Human Services — 2026-06-16 (partial)

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. Thank you. I call this hearing of the Assembly Committee on Human Services to order. I'd like to start today's hearing by welcoming Assemblymember Alanis, who will be filling in for Vice Chair Castillo. Once we have established quorum, we have nine measures on the agenda, two of which are on consent. Please note that we limit testimony to two witnesses in support and two witnesses in opposition. Each witness has two minutes to testify. All additional witnesses will be limited to stating their name, organization, if they represent one, and their position on the bill. I also want to note that we are accepting written testimony through the position letter portal on the committee's website. Lastly, we'd like to address disruptions during the hearing. Conduct that disrupts or otherwise impedes. The orderly conduct of this hearing is prohibited. If disruptive behavior occurs today, you will be removed from the hearing by the Assembly sergeants. Now for a little housekeeping. The Assembly Rules Committee has determined that file item number one, SB 479, also falls within jurisdiction of the Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection. Should the bill pass out of this committee, it will be referred to the Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection. The Assembly Rules Committee has also determined that file item number three, SB 902 Grayson, also falls within jurisdiction of the Assembly Committee on Education. Should the bills pass out of this committee, refer to the Assembly Committee on Education. And I see that both those authors are here today. Since we don't have yet a quorum, We're going to do a subcommittee hearing and respect for the senators who are here on time. We'll start with file item number one, SB 479 by Argin. And so you may come up to present when you're ready. And I hope that extra referral was not a surprise to you, Senator. We added Oakland. I think that's what triggered the referral to privacy.

All right, thank you. Two minutes each, please.

Thank you. Thank you. Next witness, please.

All right, thank you. Now, do we have any members of the public who should just find support of the bill? Please come up to the microphone. Your name and organization, please.

Thank you. Good afternoon. Kendra Begley on behalf of the City of Pasadena in support. Good afternoon. Bindu Mokamala on behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter, in strong support. Thank you. And do we have any primary witnesses in opposition? to the bill. Do we have any members of the public who should testify in opposition to the bill? Please come up to the microphone. Seeing none, I will bring it back to the committee for any questions or comments. We don't yet have a quorum, so we can't make any motions. All right. Seeing none, I'm going to invite the author to close. Respectfully ask for your aye vote. All right. Thank you. Well, I really appreciate you working with this committee, Senator, and I do appreciate you vouching for your cities. I think this is an effective way to facilitate more cooperation to serve those who need these services. So I am recommending an aye vote with this, and should it pass out today, it will go to the Privacy Committee. So we will take it up when we have a quorum. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. All right, next, let's go to file item number three, SB 902 by Senator Grayson. All right, Senator, whenever you're ready, you may begin. Good afternoon, honorable chair and members. I am pleased to present to USB 902 a bill that would specify that a signature required by the Child Care and Development Services Act may be satisfied by an electronic signature in compliance with the Uniform Electronic Transaction Act. Families accessing subsidized child care vouchers must submit multiple forms throughout the year. Paper-based processes requiring printing, mailing, and hand-delivering documents, which can be burdensome for parents juggling multiple jobs and caring for young children. Currently, the law does not or does recognize digital and electronic signatures. However, the Child Care and Development Services Act does not explicitly authorize current electronic options for both signage and for storage. So SB 902 would update subsidized child care paperwork practices by recognizing current technology that best supports the needs of families where they are at. However, this bill does preserve the option for families, providers, and contractors to continue using paper documents if they so prefer and desire. So with that, I would like to let my witnesses self-introduce through the chair. All right. Thank you very much. Two minutes, please. Good afternoon, Chair Lee and members of the Assembly Human Services Committee. My name is Robin Altamirano. I am a parent of three children, including a daughter with complex medical needs and a former elementary school educator. SB 902 recognizes the reality's family space and removes unnecessary barriers to accessing child care services. Requiring a wet signature may seem simple, but it often means printing forms, signing them by hand, scanning them, and then mailing or uploading them. For busy families, especially those in rural communities or facing unexpected challenges, those extra steps can create significant hardships. When my daughter was just two months old, she was unexpectedly hospitalized for more than two weeks. At the same time, my oldest son had just started transitional kindergarten. The hospital was 45 minutes away from both our home and his school, and I needed to work quickly with the school district to arrange transportation so we could continue attending school and childcare while I stayed at my daughter's bedside. I was able to complete the necessary paperwork electronically from my phone while sitting in the hospital Had a wet signature been required I would have needed to leave my daughter and drive for nearly an hour each way just to sign documents during an already overwhelming family crisis Because of my daughter's medical needs, I regularly complete forms from my phone while managing appointments, treatments, and caregiving responsibilities. When electronic signatures are accepted, it reduces stress, saves time, and allows me to focus on my children instead of paperwork. Families already use electronic signatures for health care, housing, and education documents. SB902 simply brings child care paperwork into alignment with those common practices and makes it easier for families to access the services they need. Thank you, Chair Lee and members of the committee for your time today. I respectfully ask for an aye vote on SB902. All right, thank you. Next witness, please. Chairman Li and members, thank you for this great opportunity to testify. My name is Ju-Wen Tan, founder and CEO of MCT Technology and CareConnect. We provide software to many child care agencies and early learning programs across California. I'm here in support of SB902. SB902 is now creating a new technology requirement for programs in the families. It simply gives child care agency the same flexibility and the legal clarity that families already experience in health care, education, banking, real estate, and many other industries and sectors. Today, paper signature can slow down eligibility, access to child care for parents, delay provider payments, and create unnecessary burdens for working parents. Families may have to print, scan, mail, physically sign, hand deliver just to keep child care moving. From a technology perspective, electronic signature can be implemented safely and with accountability. A signer can be verified through the secure portal. Electronic signature can be implemented through that same verified phone number and email address already on record. The signed record can include the signer's identity, signature time, document version, and a full audit trail. When any time document is changed, such electronic signature can be invalidated right away. In many cases, that gives agency more accountability than paper format because the agency can see who signed it, when the signature is done, where the signature is done, and what document was signed. SB 902 preserved the paper option also. It simply gives the agency a clear option tool to serve family better and faster while keeping accountability. For these reasons, I respectfully ask for your yes vote. All right. Thank you. Before we continue, now we have a quorum. Let's establish a quorum. So, Madam Secretary, please call the roll to establish a quorum. Lee. Alanis. Calderon. El-Hwari. Aki. Jackson. Here. Celeste Rodriguez. Here. Tongipak. Great. Do we have a third witness? Yes, or? Mackenzie Richardson on behalf of Thriving Families California Foundation, proud sponsor, just here for technical assistance. Great. Okay, thank you. Now, are there members of the public who wish to testify in support of the bill? Please come up to the microphone. One second. Sorry. Good afternoon, Chair and members. Jeanette Carpenter, proud co-sponsor here on behalf of Child Action and strong support. Thanks. Good afternoon, Chair and members. Jill and Keegan on behalf of the California Community Action Partnership Association and our statewide membership network in support Thank you Thank you Now do we have any witnesses in opposition Any members of the public wish to testify in opposition to the bill please come forward Seeing none, I'm going to bring it back to the committee for any questions or comments. Move the bill. All right. I'll invite the senator to close then. Thank you so much. I respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you, Senator, and thank you for bringing the bill forward. It's one of those small common sense things in everyday lives, but it's one of those things that we work very hard to make sure we're modernizing our state governance. So I think it's a very welcome bill. I am having an eye recommendation to this bill. Madam Secretary, please call – oh, actually, we need a second on the motion. I second. Okay. The bill has been moved by Assemblymember Jackson, seconded by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez. Madam Secretary, please call the roll for SB 902. File Item 3, SB 902. The motion is due passed to the Assembly Education Committee. Lee? Lee, aye. Alaniz? Calderon? El-Huari? Aye. El-Huari, aye. Jackson? Aye. Jackson, aye. Rodriguez? Aye. Rodriguez, aye. Tongapah? Four to zero. We will keep that roll open for EPSA members. Thank you. Thank you so much. And now we'll go to File Item 4, SB 1025 by Senator Hurtado. All right, Senator, whenever you're ready. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, members. Today I present SB 1025, which establishes the Office of Food Security and Affordability. In the Central Valley, we all know very well that poverty does not discriminate. And we also know that every day in California, there are parents working full-time jobs that still have to worry about how they will put food on the table for their children. There are seniors choosing between groceries and medication and college students skipping meals while trying to earn a degree. The reality is that many of these Californians qualify for assistance, but the system can be difficult, fragmented, and confusing. Families are often sent from one agency to another, filling out multiple applications while trying to figure out where to turn for help. This is a reality for many Californians. Californians. California invests billions of dollars in food assistance programs, and SB25 helps make sure those investments are working as efficiently as possible by connecting programs, reducing duplication, and putting families at the center of the process. SB25 is about making government work better for all Californians that it serves. It creates a dedicated office focused on bringing agencies together, improving coordination, and ensuring families can access support with unnecessary barriers. This bill will strengthen outreach efforts, identify communities that are being left behind, and support local food banks and community partners and ensure that resources reach the people who need them the most because no Californian should go hungry because they cannot figure out which door to knock on for help. And today I have with me Kelly Laurie, I think I pronounced his last name correctly, Executive Director for Community Action Partnership of Kern to testify in support. All right, two minutes, please. Good afternoon Chairman Lee and members My name is Kelly Lowry and I serve with the CapK Food Bank in Kern County one of California hunger relief organizations We distribute more than 1 million pounds of food each month, supporting more than 50,000 families experiencing some of the highest levels of food insecurity in our state. I'm here as a sponsor of SB 1025. The charitable food system in California is not the responsibility of any single department, program, or organization. It is influenced by housing costs, wages, transportation, healthcare, agriculture, emergency food systems, and public benefit programs. Yet our response remains fragmented. At the local level, we often find ourselves trying to coordinate across multiple state agencies, private affiliations, and local partnerships that each play a very critical role, but without a unified strategy connecting those efforts together. SB 1025 addresses that challenge by establishing an Office of Food Security and Affordability and directing the development of a statewide food security strategy. It creates a place where data, policy, program, administration, and community expertise can come together to identify gaps, coordinate solutions, and measure outcomes. This need has become even more urgent as significant federal changes, policy changes, shift additional responsibility to states and local communities. Food banks, counties, schools, nonprofits, healthcare systems, farmers, and community organizations are all adapting to this rapidly changing environment. California needs a coordinated approach that helps us plan ahead rather than simply react to crisis or changes from the federal administration. SB 1025 does not create another food program. It creates the structure necessary to make existing investments work better together. It helps ensure that decisions are informed by data, guided by stakeholders, and aligned around measurable goals. For those of us working on the front lines every day, the question is not whether California has organizations committing to addressing hunger. We do, and they all do a really great job. The question is whether we have a coordinated system capable of meeting the scale and the complexity of the challenge before us. SB 1025 helps build that system, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote today. Thank you. All right. Thank you very much. Now, do we have members of the public who wish to testify in support of the bill? Please come to the microphone. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members. Jessica Doan, the University of California, in support. Bindu Mukamala on behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter, in strong support. Amanda Kirscher on behalf of County Welfare Directors in support. Alright, thank you. Now do we have any witnesses in opposition to the bill? Any members of the public who wish to testify in opposition to the bill, please come forward. Seeing none, I'm going to bring it back to the committee. I think I heard a motion earlier. All right. I'll invite the senator to close if you have a close. Thank you. I respect the last for an aye vote. Well, thank you. The bill has been probably moved by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez and seconded by El Huari. I do think this bill is really important because California is the breadbasket of the nation, if not the world. And we have far too many people who starve within a stone's throw of orchards and fields. So it's important that we have dedicated food security office. I'm recommending an aye vote. And Madam Secretary, please call the roll on this bill. File item 4, SB1025, the motion is... Do pass to the Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact Committee. Lee? Aye. Lee, aye. Alaniz? Calderon? Elhwari? Aye. Elhwari, aye. Jackson? Aye. Jackson, aye. Rodriguez? Aye. Rodriguez, aye. Tongapaw? That bill's out. Four to zero. That bill is out. We'll leave the roll open, perhaps, members. Next, we'll go to file number five, SB 1030, by Senator Smallwood Cuevas. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and colleagues. I am proud to present SB 1030, which is a legislative women's caucus priority. Many of California's public assistance laws were enacted in the 1960s and have remained in statute, not because they make sense, but because they just haven't been meaningfully updated. And historically, the man in the house rule was disproportionately applied to black women, women of color, reflecting a broader racialized system of surveillance and negative stereotypes and narratives. And we know that was embedded in some of our early welfare policies. we're finally trying to address this outdated provision here today with 1030, which repeals the outdated CalWorks man in the house rule, which can strip a family of AIDS simply because an unrelated man lives in the home. California already requires families to report every dollar that comes into the household. This rule adds nothing. It just gives the state a reason to cut off families who are barely barely getting by. And in this era of national hostility, we know some of these old rules could be activated and really do more harm to our families. And so California must act to modernize this provision. Our families are already carrying the weight of rising rent, grocery costs, economic uncertainty. And the last thing California should do is make it harder for mothers to put foot on the table and a roof over their families' heads. Nearly 90% of CalWORK's heads of household were women in 2022, and black and brown households account for the majority of those. This rule has deeply, as I mentioned, racist and sexist history built on surveillance and control. SB 1030 will repeal that and put California on the right side of history. And with me today to provide testimony is Rebecca Gonzalez with the Western Center on Law and Poverty and Amanda Kirchner with the California Welfare Directors Association. All right. Thank you. Two minutes each witness, please. Great. Hello. My name is Rebecca Gonzalez, Senior Policy Advocate with the Western Center on Law and Poverty. The Western Center is a co-sponsor of SB 1030 as part of the Reimagined CalWORKS Coalition. Our coalition has worked to make CalWORKs and more families supporting a less punitive program. We believe SB 1030, which eliminates the old man-of-the-house law, is consistent with these principles. The man-of-the-house law is an outdated, misogynistic policy that incorporates racist and sexist assumptions about people who receive CalWORKs. The old law was based on the presumption that mothers receiving cash benefits were trying to fraudulently claim benefits if an unrelated adult male lived in the household. even though an unrelated adult male is not legally required to support the family. It also stemmed from outdated social mores which disapproved of a couple who cohabitated without being married This policy is remnant from the old AFDC program whereby states enacted laws which required the unrelated adult male to complete welfare forms under penalty of perjury. If the partner did not complete the form, the CalWORKs benefits were stopped for the entire family. States implemented these rules to restrict welfare eligibility and enforce morality, often cutting off aid if a mother was dating, even if the man did not support the children. These policies were used to police the households of particularly black women. This provision, which is not required by federal law, presumed cohabiting men were substitute parents, regardless of financial contribution. And this was deemed unconstitutional in King versus Smith and further restricted by Lewis versus Martin. Current law already requires that when anybody, including an unrelated adult male, gives money to a CalWORKs recipient, it must be reported to the county. It is then subject to the regular budgeting rules, including reduction of the CalWORKs benefit. Therefore, this policy is not only outdated, but also redundant of current law. SB1030 would simplify the CalWORKs program and eliminate an administrative burden for counties. We also believe it is important that California repeals outdated, unneeded laws that are based on racist and sexist presumptions of human behavior, and we ask for your aye vote. Thank you. Thank you. Next one, please. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I'm Alexis Rodriguez on behalf of the County Welfare Directors Association in support of SB 1030, which would repeal the CalWORKs unrelated adult male rule. Counties have shared in the goal of ensuring that the CalWORKs program is accessible to families in crisis and provides the financial assistance and support that are needed to improve outcomes across generations. However, the CalWORKs UAM policy is an ugly remnant of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children era, which created this additional requirement for households with an unrelated adult in the home. This policy requires this additional disclosure form, a contribution requirement of the male, and then a potential FOD referral if He's not contributing enough, although he's not required to by law. At the county level, this extra form is duplicative. The same information of household composition, how much they make, how much expenses everyone's contributing, are you getting benefits from any other county or state resources is already collected and then verified in our intake and redetermination through the SARS-7 form. Any money reported is subject to the regular budgeting rules that determine the client's benefit amount. So in practice, this extra form creates unnecessary administrative work for counties without adding any new information to the case because it's already collected on the first form that every family has to fill out. SB 1030 would then treat this living arrangement as any other and rely on the county standard intake and redetermination and fraud tools that applies to every other case. So we thank Senator Smallwood Cuevas and her leadership on this issue, and we urge your support for SB 1030. Thank you. Thank you. Now, do we have any members of the public who should testify in support of the bill? Please come up to the microphone. Cueva C. Turner with the Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organizations, proud co-sponsor, and strong support. Hello, Genesis Gonzalez on behalf of Lieutenant Governor Lenny Kunalakis in support. Thank you. Good afternoon Darby Kernan on behalf of In Child Poverty California in support Thank you Good afternoon Kendra Begley on behalf of the City of Glendale in support Good afternoon, Chair and Members. Jonathan Munoz on behalf of First Life Los Angeles in strong support of the bill. We thank the author. Hello, Bindamu Kamala on behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, California's chapter in strong support. Hello, Josh Wright with the California Association of Food Banks in support. Thank you. Now do we have any witnesses in opposition? Any members of the public who wish to testify in opposition to the bill, please come forward. Seeing none, I'm bringing it back to the committee for questions or comments or motions. All right. Well, I'm going to invite the author to close then. Well, I want to thank you all very much and for the witnesses for their testimony today. This is about California doing the right thing and giving our mothers and our families the power to control their own lives. This bill is about fairness, dignity, and ensuring that we don't push families deeper into poverty with old, outdated rules and laws. And with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote. I want to thank the senator for bringing this bill forward. I mean, to say the least, this is a very outdated surveillance strategy. I think too often in previous decades and eras and unfortunately even today. that our welfare programs are meant to uplift people or other ways mean to police and surveil people of color and poor families. So this is an important, small yet very significant change that I don't think people appreciate enough in the larger world, but this is really important, and I'm glad you're taking on this issue. It does, of course, enjoy an eye recommendation for me. The bill is moved by Assemblyman Jackson and seconded by Assemblyman Celeste Rodriguez. Madam Secretary, please call the roll. File Item 5, SB1030. The motion is to pass to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Lee? Aye. Lee, aye. Alanis? Calderon? El-Huari? Aye. El-Huari, aye. Jackson? Aye. Jackson, aye. Rodriguez? Aye. Rodriguez, aye. Tongapaw? That bill is out. Four to zero. We'll keep the roll open for absent members. Thank you very much. Thank you. All right. We're looking for authors. So if you are Senators Gonzalez, Caballero, or McNerney. This would be a great time to come. But can I get a motion for file item number one since we had that presentation but no motions yet? All right. File item number one is moved by Assemblymember Al-Hawari, seconded by Celeste Rodriguez. This enjoys an aye recommendation. Madam Secretary, please call the roll. File item one, SB 479. The motion is due pass to the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. Lee? Aye. Lee, aye. Alanese, Calderon, El-Huari, aye. El-Huari, aye. Jackson, aye. Jackson, aye. Rodriguez, aye. Tongapaw, that bill's out. Four to zero, that bill's out. And does someone want to move the consent calendar? Second. All right, the consent calendar has been moved and seconded. Madam Secretary, please call the roll on the consent calendar. Motions on the consent calendar. File item 2, SB 557, Hurtado. File item 6, SB 1051, Menjavar. Lee? Aye. Lee, aye. Alaniz? Calderon? Elhwari? Aye. Elhwari, aye. Jackson? Aye. Jackson, aye. Rodriguez? Aye. Rodriguez, aye. Tagafoff Four to zero That consent calendar is out I see that Senator Gonzalez is here so if you like to come up and present file item number 7 1077 Thank you, Mr. Chair and members. I'm here today to present Senate Bill 1077, which will prepare California for future government shutdowns by requiring the California Department of Social Services to create a communications and contingency plan for disruptions to CalFresh benefits. On October 1st, 2025, we all know that the federal government shut down for 43 days, leaving over 5 million Californians without access to their full CalFresh benefits for the month of November. And during the shutdown, ongoing lawsuits and court rulings created uncertainty around the availability and timeliness of benefit disbursements. California had no visible path to fill the gap due to the lack of infrastructure. So this bill will strengthen coordination and communication during federal shutdowns, requiring CDSS to create a plan that addresses misinformation, shares resources, and provides regular updates to recipients and stakeholders. With me to testify in support is Yesenia Rubancho from End Child Poverty California. Yeah. All right. Thank you so much. Two minutes, please. Hello, Chair and members. Yesenia Robancho with NCHAL Pobre California, proud to be here as sponsors of this important legislation. As Senator Gonzalez already shared, on October 1st, 2025, our CalFresh households essentially did not know where their food was going to come as a result of this federal government shutdown. And that forced CDSS counties, local stakeholders, or even our food banks into a position of having to come up with a rapid response on how to ensure our CalFresh households were aware that this was even happening. And also in the scenario that some of the households no longer were going to receive their November benefits at the time that they were expecting to receive benefits, connecting them over to a food bank that could fill in the gap while their CalFresh benefits were on hold. Over 5 million Californians rely on CalFresh benefits to meet their basic needs. Disruption in benefits means hungry children and families. It also acts as an economic shock to our local food economies that depend on CalFresh households buying groceries at their local grocery bodegas or even their corner stores. So we know California is the state's largest anti-hunger and anti-poverty program. And every dollar in CalFresh benefits generates $1.54 back into our local economy. So not only does the federal government shutdown again introduce hunger to our children and families, it also disrupts our economy. And so SB 1077 will prepare California for potential future government shutdowns by requiring CDSS to create a strategic communications plan that will include a public webpage that will inform our CalFresh recipients of when an expected federal shutdown may occur. It will also require CDSS to develop the capacity to distribute state-funded benefits to CalFresh recipients during future federal government shutdowns. And so with that, we really look forward to having your support on this important piece of legislation. Thank you. Thank you. Now, do we have any members of the public who should testify in support of the bill? Please come to the microphone. Good afternoon. Serena Scott on behalf of the League of California Cities in support. Thank you. Bindu Mokamala on behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter, in strong support. Keely O'Brien with the Western Center on Law and Poverty, in strong support. Alexis Rodriguez with the County Welfare Directors Association in support. Thank you. Good. Josh Wright with the California Association of Food Banks and Strong Support. Okay, thank you. Now, do we have any witnesses in opposition to the bill? Any members of the public who should testify in opposition to the bill, please come forward. Seeing none, I'll bring it back to committee for any questions or comments. Assembly Rodriguez. Assembly Rodriguez, I think you have to turn on your microphone. I'd like to move the measure forward. Thank you. Can you repeat what you asked for something? Oh, I know. I wanted to thank him for bringing this measure forward and asked to be a co-author. If you'd have me and move the item. Great. All right. I'll invite the author to close. I just respectfully ask for an iVote, and I thank you so much for being here as well. Appreciate your time. Thank you. Well, I appreciate you bringing the bill forward. I think it's really important because during the last government shutdown, the record-long Republican shutdown, so many people were out in the cold without access to food. And even though Californians pay through their federal taxes, a billion dollars a month for these federal benefits that were not being dispersed, I think it's important that we stay prepared for. Inevitable, if another shutdown, they can't reach their own deal within their own party. So I think it's important. Okay. I am recommending an aye vote for this bill. It has been properly moved and seconded. Madam Secretary, please call the roll on this bill. File item 7, SB 1077. The motion is due pass to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Lee? Aye. Lee, aye. Alanis. Calderon. El-Huari. Aye. El-Huari, aye. Jackson. Aye. Jackson, aye. Rodriguez. Aye. Rodriguez, aye. Tongapaw. Thank you. That bill's out four to zero. We'll keep the roll open for absent members. All right, two more bills from volumes eight and nine if those authors are available. Thank you. Thank you. You met from NASW, right? No, but you saw me get all excited. I was like, what? You're from where? Okay. You ever met Celeste? No, sir. Good to see you. I'm Celeste. I'm one of the only speakers. MSWs, that's right. I believe we're trying to contact you. Thank goodness. Thank goodness. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. We love to. We're all. Can he? He's here. here, making sure that the rest of the . Thank you Thank you. All right, Senator Cabrera, you may come up to present File Number 9-1201 when you're ready.

Thank you for joining us, Senator. Whenever you're ready, you may begin.

Did you also want to provide testimony or just for.

It's your prerogative.

So one of the most pressing issues before our state over the last year is how best to navigate the uncertainty and harm being caused by federal immigration policies. And I would say that while the intensity has increased these challenges, they are not new. Seven years ago, under the first Trump administration, I stood before the same legislature to help pitch the fellowship. It's the first state-sponsored program to increase removal defense representation for residents of our state. At its core was a very simple premise. Access to due process and quality legal defense should not depend on income or zip code. As a practicing attorney at that time, I can still vividly remember how far people would drive from the Central Valley just to talk to me at a nonprofit in Oakland. Five hours. When the stakes are so high but quality legal services so scant, for many people, that would be the only way to get an honest assessment of their case and, if extremely lucky, pro bono representation for the duration. As you've seen over the last year, immigrants remain vulnerable to arbitrary arrests, inhumane detention and deportation without due process. Immigration law is one of the most complex and rapidly changing areas of the law, yet individuals are not guaranteed access to counsel, even when the consequences mean family separation, prolonged detention and exile. As the senator has mentioned, this need is especially urgent in underserved parts of the region that have long been legal deserts, where the concentration of immigrants is high and enforcement is the worst. Since 2021, the fellowship, as the senator mentioned, has served over 2,500 families. The design of the fellowship was really intended to not just provide services but increase long-term capacity in these regions. I very proud to say that 70 of the fellows that have participated in this program have successfully transitioned into full immigration or public interest attorney roles in their respective regions Today when an individual or family needs urgent legal assistance in a deportation case, or when there is a raid or unexpected enforcement action in a remote community, we are much better prepared than we otherwise would have been thanks to this fellowship. This is the kind of impact that is possible when California invests in people and institutions, and not just short-term fixes. For these reasons, I urge your support of SB 1194.

I want to thank you for bringing this forward. I know that as we've all worked really hard in the legislature to invest in protections and more capacity, this kept rising up to the top of the discussion. The fact that we have a big gap, especially in the Central Valley, and the need to do deeper investments and support. And this really responds to that call and supports fill that gap. So thank you for bringing it forward, and I'd like to move it forward.

Respectfully ask for your aye vote.

I would like to do that.

Good afternoon, Chair Lee, Vice Chair Castillo, distinguished members of the committee. I'm here to present SB 1201, the Hungry No Hungry Heroes Act. This is a righteous and feel-good bill. For the background, H.R. 1 created large cuts in food assistance. These federal cuts specifically impact vulnerable veterans. Many veterans rely on CalFresh to feed their families. families. SB 1201 helps protect veterans from these cuts by directing the state to request waivers from H.R. 1. SB 1201 also ensures that every veteran who applies for benefits is connected to a county service veterans officer. With me here today in testimony is Jim Zimmer on behalf of the California Association of County Veterans Service Officers and Josh Wright on behalf of the California Association of Food Banks. Jim?

Last year on July 4th, the federal government passed H.R. 1, which included the largest cuts to SNAP, known in California as CalFresh, in the program's history. It cannot be overstated how important CalFresh is. Over 5 million Californians rely on the food benefits they receive from CalFresh every month, and food banks cannot make up the difference. For every meal that we can provide, CalFresh provides nine. These federal cuts impact people who are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity, including abuse and trafficking survivors, families with children, former foster youth, and veterans. HR1 added a three-month time limit on veterans, which requires them to report 20 hours of work per week or lose benefits after three months. These requirements apply even if a veteran has children in their home, and there are no exemptions if the veteran is unhoused, has a less than 100% disability diagnosis, or is recently discharged. In California, an estimated 115 veteran families rely on the vital food benefits that CalFresh provides Recognizing these unique challenges that veterans face after service SB 1201 does three things It requests a federal waiver to exempt veterans from the CalFresh time limits if they are homeless, newly discharged, awaiting a disability determination, or if they have children. It requires counties to give veterans who apply for benefits a direct referral to county veteran services officers who are best prepared to serve Americans who have served. and ensures that the money veterans spend on job searching does not count against them being able to receive food assistance. Taking away food never helps anyone find a job, keep a job, or get more hours at a job, and making veterans hungry will never make us a better country. The California Association of Food Banks has asked Congress to repeal the H.R.1 CalFresh cuts. Until they do, the least that we can do is make sure that we are doing all that we in California can to protect veterans most at risk of going hungry. For these reasons, we are proud to support SB 1201, and we are a dry vote. Thank you.

Well, first and foremost, I do want to thank some of the veterans groups that are here today. While I disagree with some of the language in the bill and some of the partisan language, I agree with the policy. I grew up in a veteran household, and I'm a Navy brat. And, you know, while we were going after a lot of our benefits and my father was going after his disability rating, we were in Section 8 housing, living in a duplex right off of Elkhorn and Watt Avenue, not too far from here. And so we survived off a lot of these benefits. And I can still tell you that I take bus 93 to take me to Hillsdale and Palm and I can go to the WIC store and the SNAP and EBT and utilize those benefits. And I think that veterans who fight for this country shouldn't have to fight for their benefits. And I think that's something that we can all agree and work on. So thanks, Senator, for bringing this bill. And if there are things that we could do to make sure that we're taking care of those who fought and willing to die for this country, I think that's okay on us to do. So thank you.

Well, as I said, excuse me, I'm a little lindritis today. It's a righteous bill. It deserves our consideration. consideration and I ask for an aye vote. Thank you. At a time when so many are losing access to food