together. And if there was ever a tribute, it's the fact that the Senator from Bakersfield and I are jointly standing up and saying he's thoughtful, responsive, informed, and he brings people together. I think he is a treasure.

We are lucky that he is willing to do public service as opposed to making a ton of money, which he could do off, in the private sector because he believes in the right thing. And he is really his energy projections cause people that disagree to sort of come together and understand that we have to have a solution based on them. So, I am pleased and proud to support the confirmation of Siva Gunda to the Energy Commission.

Senator Cabaldon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Siva Gunda is a constituent of mine in the community of Davis. He lives just a few blocks away from my, district office, and he's also been one of the chief architects of the state's responses, on the closure of one of the most significant businesses in my district, the Valero Refinery. And everything that has been said about him is true.

I was speaking with the city manager of Benicia, the small city on the Bay that is the host to Valero, earlier last week, And I noted to him that, well, since we still have questions about the refinery transition plan, so, you know, shift them to me now because Commissioner Gunda's coming up for his confirmation hearing.

And the leader in Benicia, the city manager said to me, I will, but I just wanna tell you one thing. He is the most incredible leader that we've had in California, and he checks in with us. He'll call randomly on Sunday to see how things are going. He will float ideas before us.

I told him as city manager that if there's ever an internship open up at the energy commission, I would want that internship to learn how to be an effective public servant who does bring people together, someone who is brilliant, brilliant on economics and on engineering, but always makes you under feel like you're starting to finally understand it.

On issues that would make your blood boil, he brings the temperature down, and he shares more and more facts and analysis than you could possibly absorb, but you but always with an eye towards action, doing something, not analyzing for the sake of it. And so I'm really proud. He's just a regular old constituent in 3rd Senate District, but Siva Gunda really is an an outstanding, remarkable public servant, and I'm proud to stand with my colleagues in urging an Aye vote on his confirmation.

Senator Blakespear, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise in strong support as well and offer my endorsement of mister Siva Gunda. I just, want I wanted to stand and speak in favor of him because he is remarkably accessible and practical as well as being visionary. And the that combination of characteristics in somebody on the energy commission or on any of our really important state commissions is something that really should be recognized.

So I'm so grateful that he wants to do this and is willing to continue doing it and recognizes that it is very hard work.

It's right on the edge of a number of conflict points we have in in the state of California. But he is, truly remarkable and we should be grateful and I am grateful. So with that, I urge your Aye vote. Thank you.

Senator Richardson, you are recognized.

Thank you, mister president. So many have spoken, and I think that, frankly, speaks to the testament of this appointment. I have found mister Gunda to also be very well informed, assessable, But frankly, also, I wanna give a very strong message. We're not done with figuring out what is gonna be the state of California's transition in terms of clean energy.

And I'm so grateful that we have mister Gunda to help us to get there, to have a full approach, to ask all the questions, to know the impact, not to mention data centers that are now entering into the fray.

So I wanna commend all of my colleagues and join in our certainly gratefulness, that mister Gunda has decided to continue to serve and look forward to working on the future big projects ahead. Thank you. I urge a Aye vote for the appointment of Siva Gunda.

Senator Grove, you may close.

Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to thank my colleague, from Menlo Park, from, YOLO, and then also from, San Pedro, and I believe that was it. Did I get everybody? Oh, and my my good colleague from Santa Cruz, for speaking on this appointment. Like my good colleague that joins me on rules from Santa Cruz said, not very often do we have multiple people speaking.

And when you look at the the broad variety of voices that came to to recognize this appointee that the governor made in charge of the CEC and this issue that we're doing in transition. I in making sure that we do it the right way and that we still have resources available to and energy available to all of our constituents, I think that speaks volumes in itself.

I do wanna tell you that I agree with what my colleague said, but I do wanna add to the fact that most people in his position who don't need this job, don't have to take this job, can make a ton of money doing world big world issues on energy and his background. He doesn't have to do this job, and we're very blessed that he does this job. When Valero we lost Valero, my good colleague from Yolo's district, I thought, man, it's over.

Like, it's over. And he called and he says, we're gonna find a solution and we're gonna figure it out and we're not gonna let California down. And that's the type of person that is in charge of our energy, committee. And so, I just wanna thank you very much for your comments. I also wanna add as a personal point of privilege that you add Lorelei Oviatt to this committee, and you'll have a dynamic dual that will get things done dramatically.

Respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 37. No 0. The appointment is confirmed. Members, we're moving back to privileges of the floor. For just one moment, we want to give Senator Cortez the opportunity to introduce guest.

Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. I rise to recognize nearly 200 attendees of our annual bus trip for education, for Senate District 15. In the gallery today and over in the assembly, we're joined by educators, students, parents, local leaders, advocates, and community members who care deeply about our state's continued investment in public education as well as civic engagement. For twenty three years, this bus trip has given Silicon Valley residents direct firsthand access to the legislative process, and that's because of the members here.

I wanna thank each Member of the Senate and assembly who participated in our program today.

Thank you for speaking with our attendees and being a part of this incredible tradition. Colleagues, please join me in welcoming to the California State Capitol, our twenty third annual Sacramento bus trip for education. They're here in the gallery.

Welcome to the Senate Gallery. Returning to Senate third reading, we will returning to governor's appointments. We will go to item 94. Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, mister president. Colleagues, file item 94 is a confirmation of Tony Certich for the appointment as executive director of the California Housing and Finance Agency. He previously served, the agency in various roles from 2004 to 2017. Prior to this appointment, he served as the assistant deputy director of multifamily lending, the Department of Housing and Community Development. He was approved by the rules committee on May 6, respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Secretary seeing no mics raised for discussion and debate, secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary please call absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 37, No 0. The appointment is confirmed. Moving to item 95. Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. File item 95 is a confirmation of Craig Snellings for the appointment of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. Before joining the board in 2019, he was a trial attorney, and he most previously served as a staff counsel for the State Compensation Insurance Fund. Respectfully asked for an Aye vote. He was approved by the rules committee on May 6.

Seeing no microphones raised for discussion or debate, secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 37, No 0. The appointment is confirmed. Members, we are moving to Senate third reading beginning with item 160, SCR 151. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 151 by Senator Umburg relative to Ontario crusade ligament ACL injury awareness month.

Senator Umburg, you are recognized from the Majority Leader's desk.

Well, thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. I rise today to present SCR 151, which proclaims the month of May 2026 as anterior cruciate ligament injury awareness month in California. It stands for ACL. This resolution elevates a fast growing health concern among athletes as injury rates have more than doubled over the past two decades, especially among young athletes 18. ACL injuries are among the most common and debilitating injuries affecting physically active individuals and young athletes.

Each year, an estimated four hundred thousand ACL tears across occur across The United States alone. What makes this injury especially cruel is its tendency to repeat. Once an individual sustains an ACL injury, they're up to thirty percent more likely to sustain that same injury once more or even more than once more. In the long term, individuals who experience an ACL tear face a significant reinjury risk, early onset of osteoarthritis, chronic pain, and long term joint damage.

Research consistently shows, however, that ACL injuries are largely preventable with the implementation of evidence based neuromuscular training programs.

Injury risk can be reduced by 50 to 88%. ACL injuries are not simply a sports issue, but a preventable public health challenge. By elevating awareness and encouraging the study of prevention programs, California is taking an important step to protect the health, safety of future young athletes in naming May 2026 as ACL injury aware awareness month. I'm honored to do so and urge your Aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Jones, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. As somebody who's had their ACL repaired three times, I support SCR 151.

Thank you for those details, Senator Jones. Seeing no further discussion or debate, would you like to close on that, Senator Albert?

I'm I'm honored to present this resolution and urge an Aye vote.

Thank you so very much. Secretary, please call the roll. This is eligible Members, without objection, this is eligible for unanimous roll call. Seeing no objection, Ayes 37, No 0. The measure or the resolution is adopted.

Back to privileges of the floor, Senator Umberg, you have some guests.

Senator Senator Jones and I would like to ask several individuals to join us on the floor. These are professionals in sports and sports medicine as well as young athlete who inspired this resolution. So joining me is Leora Shemi, daughter of a fellow who works in our office, Ross Shemi, who brought this to my attention. Leora is a multi sport athlete at Saint Francis High School. She suffered an injury to her ACL exactly one year ago today and is still recovering.

National Women's Soccer League chief medical officer, doctor Cindy Chang, who, by the way, has had seven operations as opposed to your three, Senator Jones. Also, the owner of Mac Performance Physical Therapy, Dan McClain, a representative of California's Athletic Trainers Association, Gina Viviano, assistant athletic director, sports medicine at Saint Francis High School, Kelly Ketchum. Members, please join me in welcoming these guests. Thank you.

Alright, Senators. We will move back to Senate third reading. Senate third reading, item 176, SR 105. Secretary, please read.

Senator resolution 105 by Senator McNerney relative to national tennis month.

Senator McNerney, you are recognized from the Majority Leader's desk.

Well, good afternoon, Mr. President and distinguished colleagues. I rise today to present SR 105. SR 105 simply declares May as the National Tennis Month. Some facts about tennis. Tennis participation has grown 46% since 2019.

More than 25,700,000 Americans played tennis in 2024, and tennis is recognized as the world's healthiest sport. Playing adds an average of nine point seven years to your life expectancy. You wanna live longer? Play tennis. Cardiovascular risk drops by fifty six percent with regular play, and players see a 20% boost in mental health.

Tennis is a lifelong sport for all ages and abilities, And let's celebrate this sport together that makes happy California happier and healthier. I ask for your Aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no mics up for discussion or debate, this item is eligible without objection for unanimous roll call. Hearing no objection, Ayes 37, No 0. The resolution is adopted. Senator McNerney, under privileges of the floor, you have some guests you would like to recognize.

Thank you, Mr. President. With each day or later, leaders of the United States Tennis Association, USTA. The USTA is now the largest tennis organization in the world. I would like to recognize Christine Castamagna, Summer Verhoeven, Cheryl Cheryl Silva, Kamal Del Barber, Kenneth Workin, Vivian Lee, Christy Perez, Michelle Wilson, Marty Anderson, Acilia Anderson, Mark Shanahan, Kevin, Hunziger, Elise, Alcazar, and Mark Delbarba. Thank you for coming today.

Back to Senate third reading, we are moving to item 189 SCR 175. That is 189 SCR 175. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 175 by Senator Weber Pierson relative to behavioral health awareness month.

Senator doctor Weber Pierson, you are recognized.

Thank you, mister president. I rise today to present Senate Concurrent Resolution 175 declaring May 2026 as behavioral health awareness month in California. Behavioral Health Awareness Month recognizes both mental health and substance use disorders. These diagnosis affect Californians in every community, every age group, and every background. Mental illness impacts one in five adults in The United States, and nearly twenty percent of children and youth experience a mental, emotional, developmental, or substance use disorder each year.

This resolution acknowledges the growing behavioral health crisis facing our state and nation. Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death for young people. And far too many Californians continue to struggle in silence because of stigma, lack of access to care, or cultural and economic barriers to treatment. The acknowledgment also recognizes the behavioral health needs of adults and older adults, many of whom experience under diagnosis, homelessness, chronic illness, or fragmented systems of care.

Untreated behavioral health conditions can lead to worsening health outcomes, increasing emergency room visits, and unnecessary institutionalization.

This resolution calls attention to the urgent need for equitable, culturally competent, and integrated systems of care across California. Because we know that behavioral health challenges disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, including foster youth, justice involved youth, veterans, LGBTQ plus youth, and communities of color. Importantly, this measure is not only about raising awareness. It is about reducing stigma and encouraging Californians to seek help without fear or shame. It is about recognizing behavioral health as an essential part of one's overall health.

With this presentation, I also wanna recognize California statewide organizations representing behavioral health providers and advocating for delivery of equitable person centered care. The California Behavioral Health Association, the California Alliance for Child and Family Services, and the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals. All members of the National Council for Mental Well-Being, a leading national behavioral health advocacy organization.

I respectfully ask for an aye vote to recognize May 2026 as behavioral health awareness month in California and to reaffirm our commitment to improving behavioral health care and outcome for all Californians. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. And seeing no other mics raised for discussion or debate, secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator doctor Weber Pierson moves the call. And we Senator, back to the privileges of the floor. You have guests.

Thank you, mister president. I would also like to recognize the sponsors of SCR 175, the California Behavioral Health Association. In the gallery, we are joined by CEO, doctor Leandra Clark Harvey, and staff members Carly Seltzer, George Cruz, and Chloe Ann Pulido. Thank you for being here and for your tireless work.

Welcome to the Senate gallery. Back to Senate third reading, moving to item one ninety, SCR 176. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 176 by Senator Ashby relative to National Small Business Month.

Senator Ashby, you are recognized from your own desk.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise today to present SCR 176, which designates May as small business month. California is home to over 4,200,000 small businesses representing 99.8% of all businesses in the state. These businesses are the foundation of California's economy. Small businesses employ over 7,000,000 Californians, accounting for nearly half of the state's private sector workforce.

Women and minority owned businesses in particular play an important role in supporting local economies for communities across California, contributing nearly 30,000,000,000 in tax revenue each year. I am especially proud of the contributions our small businesses have made here in Sacramento. I would like to recognize two Sacramento organizations and their leaders who are here with us today at the appropriate time. They work tirelessly to support their minority and small business organizations as do so many in our region.

I respectfully ask for your support of SCR 176.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no mics raised for discussion or debate, secretary, this is eligible for unanimous roll call. Ayes 37, No 0. The resolution is adopted. Senator, you have guests you may recognize under privileges of the floor.

We do, Mr. President. Joining us on the floor today is my friend, Pat Fong Kushida. Many of you know her as well. She is the president and CEO of Cal Asian Chamber of Commerce and is a Sacramento person who has elevated to representing her folks statewide. Also with us is Lauren Otto, who is executive director of the Cal Asian Foundation, two people who work absolutely relentlessly on behalf of the small businesses across California.

I'm sure you all know that because I'm sure you have all been lobbied by them at some point or another. She is pretty tough to say no to. These two organizations remind us how small businesses are central to California's economy, strength, and our identity. Colleagues, please join me in welcoming both of them to the Senate floor.

Members moving on in Senate third reading to item 192, SCR 178. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 178 by Senator Becker, but it's a Jewish American Heritage Month.

Senator Becker, you are recognized from the Majority Leader's desk.

Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, today I rise to present SCR 178 recognizing May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Month in California. Jewish American Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate a community that has shaped California and this nation from the very beginning. In California, the Jewish story stretches back to the Gold Rush era when Jewish immigrants arrived seeking opportunity and helped build the civic, economic and cultural foundations of our state.

Like so many immigrant communities, Jewish families came to this country searching for safety, freedom, the chance to build a better future.

My own grandparents immigrated from Europe and started a small business. The story of resilience, sacrifice and hope is shared by countless Jewish families across California. This resolution recognizes the extraordinary contributions Jewish Americans have made across every field imaginable, science, medicine, labor, civil rights, business, technology, arts, entertainment, public service. And it recognizes elected leaders like Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer who changed the course of California political history. Recognize the legacy of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marching alongside doctor Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement.

Recognizes folks like Harvey Milk who blazed a trail for LGBTQ rights and who worked to uplift other marginalized communities, and it recognizes generation of Jewish labor organizers, educators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders who help strengthen the state and expand opportunity for others. This resolution also honors Holocaust survivors who rebuilt their lives in California after unimaginable loss and carry forward the sacred responsibility to bear witness for future generations.

And importantly, reflects the diversity of today's Jewish community, including multiracial, Latino Jews, Asian American Jews, Persian Jews, Israeli Americans, LGBTQ plus Jews, and many others who continue to enrich the fabric of our state. We must continue in learning from one another's histories. We must continue standing together against hate in all forms.

I'm incredibly grateful that my colleagues and our sister caucuses have consistently stood shoulder to shoulder and squarely behind the Jewish caucus where we've raised concerns about antisemitism and hate directed against our community, and we will continue to stand with them. The Jewish community is a proud community, a resilient community, a deeply patriotic community that believes in strengthening this country and expanding opportunity for everyone.

Jewish American Heritage Month invites all Californians to engage with Jewish history, culture, and resilience, and Jewish food, I might mention, and to recognize the role that Jewish Americans continue to play in shaping a more inclusive, innovative, and compassionate society, I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Senator doctor Weber Pierson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise as Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, proudly support of SCR 178, recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month. Jewish Americans have been deeply connected to the broader fight against hatred, exclusion, and discrimination in this country. Their history has been shaped by antisemitism, displacement, violence, and a remarkable resilience in the face of injustice. That shared understanding created an important bond between black and Jewish communities throughout American history.

During the civil rights movement, black and Jewish leaders worked together to challenge segregation, voter suppression, and discrimination. Jewish attorneys helped fight landmark civil rights cases and Jewish activists marched along doctor Martin Luther King Junior during the movement for voting rights and equality. In 1964, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwermer, two Jewish civil rights workers were murdered alongside James Chaney, a black Mississippian while helping to register black voters during freedom summer. Their deaths became a painful reminder that the fight for civil rights requires sacrifice across all communities.

At a time when we continue to see rising hate, antisemitism, racism, and division in this country, SCR 178 reminds us that solidarity still matters.

It also reminds us that when communities stand together against hate and injustice, we move closer to the values of equality, dignity, and humanity that should belong to everyone. On behalf of the California Legislative Black Caucus, we respectfully ask for an Aye vote on SCR 178. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Allen, you are recognized.

Well, thank you, Mr. President. I rise in also in support of SCR 178, recognizing May as Jewish American Heritage Month. Just to build on the comments of my colleagues, as we speak, fellow Californians are, suffering incredible nightmare situation at a mosque in San Diego with a horrific shooting that, at least from the initial reports, police are suggesting is likely to be a hate crime.

And it's at the largest mosque in San Diego. So I wanna just take a moment to express the love and prayers of this body as they are facing this awful situation. Awful situation. You know, one of the many things that binds our Islamic and Jewish communities are the discrimination and hatred that unfortunately both of our communities face here and elsewhere around the world.

We've seen upticks in Islamophobia and antisemitism oftentimes going hand in hand. And we just had a terrible antisemitic incident in my district in a local local high school not too long ago.

So, just last week I had the chance to go down and be present at a at the opening Jewish Film Festival where, they opened the festival with this beautiful film about Rabbi Haier, who founded the Museum of Tolerance, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center that focused its work on trying to chase down Nazi war criminals in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, hold them accountable.

But then took that experience to try to turn into something beautiful, an educational experience where people would be able to come from all all different backgrounds to an extraordinary museum in Los Angeles, in my colleague's district, that is a gathering place for people to learn about the extraordinary story of man's inhumanity to man and how hatred and bigotry turned into murderous abandon and violence.

Rabbi Heyer, though, took his his passion, his pain, his experience, and and built upon the the life of of of Simon Wiesenthal, to to bridge divides, to lead a life of compassion and understanding in place of of fear and intolerance.

And so this month, through this important resolution, we invite Californians to learn more of the Jewish experience and contributions, celebrate our diversity across this great state, commit to a future of tolerance and empathy.

Just over in the assembly, just right before we all got here, there's a wonderful celebration of Jewish leaders from all sorts of different sectors, from politics, from religion, social services, community services, anti poverty work, and it just was a good reminder, I think, to me as to why I'm proud of this wonderful community that I'm a part of and I ask, respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Caballero, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr President. I rise today in proud support of SCR 178 recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month in California. As a member of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, I'm especially honored to speak on this resolution because the Jewish and Latino communities share a long history rooted in perseverance, faith, family, immigration, labor, and the pursuit of justice. Both of our communities know what it means to arrive seeking opportunity while confronting discrimination and exclusion.

Both communities have fought to ensure that future generations inherit a more inclusive California and a more just America.

SCR 178 appropriately recognizes the profound contributions Jewish Americans have made to California's civic, economic, cultural, scientific, and political life. Jewish Californians helped build California from the Gold Rush era onward, establishing charitable institutions, advancing labor rights, pioneering industries, strengthening higher education, contributing to the arts and sciences, and serving the state with distinction in public office. This legacy deeply resonates in the Latino community. We remember the alliances forged between Jewish and Latino labor organizers who fought for dignity dignity in the workplace.

We remember the lawyers, clergy, educators, and activists from the Jewish community who stood beside farm workers, immigrants, civil rights leaders, and more.

We recognize today that Solidarity is not abstract. It is built through shared struggle, mutual respect, and a belief in human dignity. At a time when antisemitism is rising across our country, this resolution sends an important message. Hatred and division have no place in California. The Latino caucus understands that when any community is targeted because of religion, ethnicity, language, or immigration history, all communities have a responsibility to stand together.

That is why Jewish American Heritage Month is not only about honoring history, it is about reaffirming our shared commitment to pluralism, democracy, and respect for one another. Members, California is stronger when we we celebrate the contributions of every community that helped to build the state. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Laird, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise today on behalf of the LGBTQ caucus in support of SCR 178. Jewish American heritage month offers us an opportunity to honor the rich history, culture, and enduring contributions of Jewish Americans across our communities. The LGBTQ caucus is unique in that, we have members in every single other affinity caucus in the legislature. We cross over.

And if you look at well known LGBT Jewish people, I mean, we have Harvey Milk and Barney Frank in elected office, Edie Windsor who was a plaintiff in the marriage equality suit. In show business, we have Harvey Feierstein, Miriam Margolis and Fran Lebowitz. We have singers Leslie Gore and Janice Ian and musical director Stephen Sondheim.

I could go on and on and on because that list overlaps in a major way and it puts us in solidarity with the kind of discrimination or hatred that targets both groups that are embodied in some cases in one person in the people I just mentioned. Central to the Jewish tradition is the principle of Tikkun Olam, the call to repair the world.

It is a value rooted in justice, compassion, and collective responsibility, and it's one that deeply resonates with the work that we do here in this body. In many ways, that same spirit has guided the LGBTQ civil rights movement, A belief that we each have a role to play in building a more just and inclusive world and that change is possible when we come together in solidarity.

So the LGBTQ caucus is proud to stand alongside our colleagues in the Jewish caucus to commemorate Jewish American Heritage Month, and we reaffirm our shared commitment to education, representation, and the celebration of diversity that defines the best of California. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote on SCR 178.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. Colleagues, I rise today as a proud Jew, and as a Senator representing one of the largest and oldest Jewish communities in our great nation. Growing up in Southern New Jersey in a community, that had almost no, Jews was challenging at times. When we first arrived, we, there was no synagogue in my community, and my parents joined with other Jews, to form, that congregation.

And big thank you to the local Lutheran church that allowed us to, use their, sanctuary for Shabbat services, until we were able to build our own, temple.

We had neighbors who asked us, why we didn't have horns. We had a sixth grade social history book that, taught us a chapter about how the Jews begged, Jesus to or begged the Romans to to kill Jesus. That was the original blood libel that led to the massacre of Jews for thousands of years, in Europe. But ultimately, we formed, a Jewish community, in that, in that town, and it was a beautiful thing, and that is the beautiful thing about the Jewish community.

It's a community that no matter what is happening, finds a way to form community, and to support, one another.

I'm honored to represent San Francisco, which is home to not one, but two of the oldest synagogues in California. Synagogues, born from the first gatherings of Jews in the state predating California's admission to the union. In September 1949, drawn by the gold rush and the promise of a bright future, a budding Jewish community gathered, to celebrate Jewish high holidays despite lacking a Torah or a rabbi.

They gathered again the following year, and then in 1851, formed two congregations that continue to exist in San Francisco today, congregation Shareth Israel and Temple Emmanuel. The origins of these congregations and their continued operation highlight the perseverance of our community and the values that we hold high.

San Francisco is also home to Jewish Family and Children Services, JFCS, the oldest continually operating nonprofit West Of The Mississippi, founded in 1850, before there were any official synagogues in San Francisco. JFCS serves all communities, providing meals, mental health services, senior services, services to refugees, health care services.

And so I tell these stories to highlight something critical, and that is that as for as long as California has existed as a state, or and even before, Jews have been part of that story back to the very, very beginning. And we've seen this throughout California history, including in San Francisco, whether it's supervisor Harvey Milk or Senator Dianne Feinstein or mayor Daniel Lohrey, who is here to be honored, today on the assembly floor, Levi Strauss, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, and on and on and on.

I also wanna recognize the diversity of the Jewish community.

I think sometimes when people think of Jews, they think of only one kind of person, and Jews are incredibly diverse. Sometimes people are surprised to learn that in for example, in Israel, which is home to one half of all Jews on planet Earth, and so when people so brazen, like, very casually talk about eliminating Israel, literally, if you randomly pick two Jews on planet Earth, one of them lives in Israel, and a majority of them are not white, are of Middle East or North African descent.

In this country and in California, we have Jews of color, Jews of Latino origin, African American, Jews, Jews of every conceivable, background, and it is something that, knits together to form an incredibly, beautiful, tapestry. Jews, also, we are we don't always agree with each other. Anyone who has sat through a Passover Seder, any kind of Jewish meal knows that we, we challenge each other.

We argue. There's a saying that if you have, you know, two Jews in a room, you'll have three opinions. And that is absolutely true. I also just wanna, be clear as I have, experienced recently, there are huge differences of opinion in the Jewish community among about global affairs and things that are happening outside of this country.

I think sometimes there is a perception that we are all in perfect unison on everything, and there are a lot of different opinions about things that are happening in The Middle East and elsewhere, including some very horrible things.

I am so proud to be part of this community, a community that welcomes and embraces all sorts of different kinds of people and perspectives. It's a beautiful, beautiful community and I'm so happy that we are having our first Jewish American heritage month celebration here in the capital. I ask for an Aye vote.

Senator Choi, you are recognized.

Thank you. Today, we recognize and celebrate the Jewish American heritage month, a time to honor the rich history enduring country contributions and the deep cultural legacy of Jewish Americans in our nation. America, made up of many ethnic groups, each group has a story to tell as we celebrated celebrated AAPI Heritage Month last week and the Korean American Day in January, especially after I visited Israel last year as a member of the delegation. One Israel, 50 states. I get to understand the Jewish history and its people.

And through my bible reading every morning, how, difficult times, the Jewish people have gone through in the history stay, still today, as you know, they are are going through many different difficult times throughout the world, especially engaged in in the world currently we observe. Here in America, from science and medicine to law, education, business, arts, and the public service, Jewish Americans have helped to shape the strength and the character of The United States.

Their story is also one of the resilience of overcoming hardship, preserving identity, and continuing to build a better future for all. This month is not only about reflection but also about appreciation. It reminds us that America's greatness comes from its diversity, from the many faith backgrounds and traditions that together from one nation.

As we observe this month, let us reaffirm our commitment to respect, understanding, and unity. By learning from one another's histories, we strengthen the bonds, that hold, our communities together. I ask for your Aye vote. Thank you.

Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you. Mr. President, very, simply and profoundly written. God says, I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you. This is a foundational biblical promise found in Genesis twelve three. It's a promise that God made to his original chosen and anointed people.

That's why I support SCR 178.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Valadares, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Members, I too rise in support of SCR 178, recognizing May as Jewish American Heritage Month. California is home to one of the largest Jewish populations in the world. And Jewish Americans have helped shape the identity and success of our own state for generations. From agriculture to small business to medicine, entertainment, education, labor, science, technology, and public service, their contributions are deeply woven into California's story.

But beyond those contributions, this resolution is also about values. Our Jewish community has long stood at the forefront of service, of philanthropy, civil rights, and advocacy for human dignity. Jewish organizations across California continue feeding families, helping refugees, supporting seniors, strengthening education, and caring for vulnerable communities every single day. And especially now at a time when many Jewish families are experiencing fear, grief, and rising antisemitism, it is important that this legislature speak clearly. California stands with our Jewish community against hatred of all forms.

Last year, as my colleague, the Senator from Irvine mentioned, I too had the opportunity to visit Israel as a part of a bipartisan delegation of over 250 legislators from across The United States. We met with leaders in healthcare and agriculture and climate technology and innovation. And we saw firsthand how closely connected many of their challenges and innovations are to the issues we face here in California. But I also met with families and survivors still carrying the trauma of October seventh terrorist attacks.

One experience that especially stayed with me was meeting American lone soldiers, including some of with California and Los Angeles ties.

Serving far from their families and loved ones, their stories reflected courage, sacrifice, and the deep bonds many Jewish American families feel to Israel and to protecting human life and democracy. As a Christian, visiting The Holy Land was deeply meaningful to me personally. But what impacted me most was the resilience of people continuing to choose faith, community, and hope even in incredibly difficult circumstances.

Jewish American Heritage Month is about honoring community, a community that has contributed enormously to California's culture, economic, and civic life, while reaffirming our commitment to stand against antisemitism and hatred wherever it exists. Members, I respectfully urge and Aye vote.

Senator Wahab, you are recognized.

Thank you. I rise today in recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month to honor a community whose story is stitched into the fabric of America. It's a story of faith carried across oceans of families who turned hardship into hope, memory into moral courage, and survival into strength. Jewish Americans have helped shape our nation in classrooms and courtrooms, in hospitals and labor halls, in science, art, business, public service, and movements for justice.

This month, we celebrate Jewish joy, the traditions, music, food, humor, scholarship, debate, and deep devotion to community that make California stronger.

And we say clearly, antisemitism has no place here. Hate has no home here. Silence is not our answer. And I wanna speak as, the only Muslim in the legis legislature, that I do support our Jewish colleagues, and oftentimes what we are seeing today is a rise in antisemitism, misunderstanding. And, you know, one of the things I I joke a lot with my colleagues about is as an Afghan American, we are considered Bani Israel.

Bani Israel is basically, you know, the lost tribes of the Israelites. And, we know that as Afghan Americans, we have been raised to understand that, raised to understand that a lot of our culture actually does tie together and much more. And so I share that as a member of the lost tribes. So again, I just wanna congratulate all of my colleagues for bringing this forward. I wholeheartedly appreciate this.

And again, we need to build bridges, not hate. Thank you.

Senator Rubio, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, I also rise in support of SCR 178, Jewish American Heritage Month. I rise with a deep gratitude to all those who have stood today, have risen to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, to call for unity, understanding, and the appreciation to all that Jewish Americans have contributed to this nation. And I do so proudly as a member of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus member.

The Jewish community has given so much to our nation, in particular to California, through leadership, innovation, education, advocacy, culture, and an unwavering commitment to justice and human dignity.

Jewish voices have helped shape movements for civil rights, labor rights, education, equality for generations, and often standing on the front lines for communities that need our help. As Latinos, we also understand what it means to carry stories of struggle, discrimination, displacement, and perseverance. Our histories are different but deeply intertwined through resilience, faith, family, and the fight to be seen and respected. That is why standing against antisemitism is not only a Jewish issue, it is a human issue.

We must be even louder than those that spew hate.

We must show compassion, show solidarity, and our commitment to protecting one another. Today, we honor the past, not only through remembrance, but through action by choosing dignity over hatred, understanding over fear, and humanity over division. And with that, I respectfully ask for an Aye vote. Thank you.

Seeing no further discussion or debate, Senator Becker, we may close.

I just wanna thank all my colleagues. It really warms my heart, and I wish my mother could hear each of these speeches. Really, everyone who spoke is incredibly meaningful. This first time we've done this kind of celebration here in the legislature, I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Aye 38, No 0. The resolution is adopted.

Members, we are gonna continue to move in Senate third reading. I ask oh, we do have privileges of the floor. Senator Becker, you would like to introduce your guest. My apologies.

Thank you, Mr. President. First, I'd just like to explain for a moment the gift that's on each of your, desks. That is a tzedakah box, which is, in in every Jewish home, it was a big part of growing up in my family. You walk in the synagogue, you also see the tzedakah box every every week at services. The tzedakah goes to a different cause.

I know you don't all carry change. It's probably as much as you used to, but if you have change or you can put dollar bills in there as well. And it's it's used to collect contributions for those in need, making giving and service a visible part of daily life, and it ties into Tikkun Olam. That's the Jewish value of helping to repair the world through acts of service, of justice, and giving.

So I hope you will take these tzedakah boxes and put them on your desks or bring them into your home and, you know, share the, you know, with with your families and with kids is a great way to instill the the habit of giving back.

I wanna mention quickly, we had a, some honorees over in the assembly earlier, and I won't go go through them all, but I think they also help reflect the diversity of the Jewish community that we've chatted about, here today. We also for our prayer, we had my rabbi, Shoshana Nambi, who was here with all of you, today. But, we had folks representing a civic leadership, national leadership, transformational criminal justice work. Our friend Scott Budnick was honored. Mayor Lohrey was mentioned.

Mandana Dayanin, an Iranian American Jewish leader, works on democracy and women rights. Rabbi Devorah Marcos from San Diego, who's been a leader in LGBTQ plus affirming education and Jewish community. And, we were honored to just bring together some of these folks for the first time to do this kind of ceremony here, in the legislature. So I wanna thank you and turn it over to my colleague here, Senator Allen, for a moment. Thank you.

Well, Members, I wanna take a moment to introduce, one of these great Jewish Americans who we're celebrating today, to our floor, Tamara Levinson, who's from Los Angeles, from my neck of the woods, who has carried on an incredible tradition of of of Jewish women involved at the forefront of political activism. And Tamara has hosted, so many events and activities at her house over the years, engaging, people who are trying to make our community and our world and our state a better place.

Some of the the best events at her house involve, during the the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which is the feast of booths where we, where we we we remember the experience of the exodus from Egypt, and we actually are are commanded to dwell in in temporary booths, a sukkah, which is a a little, a little kind of little hut that we build, in our backyard to remember what it was like to be transitory and and to be on the move and to be a refugee and to be, homeless.

And so Tamara builds a sukkah in her backyard and then brings people into the sukkah to do to make phone calls for various campaigns and causes.

And so it's a wonderful mixture of of the the the ancient sacredness of the tradition and the the the modern sacredness of Tikkun Olam and our our our the fact that we feel so compelled as a people to engage in in in the pursuit of justice and righteousness. And so I just wanted to welcome to our Senate floor. Please give a very warm Senate welcome to Tamara Levinson.

Members, we are going to lift the call on SCR 175 file item 189. Secretary, please call absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 33, No 0. The resolution is adopted. Members, we are moving back to motions, resolutions, and notices. Senator Ashby, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move that joint rule 62 a be suspended to allow the committee on local government to hear Assembly Bill 1768 ask for an Aye vote?

Senator Seyarto, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. We do not wish to waive the rule, And so, therefore, we ask for a roll call vote and advise a no vote. Thank you.

Senator Seyarto is asking for a no vote. Senator Ashby is asking for an aye vote. Would you like to close, Senator Ashby?

Nope. Respectfully ask for an Aye vote, colleagues.

Again, Senator Ashby asking for an Aye vote. Senator Seyarto, a no vote. Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 28, Noes 9, joint rules are suspended. Members, we are moving on to, again, Senate third reading, and you are kindly being asked to be very aware of the status of your bill that you present, especially if it is a support support bill. And with that, we are moving to item 113, SB 922. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 922 by Senator Laird an act relating to vehicles.

Senator Laird, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. SB 922 upholds the local government's long standing ability to recover the cost of street maintenance and repair caused by public service operations such as waste hauling. For decades, I repeat, for decades, it's been a standard practice to integrate the cost of repairing in this damage into franchise agreements, rates, and fees. A recent court decision in Rogers versus City of Redlands disrupted this. This bill reinstates it.

Cities, labor groups, and service providers like waste haulers are in joint support of the effort. It passed out of the local government committee unanimously. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

And seeing no microphones raised for discussion or debate, secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Laird moves the call. Moving to item 114, SB 932. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 932 by Senator Hurtado an act relating to civil proceedings.

Senator Hurtado, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise to present SB 932, the Litigation Transparency Act. SB 932 is a simple but important bill. But current it's it's closing a loophole by making sure the original real property in interest, the person or entity benefiting is clearly identified in the process within the case caption. SB 932 has support support.

I encourage your support on this floor today. Thank you.

Thank you. Seeing no mics raised for discussion or debate, this item is eligible for unanimous roll call. Eyes 38, no zero. The bill passes. Moving on to item one seventeen, SB 1311.

Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1311 by Senator Wahab, inaccurately into licensed professions and declared the urgency thereof to take effect immediately.

Senator Wahab, you are recognized for your support support bill.

Thank you for that reminder. SB 1311 makes various statutory updates to a few boards and a bureau at the Department of Consumer Affairs to improve efficiencies and operations, updates to dental practice act, and allows an unlicensed dental assistant to either complete the dental assisting, a national board's infection control examination, or complete a course offered by various entities in compliance with the law. SB 1311 also ensures the governor can appoint the additional registered veterinary technicians member to the veterinary medical board.

It also extends the deadline for applicants for the licensed physicians, from Mexico pilot program under the Medical Board of California. It also exempts master agreements from meeting start and end date requirements for private investigator contracts. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

This item is eligible for unanimous roll call. Seeing no objection, eyes 38, no zero on the urgency. Ayes 38, no zero on the bill. It passes. Moving to item one nineteen, SB 1143. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1143 by Senator Caballero and act relating to child abuse.

Senator Caballero, you're recognized.

Thank you, mister president. I rise to present SB 1143, which will permit child where welfare agencies to receive and review forensic interview recordings to support child abusive investigations. While social workers can participate in forensic interviews during a child abuse investigation, they are often limit limited to reviewing written summaries and investigative reports. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Members, this item is eligible for unanimous roll call without objection. Unanimous roll call. Ayes 38, no zero. The measure passes.

Moving to item one twenty three, SB 1307. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 137 by Senator Jones, an act relating to forgery.

Senator Jones, you are recognized. Senator Jones, if you would

123 SB 137, and it's addresses delays in clearing fraudulent or forged real estate documents from the public record, and I would appreciate your aye vote. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no microphones raised for discussion and debate, this is eligible for unanimous roll call. Ayes 38, no zero. The bill passes. Item one twenty five, SB 1177.

Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1177 by Senator Cortesi an act relating to high speed rail.

Senator Cortese, you are recognized.

Thank you, mister president. Colleagues, I rise to present SB 1177, which will ensure that the legislature continues to consistently receive critical data on California's high speed rail project. The rail project update report also known as the PER provides the public and legislature with an important progress check every two years to ensure high speed rail authority is on track to meet its goals. Current law requires reports to include specific information relating to projects budget schedule and potential risks.

Past project update reports have gone above and beyond to include additional information. SB 1177 will codify this additional information into statute. This bill will support long term transparency and accountability in our high speed rail transformation. I respectfully ask your aye vote.

Thank you. Senator Senator Strickland, you're recognized.

Thank thank you, mister president. Members, the more data that we see coming from the high speed rail, the more likely it is that we should pull the plug once and for all on this project. There's other shovel ready projects to ground the state of California that'll be better for the people of California. For example, shovel ready projects in Southern California that are much needed resources to get ready for the Olympics that's coming up in 2028.

We can't continue to spend billions and billions of hard to earn taxpayer dollars on a program in a in a in a in a in a a a trail a a high speed trail that we know now is not even gonna be high speed.

We're going from two tracks to one track that shares with freight, so it's not even high speed. This has been a disaster. If you saw our informational hearing, a lot of folks who were supportive of the high speed rail, they use terms like disaster. They use terms like this is not realistic. Even our nonpartisan legislative analyst is very critical of moving forward on this high speed rail project.

Once and for all members, stop wasting hardworking taxpayer dollars and use it more efficiently, either lower the gas prices for people of California or put it in shovel ready projects to be better for the people of California. This cost, by the way, is now at a $128,000,000,000 and growing. And that $128,000,000,000 doesn't even account for any borrowing. And as you know

You borrow money, you actually

Senator Caballero.

Senator Caballero, point of order?

Point of order, mister president. This goes way off what the bill is. The bill is is a report.

I believe everything I mentioned is

Just give us one just give us one second. Senator, the context of the bill is on a report. If you could stick with the actual report, the the bill requesting for a report and additional information.

Well, let me just report to this legislature that this is the time to defund the high speed rail and actually do better for the people of California than continue to waste hardworking taxpayer dollars. I urge for a no vote on this measure. Thank you,

Senator, seeing no other further mics raised for discussion or debate, Senator Cortese, you may close.

I respectfully ask for an aye vote on this measure. Thank you, mister chair.

Thank you, Senator. Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Cortese moves the call. We will move to item one thirty four, SB 1400. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1400 by Senator Arreguin an act relating to health authorities.

Senator Arreguin , you are recognized.

Thank you, mister president. I rise for

Senator Adagun, just one minute. One minute. Senator Arreguin , mentioned the wrong name. So if we can restart that, secretary, item one twenty nine SB 971, Please read.

Senate Bill 971 by Senator Choi, an act relating to older adults.

Senator Choi, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I'm proud to present Senate Bill 971, which would connect California's older adult population with resources in their own communities. SB 971 would improve health, wellness, and community engagement of California's adults age 55 and older by strengthening existing trusted community networks.

This bill would enable coordination and collaboration between nonprofit stakeholders and local community organizations to benefit California's older adults so they can thrive and live long long, connected, and have healthy lives. Ultimately, this bill will support healthier aging in coordination and alignment with California's Master Plan for Aging. SB 971 has received bipartisan support without a single no vote. I respectfully ask for your aye vote on SB 971.

Seeing no microphones raised for discussion or debate, this item is eligible for unanimous roll call. Ayes 38, noes zero. The bill passes. Moving now to item 134, SB 1400. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1400 by Senator Arreguín, an act relating to health authorities.

Senator Arreguín, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise to present Senate Bill 1400, which modernizes the governance of the Alameda Health System by providing Alameda County with enhanced flexibility to improve oversight, operational efficiency, and the fiscal sustainability of local public hospitals.

Since that structure was established 30 years ago, we can all acknowledge the health care policy environment has become more complex, including with the recent passage of HR 1. This bill just provides the county government with more direct involvement in key targeted issues that impact the operation of this health system. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Seeing no further discussion or debate. Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Arreguín moves the call. We will move to the next item, item 137, SB 1228. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1228 by Senator Rubio, an act relating to advertising displays.

Senator Rubio, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, I rise to present SB 1228, a bill that is narrowly tailored to preserve existing economic activity and formal redevelopment areas. The goal of the bill is simple. It allows a small number of existing outdoor advertising displays to continue operating under current law, rather than abruptly shutting down due to a statutory sunset.

These displays generate critical local revenue that support essential services like law enforcement, senior services, and youth programs. In some communities, these revenues make up a significant share of their local funding. The following requirements need to be met. Be deemed in compliance with the California Outdoor Advertising Act, apply for permits for permanent placement, and applies only to existing qualifying displays, not new or expanded development. I respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Senator Strickland, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President, Members. I rise in support of SB 1228. It's a much needed measure that provides economic development in many of these local cities that rely on these advertisements for the lifeblood of local government and for them to be able to fund essential services like public safety, police, and fire. So I ask for the yes vote. I thank, I commend the author for bringing this forward and her fight to make sure that we have economic development in our local communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no other mics up for discussion or debate. This item is eligible for... Or Senator Rubio, would you like to close?

No. Thank you to the gentleman, I think Huntington Beach, for his comments. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. This item is eligible for unanimous roll call without objection. Seeing no objection. Ayes 38, noes zero. The bill passes. Moving to item 146, SB 997. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 997 by Senator Caballero, an act relating to ground water agencies.

Senator Caballero, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise to present SB 997, which simply grants lean authority to the North Fork Kings GSA and ensures it can efficiently implement its groundwater sustainability plan and be in compliance with SGMA. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. And seeing no mics up for discussion or debate. Members, this item is eligible for unanimous roll call without objection. Seeing no objection. Ayes 38, noes zero. The bill passes. Moving to item 150, SB 1115. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1115 by Senator Grove, an act relating to public cemetery districts.

Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. This is a district bill. It's Senate Bill 1115 in response to a recent dysfunction and mismanagement of the failures of Tulare County Public Cemetery District. It's been completely dysfunctional till since 2016. The board has had to take over the proceedings. It's, the meetings were a disaster, some last ten seconds. Other meetings not allowed to public comment.

It got so bad that they had to exhume six individuals from being buried. These are our families that are being buried at the cemetery. It drastically needs a revamp of the trustees. Respectfully ask for an aye vote. And a personal note to the Chair of Housing, or excuse me, Local Government, who experienced something something of a family matter in Tulare County and understand and empathize with her deal with her family that she had. Specifically asked for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. This item is also available for unanimous roll call without objection. Hearing no objection. Ayes 38, noes zero. The bill passes. Moving to item 155, SB 1088. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1088 by Senator Blakespear, an act relating to health care.

Senator Blakespear, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise to present SB 1088, which will ensure people receive the medical treatment they desire and planned for at the end of their lives or when they are incapacitated and no longer able to express their wishes.

The bill specifically aligns and modernizes the three advanced planning tools, advanced health care directives, POLST, and prehospital DNRs. First, SB 1088 changes the name Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment to Portable Orders Listing Scope of Treatment. Second, it allows physician assistants and nurse practitioners to sign a prehospital DNR.

Third, it clarifies that POLST and prehospital DNR forms are entirely voluntary and that care can't be conditioned on completing one. Fourth, it clarifies who can sign a POLST on behalf of a patient, a health care agent, a conservator, or a surrogate.

Fifth, it creates a presumption of validity for a POLST executed in another state. And finally, it allows electronic signatures to be used to facilitate electronic completion, storage, and retrieval of POLST forms. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Seeing no further discussion or debate. Members, this item is eligible for unanimous roll call without objection. Hearing no objection. Ayes 38, noes zero. The bill passes. Item 156, SB 1242. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1242 by Senator Choi, an act relating to courts.

Senator Choi, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President and Members. I present SB 1242, which allows a family member, if they are the original petitioner, to participate in the CARE Court program for the purposes of coordinating care and providing relevant information to the court.

Thanks to the fellow Senator from Orange County, the CARE Act was enacted to provide court supervised treatment for those with untreated or undertreated mental illness. Unfortunately, current law limits family members' ability to participate beyond the initial hearing.

Excluding family members reduces CARE Court's effectiveness, depriving the court and the care team of critical information and limiting family involvement in treatment planning, support, and care coordination. This undermines the CARE Act's main goals, which are community and family centered care.

SB 1242 addresses this by allowing family members to assist in care coordination and to provide information to the care team. Critically, SB 1242 preserves judicial discretion by allowing the court to exclude the family members' participation should the court determine that it would be harmful for the respondents' treatment. I ask for your aye vote so that we can ensure that this mental illness get the support they need. Thank you.

Seeing no mics up for discussion or debate. Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Senator Choi moves the call. We are moving to item 158, SB 1364. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1364 by Senator Menjivar, an act relating to child custody.

Senator Menjivar, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, currently right now, when a child is born out of rape, that individual has to be convicted to for the mother to be able to allow or have no parental custody or have the rapist not have parental custody. However, only 2% of rapists go and get... Only 2% of rapists right now are convicted.

Therefore, SB 1364 wants to match what other states have right now to ensure that it's no longer a conviction, that it's a clear and convincing evidence for the for the mother to go to court and sever parental rights from the rapist. Asking for an aye vote on SB 1364.

Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise in support of SB 1364 and thank my colleague for bringing it forward. I've heard countless sex trafficking survivors talk about being raped in long cycles cycles of abuse. Not only being sold like commodities, but also being impregnated by the traffickers themselves or the individuals that purchased them, and countless court battles over custody.

I listened to the LA district attorney, city attorney talk to me about a human trafficking case where the individual who was bought and sold was impregnated by the person who sold her on the streets and then wanted custody of the five year old little girl, and it was a knock down drag out.

And there needs to be clear information out there and clear laws that can be adhered to to make sure that this cycle of abuse stops and that these individuals are protected and so are the the the children that are produced in these situations. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Menjivar, you may close.

I appreciate my colleague from Bakersfield for the support on this. I think it's time that California sides with the victims, should they choose not to share custody with the rapist. Respectfully asking for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Members, this item is eligible for unanimous roll call without objection. Hearing no objection. Ayes 38, noes zero. The bill passes. Moving to item 161, SB 993. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 993 by Senator Ochoa Bogh, an act relating to healing arts.

Senator Ochoa Bogh, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, I rise to present Senate Bill 993, which will provide protection for mental health professionals working in correctional and psychiatric settings by allowing them to limit the disclosure of their identifying information to patients.

These providers play a critical role in supporting our most vulnerable populations, and we need to ensure they feel safe when doing their job. To help prevent putting professionals in harm's way, SB 993 seeks to be proactive by limiting personal information given to clients.

SB 993 will also preserve accountability by requiring correctional facilities to provide an accessible complaint process for patients in correctional and psychiatric settings. Please join me in supporting mental health professionals who deliver critical care that often lead to positive outcomes for individuals in correctional settings. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no mics up for discussion or debate. This item... This item will have a roll call. Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Senator Ochoa Bogh moves the call. Members, we're moving to item 162, SB 1094. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1094 by Senator Weber Pierson, an act relating to prescription drug.

Senator Dr. Weber Pierson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Affordable health care is one of the top concerns for our residents here in California. One underlying driver of rising health care cost is the cost of prescription drugs, which has increased by 72% since 2017.

Despite having many safe, effective, lower cost alternatives available, we are not using them to their full potential. This bill offers practical ways to encourage biosimilar use to bring down costs and inject more competition into a system that brand name pharmaceutical manufacturers have controlled for too long.

According to the California Health Benefits Review Program, this bill is estimated to generate savings for patients and our healthcare system, including $4 million in cost sharing for those patients who switch to a biosimilar and $90 million in savings in the form of reduced premiums for employers, enrollees, and Medi-Cal.

At the core, this bill is about affordability, safety, and access, which are key components to adherence with any treatment. It's about making sure Californians get the care they need without having to choose between their health and their financial stability. I respectfully ask for an aye vote on SB 1094.

Thank you, Senators. Seeing no mics raised for discussion or debate. Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Dr. Weber Pierson moves the call. We are moving to item 164, SB 1117. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1117 by Senator Cervantes an act relating to land use.

Senator Cervantes, you are recognized.

Thank you, mister president and members. Senate bill 1117 will clarify and strengthen existing ADU law. Existing law requires fees charged for the construction of ADUs to be determined in accordance with the mitigation fee act. Some local governments are calculating impact fees amounts based on the entire square footage of an ADU once it exceeds 750 square feet, rather than basing the fees only on the proportion above that threshold.

Property owners are often forced to either reduce the size of their design to stay under the cap, which limits the potential usefulness of their ADU or abandon their ADU plans altogether.

This bill will help reduce impact fees for California homeowners. This bill has received unanimous bipartisan support and respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary, please call roll.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary, please call roll.

Senator or secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Item Senator Cervantes moves the call. Item one sixty six, SB 1244. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1244 by Senator Allen, in act relating to health care coverage.

Senator Allen, you are recognized when you are ready.

Well, thank you so much, Mr. President and Members. I rise to present SB 1244, which requires health insurance brokers and agents and related professionals that advise public agencies on employee health or health care to disclose compensation that they receive for selling those benefits before entering or renewing a service contract with the agency. Under federal law, brokers and related professionals have to disclose their compensation to private employers with health plans covered under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, ERISA.

But this requirement does not extend to public agencies, public sector, because public sector plans are exempt from ERISA. So, so this bill seeks to close that gap, by doing the following, ensuring that public agencies benefit from disclosures already available to private employers, requiring brokers, agents, and related professionals to proactively disclose their compensation to public agencies rather than upon request, and capture some more forms of compensation than federal law currently covers.

Public agencies spend billions of dollars annually on employee health benefits. They rely on insurance brokers and related professionals to recommend insurance carriers, negotiate rates, select vendors, etcetera. Compensation arrangements with insurers and third parties are concealed from the public and create, sometimes create some misaligned incentives, steering the agencies toward more expensive vendors if the agent or the broker might benefit. We know that public agencies are charged with overseeing taxpayer dollars and ensuring that their money is spent appropriately, our money is spent appropriately.

This bill gives public agencies more tools and information to guide their decision making without capping composition or barring contractual agreements.

It's about information and without a respect for the Aye vote

Thank you, Senators. Seeing no mics raised for discussion or debate, secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Allen moves the call. We are moving to item 168, SB 1315. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1315 by Senator Cabaldon, an act relating to autonomous vehicles.

Senator Cabaldon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Hundreds of thousands of Californias are amazed and becoming acculturated to AI systems that are driving their cars for them. Advanced driving assistance systems are an ubiquitous feature in California. Imagine if though if you couldn't turn it off. If a software update pushed you over midnight, in the comfort of your home and in the morning you can no longer drive your car as a human being.

This bill simply requires, the operators of automated, driving systems to provide reports to the state about software updates as we work to try to assure that those updates don't take away the right of drivers to be to human drive the cars that they buy for that purpose. Simple bill we're working we have been working closely with industry, and I would ask for an Aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no microphones raised for discussion or debate, secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Cabaldon moves the call. Item 173, SB 1398. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1398 by Senator Rubio an act relating to state buildings.

Senator Rubio, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, today I rise to present thirteen ninety eight Green Globe Certification. This bill is a straightforward update to ensure that California's green building requirements reflect the reality of today's market. Under current law, state agencies are required to obtain green building certification for new construction and major renovations starting in 2024. However, the statute effectively recognizes only one one agency despite the existence of other nationally recognized, widely used alternatives.

What this does, it reduces flexibility, It may increase project cost and excludes comparable frameworks that deliver similar environmental and performance outcomes. SB thirteen ninety eight addresses this by explicitly recognizing green globes as an equivalent certification as an alternative. This bill does not weaken standards. It simply allows state agencies to choose between certification systems that meet comparable benchmarks for sustainability and building performance. With that, I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Thank you.

Thank you. Seeing no mics up for discussion or debate, secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Rubio moves the call. We are moving to item 180, SB 1085. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1085 by Senator Durazo an act relating to water.

Senator Durazo, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Since 2001, California's quote unquote show me the water laws have helped local governments determine whether large scale developments have a reliable long term water supply. These water supply assessments give communities, developers, and water agencies the information needed to align growth with available water resources. That was not always the case. Before these laws were enacted, reliance on paper water meant that some communities were built without sufficient supplies.

That legacy is with us today, where we have communities that run out of water, relying on trucked water to meet their basic needs. Currently, a water supply assessment is generally triggered when a large development project undergoes CEQA review. Recent CEQA exemptions inadvertently wiped out the requirement to analyze water supplies for some large scale developments. SB 1085 restores the requirement for a water supply assessment for these large projects regardless of whether CEQA applies.

The bill is supported by broad coalition of counties, water agencies, planners, farmers, environmental organizations, and others.

These groups intimately understand the value of water and its importance in the changing climate. SB 1085 ensuring local decision makers continue receiving critical information about water availability for projects, I respectfully ask for your vote.

Thank you, Senators. Seeing no mics raised for discussion or debate, secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Durazo moves the call. We are moving to item 182, SB 1316. Secretary, please read.

Senator Bill 1316 by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas, an act relating to employment.

Senator Smallwood-Cuevas, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Good afternoon, colleagues. I'm proud to present SB 1316, a measure about worker protection and accountability. When workers report wage theft, retaliation, or unsafe conditions, employers should not be able to hide records during an investigation then use them on an appeal or walk away without paying after the state has ruled against them. Too many workers are waiting too long for justice.

The State Auditor found 47,000 wage claim backlogged in 2023, with workers receiving the full amount owed in only 12% of cases. Earlier this year, the Labor Commissioner cited Los Angeles developers for more than 2.3 million in wage theft affecting 124 construction workers. This is not a distant problem. It's happening right now.

And SB 1316 closes the loophole by ensuring employers who withhold records during an investigation cannot later use those same records to fight the case, with flexibility for good faith extensions and inadvertent mistakes, of course.

This bill strengthens oversight by renewing the Labor Commissioner's liens before they expire so employers cannot run out the clock and workers wait to recover their wages. This bill also requires Cal/OSHA to report complaint and citation data annually to the legislature and the governor so we know what is actually happening on the ground. This bill has earned unanimous, bipartisan support, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no further discussion or debate. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Smallwood Cuevas moves the call. We are moving to item 268, SB 1146. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1146 by Senator Gonzales an act relating to advertisements.

Senator Gonzales, you are recognized.

Thank you, mister president and members. I rise to present Senate Bill 1146, which will protect Californians from deceptive AI generated health advertisements. The rapid advancement of AI and generative AI technology has made it increasingly difficult to distinguish, between real and fake content.

SB 1146 will address the issue by requiring advertisements for health products or services that use AI generated or altered images, audio, or video of a health care provider to clearly disclose that the content is AI generated and that the depicted person is not actually a health care provider. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no microphones raised for discussion or debate, secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Gonzales moves the call. Item 299, SB 1268. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1268 by Senator Gonzales an act relating to outdoor recreation.

Senator Gonzales, once again, you're recognized.

Thank you, mister president and colleagues. I rise again to present SB 1268, which would codify the outdoors for all initiative. This initiative was launched in 2021 to increase access to the outdoors, prioritize equity, and combat historical inequities, that have limited opportunities for people with disabilities, lower income communities, communities of color, and others. The cities that I represent, especially in Southeast Los Angeles, have some of the lowest park and green space, per capita in Los Angeles County.

And the park expansions, free parks pass programs, and equitable educational and recreational programs built by this initiative are making a real difference, but we need to codify it in statute. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. No mics are raised for discussion or debate. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Gonzalez moves the call. Members, give us just one moment, and we will be right with you. Members, we have just a few additional items to bring before you today. We will move to item 121, SB 1288. Item 121, SB 1288. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1288 by Senator Laird, an act relating to property.

Senator Laird, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. This bill ensures that non probate assets assets make it into the hands of individuals and nonprofits as intended by establishing a clear framework for notification of beneficiaries and elimination of barriers to access funds. When beneficiaries come forward to claim funds, they face barriers to access.

Nonprofits can be required to open new accounts, provide personal information about board members or the decedent that they do not and should not have, and simultaneously submit claims with other co-beneficiaries that they might not even know exist.

This can delay access for years. This bill has been one of those rare ones where people come out of crowds and thank me for doing it. I did not understand the cord that it struck in nonprofits that struggle to get things that they have been left.

So this bill modernizes California's non probate laws by requiring financial institutions to make a good faith effort to notify beneficiaries within 60 days receiving proof of death, a clear and imaginable verification requirements allowing independent beneficiary claims prohibiting mandatory opening of accounts, and providing liability protection for institutions acting in good faith. I'm committed to continuing the conversations with people that have concerns about this. There have been no no votes thus far. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no mics raised for discussion or debate. Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Laird moves the call. We are moving to item 157, SB 1296. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1296 by Senator Durazo, an act relating to tenancy.

Senator Durazo, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. SB 1296 ensures renters with pets can access clear pet policy information early in the house search process by requiring the disclosure of pet policies on applications, materials, and rental listings. For many Californians, finding housing that accepts pets isn't always easy. Renters are facing rising rental costs and flat out prohibition of pets. And too often without transparent pet policies, prospective tenants don't find out the details until they've already toured, filled out rental applications, and paid application fees.

That's frustrating, time consuming, and expensive. This bill will bring transparency pet owners need during their search for a home. This bill, let me be clear, only requires disclosure of existing pet policies. Thank you, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no mics raised for discussion or debate, Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Durazo moves the call. We are moving to item 1—224—SB 960. Senator—or Secretary, please call roll.

Senate Bill 960 by Senator Cabaldon, an act relating to public post-secondary education.

Well, before you call roll, we should hear about the bill. Senator. Senator, thank you for reading.

Hi. Thank you, Mr. President. I, in the—ten years ago, the legislature authorized an innovation in workforce development and allowed community colleges in California to offer an applied bachelor's degree when there's a demonstrated unmet workforce need in their region and when that degree is not already offered by a campus of CSU or UC.

SB 960 simply clarifies that, that, that offered by CSU means the CSU in your service area, that offering a degree at Humboldt shouldn't prevent Southwestern College or Allan Hancock College from offering a workforce-oriented degree in their own area. And it doesn't apply if the CSU program is impacted persistently, and therefore, it has no seats open for, for students from that district. The law has—sets a very high standard for workforce needs that have to be documented for these programs.

They have been very successful, but we're also not trying to convert the community colleges into a bachelor's degree institution. And so, in return, this bill also reduces the total number of authorized bachelor's degrees for community colleges from 25% of degree programs down to 15% degree program—of degree programs. It represents a balanced compromise to meet workforce needs for young people, but also for working adults. Urge an aye vote.

Thank you. And seeing no mics raised for discussion or debate, it appears like this item does—or is eligible for unanimous roll call without objection. And with that, we will ask for the Secretary—we do have objection, so, we will ask for the Secretary to call roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 36, noes zero. Bill passes. Moving to item 233, SB 1023. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1023 by Senator Laird, an act relating to health care coverage.

Senator Laird, you are recognized.

Thank you. I rise to present Senate Bill 1023. It's an LGBTQ Caucus priority bill, which increases access to a critical HIV prevention medication called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. This requires insurers provide PrEP through the medical benefit to also provide PrEP through the pharmacy benefit pathway, making it easier for small health care providers like community clinics to start providing or expand PrEP services. This bill will increase access to a crucial prevention medication when global health and civil rights are under active threat. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.