Appropriations — 2026-06-24 (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. 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. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the June 24th, 2026 Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing. We have 36 bills to consider this morning as part of our regular order hearing. SB 999 Weber Pearson will not be heard in today's hearing Before we begin I have a few housekeeping notes to cover First I'd like to thank Assemblymember Aguirre-Curry for filling in for Assemblymember Arambula on the committee today I would also like to give Assemblymember Pellerin a very big happy birthday We encourage the public to provide written testimony before the hearing by visiting the committee website at apro.assembly.ca.gov Please note that any written testimony submitted to the committee is considered public comment and may be read into the record or reprinted. The hearing room is open for attendance. All are encouraged to watch the hearing from its live stream on the Assembly's website. We will accept public comment on any bill placed on the suspense file by the committee today and for which the author waived presentation before the close of the regular order hearing. Testimony on any such bill will be limited to a statement of name organization if any and position on the bill The committee will allow no more than 40 minutes of testimony in total As you came into the hearing room today the sergeants directed your attention to the rules for public attendance and participation which were posted outside I encourage members to read these rules. Any violation, basically everyone's supposed to behave. So let's see. With that, I don't think we have enough members to establish a quorum, right? So we'll go on as a subcommittee. We'll wait on the consent calendar because we don't have enough people to vote yet. And with that, let's go to our first – who was here first? Senator Serda, would you like to present?

You can begin when you're ready.

Thank you. Do we have any primary witnesses in support?

Okay. Any other folks in the room wish to express support? Any primary witnesses in opposition? Any additional folks in opposition? Okay. Any questions from the committee members? We have a motion and a second. We don't have a quorum yet, but would you like to close?

Thank you, Mr. Seardo. And when we get quorum, we'll take that up for consideration. Okay. Next we have Senator Wiener. You can begin when you're ready.

This could have led to vaccines, cancer immunotherapies, and treatments for autoimmune and infectious disease. We have seen over and over again throughout California grants being slashed. And this bond is a way for California to step up and say, we are going to create our own infrastructure. We are going to fund science. We're not just going to be a bystander while the Trump administration destroys scientific research in this country. I also want to just note the brain drain is real We are seeing researchers either consider moving or actually moving to Europe or to China or to places that will actually guarantee consistent funding You can't run a research lab if every year you have to wonder if you're going to be funded. That's not how science works. And so, colleagues, I know that bonds are always hard. It's always a negotiation. There's always back and forth. But I also want to say that this is not the kind of bond to wait in line the way that we sometimes do it in this legislature. The problem is now, and we need to act now. And I ask that the committee send this bond to the assembly floor so that it can go onto the ballot. I asked for an aye vote. And before we get to our witnesses, Assemblymember Slaché has arrived. Thank you, Senator Weiner. I'm so happy to be here today. And thank you, Madam Chair and committee members. I'm proud to join Senator Weiner to present SB 895, the California Science and Health Research Bond. We have bipartisan support from both houses, including nearly 30 members of the Assembly as co-authors. SB 95's investment will allow us to fight back to protect California science and health research from federal cuts. As a chair of the Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact Committee, I am deeply concerned about the economic consequences of these cuts. California's leading role in innovation has driven our standing as fifth largest economy in the world. A $1 billion reduction in research funding can rip $20 billion out of our economic activity as costs us $3 billion loss of tax revenue. Trump's divestment results in lost revenues and lost jobs and jeopardized lives. California science researchers are working to save lives. My mother was a 19-year cancer survivor. When I think of my mom sitting in that chair getting chemotherapy and knowing that someone in a research lab was instrumental in putting that unfortunate medicine that does help cancer. patients. I know there's so many people out there in California and throughout our nation that rely on research. And so I know that we have so many priorities. I concur with my colleagues on so many issues that California is leading the fight. I'm proud to be a Californian, just like so many of us here today. But I also know that research is making an impact. And while there's threats at the national level, California must lead. And so today, I think again, not only of my mother, but of many people who are fighting, who have fought, and we will continue fighting so that more people continue saving lives and fighting for life. So we cannot afford to wait. Our communities are paying the price and we must act. We urgently need science and health research bond to protect our future and save lives. I thank Senator Wiener for his always, always leadership in so many spaces. And we look forward to continuing this conversation and give truly California the opportunity to decide if this is important to them. Thank you, Madam Chair and committee members. Thank you. And we have two lead witnesses, Cohen Van Rompuy with the UC Davis Primate Lab. The Primate Lab played a key role in the science that led to protease inhibitors that turned HIV from a death sentence for many into a chronic manageable illness. It has been cut by this administration And Cynthia Larravee PhD the chancellor of the University of California at Santa Cruz Good morning, Madam Chair and committee members. I'm Dr. Kuhn Van Rompe, researcher at UC Davis. For the past 36 years, I have dedicated myself to research in non-human primate models of infectious diseases. When I entered this field as a young student from Belgium, the HIV pandemic was raging. There were no effective biomedical methods to prevent or treat HIV infection. HIV infection was a death sentence. Many babies were born with HIV and died early. At UC Davis, I performed some of the first primary trials on the HIV drug tenofovir, which over the last two decades has been one of the most widely used treatments. It's also the cornerstone of PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Our research, supported largely by federal funding, built the foundation for the human clinical trials that brought these drugs to the public and saved millions of lives. In more recent years, we have used our expertise to combat many other viruses such as Zika and COVID-19. As we know now from Ebola, we remain at a constant threat. Viruses do not need a passport to cross borders. Yet for many viruses, there are no effective vaccines or drugs. This past year, federal funding for research has plummeted. Many studies have been stopped. Many of my colleagues have been forced to downsize or even close their laboratories. Despite these challenges, we remain dedicated in our efforts, which is why I am testifying here today as a humble scientist, but also as a humanitarian. We are at a critical time in history. The time to act is now. SB 895 is more important than ever at a time when scientific research in California is in danger. Publicly funded scientific research is essential to the continued advancement of public health and individual well-being. Thank you. Chair Wicks and distinguished members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of SB 895. I am Cynthia LaRive, Chancellor of University of California at Santa Cruz. As a scientist and a university leader, I've spent my career in research and higher education, and I can say without hesitation, I have never seen a period of greater uncertainty for the scientific enterprise than what we see today. California's leadership nationally and globally has always been built on discovery and innovation. Across the University of California, we often speak of the power of 10, the 10 UC campuses working together to educate students, advance knowledge, and tackle the challenges that matter most to Californians. Research is one of California's great public works. It's like our water systems, our highways, and universities. It creates benefits that last for generations. Today, that legacy is at risk. The University of California receives about $5.7 billion annually in federal research funding. Continued funding instability threatens not only scientific progress, but also our state's economic viability, our workforce development, and our ability to address pressing challenges in health, climate, and technology. At UC Santa Cruz I see the benefits of research every day Our scientists are helping communities prepare for sea level rise and climate impacts through our pioneering work in coastal resilience and nature-based solutions to climate change. Our genomics researchers are leading efforts like the Human Pan Genome Project, which opens new possibilities for precision medicine and improving human health. And every day, our undergraduate and graduate students So many of them first-generation college students work alongside faculty, gaining skills and experiences that will prepare them to become California's next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, health professionals, and technology leaders. Those stories are being repeated across all 10 UC campuses. Together, UC research drives billions in economic activity, adding $55 billion to the economy every year, supporting jobs, fueling innovation, and creating opportunities that extend far beyond our campuses into communities across the state. And SB 895 represents a bold and forward-looking investment in California's future. It gives our state the opportunity to preserve its leadership in discovery and innovation and ensure future generations inherit a California that is healthier, more resilient, and more competitive. Thank you, and I respectfully ask for your support. Thank you very much for your presentation. Also, thank you, Mr. Slotche, for sharing your story. I appreciate it. And thank you, Senator Wiener, for your leadership on this issue. This is for presentation only. I want to bring it back to committee in case there's any other questions or thoughts. Mr. Gonzalez. I just echo, thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you to the author for bringing this bill forward. Obviously, we've – what was that? Public comment? So we normally do public comment for presentation only after other authors. If there's no, well, we'll get to that in a second. Yeah. We're just praising you all. But thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you to the, as a proud coauthor of this bill. Now is the time, as we've been saying, is to invest in this research, not put back. We have seen this federal administration rolling back billions of dollars in grants and programs and canceling contracts research that will help the cure cancer, prevent HIV and protect our communities most in need. research, as we all know, is how we advance and our society continues to move forward. Again, I just want to thank the author and I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Solacev, for also sharing your story as well. We both shared sentiments about our, in this case, my mom and yours and so many others. And again, just thank you for the author for bringing this forward and sharing your personal story because this is what matters. This is what we were elected to do. So thank you. Great. Any other questions from committee, Mr. Hoover? Yeah, I just want to briefly thank the senator for your work on this. Obviously, proud to be a co-author and, you know, make this a bipartisan effort. I think this is something that really is critical regardless of what side of the aisle you're on. I think I won't reshare here in this committee, but I have family members that have greatly benefited from the research that is happening throughout this state and throughout this country. and I think it's important that we're continuing to fund that research. So I appreciate your work on this and happy to support it. Any other – Mr. Fong. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to Senator Wiener, to Senator Salace, to all my colleagues for uplifting the California – for this proposed bond and anything we can do to continue to backfill federal funding cuts to our research institutions, to our system. It's critical, as I heard from my colleagues, the life-saving remedies and solutions that come out of this research is so critical to the future of our health systems, to the future of California. That's something we can do around these efforts. I want to uplift the efforts of the Senator and Assemblyman as a proud author of this as well. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hong. Ms. Pellerin? I just want to thank the authors for this legislation, and welcome to our Chancellor from UCSC, Cynthia Larive, here. I had the opportunity of going to visit the labs recently, and the work they're doing is so incredible and groundbreaking, and it absolutely needs our continued support and funding, especially in light of what the federal government is doing to us. So thank you all for being here. Great. Any other comments? Great. I also want to commend you for your leadership in this space, and also just the testimony is critical. I think so many people benefit from the research at our higher ed institutions at the UC across the board in ways that many of us don't even know. And that research exists in new forms of medicine and new discoveries and quantum computing and all these types of different scientific discoveries, which are absolutely critical. What we normally do with public comment is for bills that are in presentation only, that comes at the end. But we don't have any authors here with us, so we will start that in a second. But what I also want to say, too, is much like with the budget, with bonds, it's a three-party negotiated deal between the governor, the pro tem, and the speaker. So for now, the bill is going to move on to suspense. If a three-party agreement is reached, it can move out of suspense. But that's just the normal protocol for these types of things. And with that, until any other senators arrive, we can go ahead and take public comment. If a senator arrives, I may pause public comment to allow them to come present. But until then, we're so excited that so many of you are here to voice your support for this, and we want to give you that opportunity. The sergeants will help you, so please feel free to step up to the mic in line, and please say your name, organization, if any. And if you're supporting or opposing, I suspect you all are supporting. And again, if I have to cut you off in advance, I apologize if we have some senators that come, but we'll try to do this as orderly as possible. And I know that we have folks outside of the room as well, so we'll go as quickly as we possibly can. And again, deeply appreciate everyone's here to express their support. And you can begin. Good morning. My name is Gary Messing. I'm a retiring attorney. I was diagnosed 12 years ago with Parkinson's, and I've been on treatment all this time, including deep brain stimulation surgery. The advances of the science have been remarkable, and we're on the cusp of new changes that will affect more than 130,000 people in this state who have Parkinson's, plus many other people with neurological disorders. So we're here requesting that you please support this bill. Thank you. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. And again, name, organization, and position on the bill. Thank you. Good morning, Chair and members. Jared Russo-Cloak with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, also representing a few California Parkinson's organizations that couldn't be here, American Parkinson's Disease Association, Parkinson's Foundation, Parkinson's Resource Organization, Parkinson's Association of San Diego, Parkinson's Community Los Angeles, Parkinson's Association of Northern California, Greater Fresno Parkinson's Support Group, and Parkinson's Network of Mount Diablo, all in support. Thank you. Good morning Scott Sadler on behalf of the ALS Association in support Good morning Mark Diaz clinical professor UC Davis School of Medicine in support Thank you, Mitch Steiger with CFT, a union of educators and classified professionals also in support. Robert Rice, professor of environmental toxicology, University of California, Davis. I support this bill. Rafael Jaime, president of UAW 4811, the union of 60,000 higher education workers at the University of California. I support this bill and I urge the committee to move this to the assembly floor as soon as possible. Donald Palmer, professor of management at UC Davis, on behalf of the Davis Faculty Association in support of the bill. Sharon Lawler, professor emeritus of entomology and nematology at UC Davis. I support this bill. Hi, Barton Wise, professor of medicine at UC Davis School of Medicine, and strongly support the bill. Thank you. Hello, Mike Miller, director of UAW Region 6, representing over 120,000 UAW members in California. Strongly support the bill. Rio Morales, on behalf of the Alameda Labor Council, on behalf of 135,000 working people in Alameda County, in support. Good morning, Alex Graves on behalf of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities in support, also here to express support on behalf of Caltech. Good morning, Erica Bustamante with Stanford University in support. Paris Golder, UC Davis graduate student, UAW 4811 member and rare disease patient and I support this bill. Hi, Camila Ceno-Thomas. I'm a graduate student at UC Davis and I support this bill. Good morning. Alyssa Zhang, assistant professor at UC Davis, in strong support of this bill. Thank you. Good morning. Carolina Rios. I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Davis and a member of 4811 UOW, and I am a strong supporter of this bill. Hi there, my name is Emily Weintraut. I'm a member of UAW 4811 at UC Davis and as someone with follicular thyroid cancer, I urge the assembly to move it to the floor and to support this bill. Good morning, Henry Rynan on behalf of Lieutenant Governor Lenny Kudulakis in support. Good morning, my name is Paul Skillen. I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Davis and I am in strong support of this bill. Hello, I am Tran Nguyen. I'm an associate professor of environmental toxicology and a member of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis, and I support this bill. My name is Georgiana Duran. I'm a PhD student at UC Davis, a member of UAW 4811, and I'm in support of this bill. Good morning. My name is Dr. Jimena Nleogil. I am a postdoc with UC Davis, and I'm the vice president of UAW 4811. I live and work in Assembly District 4, and I support this bill and ask the committee to vote today and move it to the Assembly floor. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Sierra Hoyer. I'm a research assistant at UC Davis Health and a constituent of Davis. I strongly urge the committee to move this bill to the Senate floor when possible, and I'm in support of this bill. Good morning My name is Jacqueline Tack I the president of CAPS UAW Local 1115 We are 6 scientists throughout California State Government I strongly support this bill and I urge the committee to move this to the assembly floor as soon as possible. Thank you. Good morning, my name is Nick Jacchetti. I'm a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and I support this bill. Good morning, my name is Lyle Mata. I'm a constituent of Davis. I support this bill. My name is Samantha Snodgrass. I am a UC Davis postdoc and proud member of 4811, UAW 4811, I should say, and I am in support of this bill. My name is Ben Cox, former assistant project scientist at UC Davis in support. Thank you. My name is Henrik Lakva. I'm a postdoc at UC Berkeley and proud member of UAW 4811 and in strong support of this bill. Thank you. Hi, April Byrd on behalf of the California Academy of Sciences and the San Diego Natural History Museum in support. Hello, my name is Fallon Duffy. I'm a member of UAW 4811. I have a rare genetic disease. I work at UC Davis Health and I live in Assembly District 6 and I asked the committee today to vote today to move to the Assembly floor. Hello, my name is Francisco Ornelas. I'm a third year at UC Santa Cruz, and I'm also representing the University of California Student Association, representing 230,000 students, and we are a strong support of this bill. Thank you. Hello, my name is Yancy Garcia Montes, and I'm a fourth year student at UC Irvine, and I'm here representing University of California Student Association, and we're here representing 230,000 students as well, and we strongly support this bill. Thank you. Good morning, Oliver Wright. I'm a graduate student researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and with UOW 4811 and I support this bill. Hi, my name is Daniel Guo. I'm a graduate student researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and I support this bill. Hi, I'm Avi Wang. I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley and a member of 4811 and I am in strong support this bill. Hello my name is Amy Ma I'm an undergraduate researcher at UC Berkeley and I support this bill and urge we move it to assembly 4. Hello my name is Chelsea Aquan I'm an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley and I support this bill. Hello my name is Michelle Chen I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley I'm a proud member of UAW 4811, and I'm in strong support of this bill. Hello, my name is Yulin Chu, and I'm a graduate student at UC Berkeley. I'm also a member of UAW 4811, and I also strongly support this bill. Hi, my name is Curia Miller. I am a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley and a member of UAW 4811, and I'm in strong support of this bill. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Cecilia Hodson. I am a graduate student researcher at San Francisco State University and a proud member of UAW 4123. I strongly support this bill. Hi, my name is Susanna McGrew. I'm a graduate student at UC Berkeley and member of UAW 4111, and I support this bill. Good morning. My name is Saha Pires-Dade. I'm a law student at UC Davis Law School, and also I'm a legislative intern at SEA Local 1000, and I strongly support this bill. Good morning committee members My name is Crystal Coles I actually a state worker and I also on the board of directors with SEIU Local 1000 I here to support my CAHPS brothers and sisters in UAW in support of this bill Thank you Good morning. My name is Dr. Afton Guile. I'm a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab here in my personal capacity and as a member of UAW 4811 and a resident of Assembly District 14 here in support of this bill and I ask you to move it to the floor. My name is Dennis Hardigan-O'Connor. I'm a professor at UC Davis Health and I'm very much in support of SB 895. Good morning. My name is Dylan Fowler. I'm a graduate student at UC Berkeley and a proud member of UAW 4811. I also strongly support this bill. this bill. Hi, my name is Kira Kivya. I'm a researcher at UC Davis Health and a member of UAW 4811. I live in District 6 and I strongly support this bill. Hello, my name is Ahmed Abdullah. I am a graduate student researcher at the Institute for theoretical physics at UC Berkeley and a proud member of UAW 4811 and I strongly urge you to move the bill to the floor. Thank you. Howdy, I'm Jacob Spees, a postdoc at UC Berkeley living in District 14. I strongly support this bill and urge the committee to move to the Assembly floor. Thank you. Good morning, my name is Luca Bocholi. I'm a postdoc at UC Berkeley, a member of UAW 4811, and I strongly support this bill. Good morning, my name is Shruti Kallavachirla. I'm a medical student at the UC Davis School of Medicine, and I strongly support this bill. Good morning. I'm Nathan Cook. I'm a graduate researcher at UC Davis and a member of 4811, and I'm asking you to support this bill. Thank you. Hello, my name is David Murillo. I am a graduate student at UC Berkeley, a UAW 4811 member, and a constituent of District 14, and I strongly support this bill. Good morning. My name is Cheng Li. I'm a postdoc at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory here in my personal capacity. I strongly support this bill and as a committee that voted to head to the assembly floor. Thank you. Hello. My name is Chris Dangle. I'm a research administrator for the UC Berkeley College of Chemistry, also a member of 4811 UAW, and I strongly support this bill. Good morning. My name is Christopher Niedek. I'm a postdoc at UC Davis and a member of UAW 4811, and I strongly support this bill. My name is Elise Nickel. I am a researcher at UC Berkeley and a proud member of UAW 4811. I live and work in District 14, and I strongly support this bill. Hi, my name is Anjali McNeil. I live in Berkeley, District 14. I'm a recent Cal grad, and while there was a researcher and a proud UAW 4811 member, I strongly, strongly encourage the committee to move this bill to the Assembly floor. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Tori White. I work at UC Davis in the Division of Student Affairs. I live here in Sacramento. I strongly support this bill, and I ask the committee to vote in favor of this bill and move it as quickly as possible to the Assembly floor. Thank you. Hello, my name is Alexander Smirnov. I'm a researcher and instructor on a course, the intersection of science, policy, and public impact. And I strongly support this bill. And if we could hold for one second, I want to actually take a second to establish quorum real quick. Yeah, we do. Wicks. Here. Wicks present. Hoover. Aguiar-Curry. Here. Aguiar-Curry present. Calderon. Colosa. Dixon. Dixon present. Fong. Here. Fong present. Mark Gonzalez. Krell. Pacheco. Pellerin. Here. Pellerin present. Sharp Collins. Here. Sharp Collins present. Salace. Present. Salace present. Ta. Tangipah. Here. Tangipah here. Present. Ta here. Present. We have a quorum and also I would love to actually get move the consent calendar. So I want to dispense with this suspense calendar. Do we have. So we're going to take up the bills on the consent calendar in two different motions. On the first motion, do pass to consent applies to bills that enjoy unanimous support in the committee and are eligible for the assembly floor consent calendar consistent with assembly rules. Do we have a motion on this? Motion to second. Madam Secretary. Okay. AB 2796. The rest are SBs. 33, 719, 722, 918, 927, 935, 963, 1051, 1126, 1204, 1235, 1236, 1264, 1273, 1434. Those are out on a roll call. And the second motion do pass applies to bills that only enjoy unanimous – that also enjoy unanimous support in the committee but are not eligible for the assembly floor consent calendar. Do we have a motion on this? So moved. We have a motion. A second, Madam Secretary? All SBs, 575-939-1038. And those are out on a roll call. And again, if any senators come to present bills, we will hold public comment. But right now, the floor is to the public. So with that, you may resume. Good morning. My name is Juan Garcia. I'm a health physicist at the California Department of Public Health and a member of CAHPS UAW 1115. I strongly support this. Good morning. My name is Anna Baer. I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley in chemistry, rare earth metals, and I strongly support SB 895. Hi, my name is Mariah Gomez. I'm a graduate student at Sac State, and I'm here with UAW 4123, and I strongly support this bill. Hi, I'm Corey Copeland. I'm a sea level rise scientist, and I'm the supervisor at large of CAPS UAW 1115, and I strongly support SB 895. Hi I Taylor D Woody I a member of UAW 4811 I strongly support this bill and I ask that the committee vote to move it to the assembly floor today Hi my name is Laura Cheney and I a San Francisco resident I strongly support this bill and ask the committee to vote to move it to the floor today Hi, my name is Dr. Alexandra Probst. I live in District 14, and I'm a member of UAW 4811. I work as a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley in molecular and cell biology and public health, and I strongly support this bill and ask the committee to vote today to move this to the assembly floor. Thank you. Hi, I'm Riala Banjikos. I'm a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, a resident of District 14 and a member of UW-4011. I strongly support this bill and ask that the committee vote to send it to the assembly floor today. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Melody Tarani. I live in Cameron Park. I'm a career librarian. I currently am with the California Association of Professional Scientists, and I strongly support this bill. Hi, my name is Brendan Barlow. I'm a Ph.D. student and researcher at UC Davis, and I strongly support this bill, and I ask that you vote to move it to the Assembly floor today. Hi, I'm Dr. Hannah Nelson. I'm a postdoc researcher at UC Berkeley, where I work on tuberculosis, and I'm a UAW 4811 member. I strongly support this bill, and I ask that you vote today to move it to the assembly floor. Good morning. I'm Julia Falosan Juan. I'm a researcher at UC Berkeley and proud member of UAW 4811. I work in the California District 14, and I strongly support this bill, and I ask that the committee votes today to move it to the assembly floor. Hi, good morning. My name is Laura Schwartz. I'm a postdoc at UC Berkeley and a proud member of UAW 4811. And I support this bill and ask for the committee to move it to the assembly floor today. Hello, my name is Braden Soltis. I'm a graduate student researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. I research nuclear emergency response. I'm also a member of UAW U.A.W. 4811 and resident of California Assembly District 14. I support this bill and ask that you move it to the floor today. Hi, my name is Maddie McLeod. I am a graduate researcher at UC Berkeley, resident of District 14 and member of U.A.W. 4811. And I strongly support this bill and I ask that you vote to move this to the Assembly floor. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Dr. Gregory Otino. I'm a nine-year member of UAW 4811, an employee of the University of California, working as a postdoctoral researcher. I strongly encourage you to move this to the assembly floor today, and I want to voice strong support. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Dr. Sophie Harahan. I'm a UAW 2478 member out of Caltech. I strongly support this bill, and I ask that the committee moves it to the floor today. Hi, I'm Brandon Brown, a state scientist with CAPS UAW, and I urge you to support the bill. Good morning. My name is Nicole. I am research staff at UCSF. I'm also a member of UAW Local 4811. I strongly support this bill, and I ask you to vote on it today and move it to the assembly floor. Thank you. Hi, my name is Dr. Brandon Schloman. I'm a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. I support this bill and ask you to vote to move it to the Assembly today. Thank you. Good morning My name is Robert Schurz I a graduate student at UC Berkeley and a member of UAW 4811 I in support of this bill and urge you to move it to the assembly floor today Hi, Dr. Max Smiley. I'm a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in AD14 here in my personal capacity and as a member of the executive board of UAW 4811. I'm in strong support of this bill and urge the committee to move it to the floor today. Thank you. Hi, I'm Maya Jacobson. I'm in support of this bill and I ask the committee to move this to the floor today. Thanks. Hi, I'm Erica Anderson, a researcher at UC San Francisco and member of UAW 4811 and I support this bill and ask the committee to vote today to move it to the assembly floor. I'm Frances Cruz Hernandez. I'm a community member from Merced and I support this bill. Hi, I'm a Sarah Tracy. I'm a senior environmental scientist for the state of California and a proud member of CAPS UAW Local 1115. I support this bill and urge you to move it directly to the assembly floor. Hi, I'm Julia Shaw, a proud member of CAPS UAW, the state scientists union. I proudly support this bill and ask that it be moved to the floor. Thank you. Hi, my name is Rick McCall. I am also a scientist with the state and a member of CAPS UAW State Sciences Union, also resident of Assembly District 4, and I strongly support this bill and ask that you move it to the Assembly floor today. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Robert Hare. I am the recording secretary for CAPS UAW Local 1115 State Scientists. I urge a yes vote in moving this bill to the Assembly floor. Thank you. My name is August Alexander. I'm a Master of Public Policy student at UC Berkeley and a member of UAW. I strongly support this bill, and I urge you to invest in the future of California and put this on the floor. Thank you. Anke Schenning, a member of UAW 4811, formerly an animal scientist at UC Davis, in strong support of the bill, and urge you to move it as quickly as possible to the floor. Hi, my name is Mia Antezo. I'm a UC Berkeley alum and member of UAW Local 4811. I live and work in Assembly District 14. I support this bill and ask the committee to move the bill to the floor today. Thank you. Hi, my name is Iris Rosenblum Sellers. I'm a graduate researcher at UC Berkeley and a proud member of UAW Local 4811. I live and work in Assembly District 14, and I strongly support the bill and ask that the committee move it to the floor today. Thank you. Hi, my name is Shauvin Chong. I'm a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and I strongly support this bill and ask the committee to move this bill to the floor today. Thank you. Hello, my name is James Slaughter. I'm a trustee of UAW Local 4123, the union for academic student workers throughout the Cal State system. I'm based in San Francisco, San Francisco State. I support the bill and I ask the committee to move it to the assembly floor. Thank you. Good morning, I'm Sam Lee Silva. I'm a proud member of UAW 4123 from San Francisco State University. I am supporting this bill and urge you to move it to the floor. Good morning my name is Kara Ketchum. I am a graduate teaching assistant at San Francisco State University and a member of UAW 4123 and I strongly support this bill and urge the assembly to move it to the floor today Good morning My name is Dr David Weitz I've worked at three different UC campuses as a molecular biologist. I'm a member of UAW 4811, and I live and work in District 14, and I urge the committee to move this to the floor today. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Jacob Sebastian. I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley and a proud union member of UAW 4811. I work in Assembly District 14. I support this bill and ask the committee to vote today and move it to the assembly floor. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Ruby Karad and I am a member of UAW 4811 and a graduate student and climate change researcher at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. I live and work in District 14 and I want to express my support for this bill and ask the committee to vote today to move SB 895 to the assembly floor. Thank you. Hi, my name is David Sanchez-Golines. I'm a UC Santa Cruz alum, former banana slug, current graduate student researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, or San Francisco, and a proud member of UAW 4811. I strongly support this bill and urge the committee to move this to the assembly floor. Hi, folks. My name is Brianna McGuire. I'm a researcher at UC Davis and a constituent in Assembly District 14. I strongly support this bill, also a member of 4811, and urge you to vote to move it to the Assembly floor today. Hi, I'm Eve Perry, Oakland resident and member of UAW Local 4811. I'm a staff researcher at UCSF combating California's homelessness crisis, and I've lost a number of colleagues over the past years due to funding cuts. I come in strong support of this bill and ask you to move it to the assembly floor today. Good morning. My name is Austin Edwards. I'm a research staff at the University of California in San Francisco, proud member of UAW Local 4811. I'm here to register my strong support for this bill and urge the committee to please vote to move this to the floor today. Good morning. My name is Jacob Elifondi. I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley and a member of UAW 4811 and a constituent of District 14. I urge the committee to pass this bill and move it to the assembly floor today. Thank you. Hi, my name is Francesca Felder. I'm a proud member of UAW 4123. I support this bill and ask the committee to vote today and move it to the assembly floor. Good morning. My name is Anthony Jinn. I am a research admin at UC Davis. I'm a proud UAW 4811 member, and I am in strong support of this bill and encourage you to move it to the assembly floor today. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Richard Kaldar. I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley and a proud member of UAW 4811. I'm also a resident of District 14. I'm here today to express my strong support of this bill and ask the assembly to move it to the assembly floor today. Thank you. Hi, my name is Stratton Georgilis. I'm a doctor of plant pathology and alum of UC Davis and a proud member of UAW 4811. I'm here to express my strong support for this bill and ask the committee to vote today to move it to the Assembly 4. Thank you. Hi, I'm Spencer Bowdell. I'm a graduate student at UC Berkeley, proud member of UAW 4811 and constituent of Assembly District 14. I'm here to express my support. for the bill and urge the committee to move it to the assembly floor today. Thank you. Good morning, Madam Chair and Committee. My name is Ernest Walker. I'm a proud member of UAW 4811 and I'm in strong support of this bill and urge you all to please move this to the floor today. I'm Madison Dunlap, a researcher at UC Davis and proud UAW 4811 member. I'm in support of this bill and urge the committee to move it to the Assembly 4 today. Good morning. My name is Ellen, and I am a member of UAW 4811, and I am a graduate student researcher at UC Davis. I am in strong support of this bill, and I urge the committee to move this bill to the Assembly 4 today. Hi, my name is Evely Rayer with UAW 4811, and I support this bill. I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley and live and work in Assembly District 14. My mom suffers every day from an autoimmune disease that we don't yet have treatment for. I urge the committee to save the research that helps people like my mom and ask you to vote today to move this bill to the Assembly floor. Good morning. My name is Sadie Siegel. I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley and a proud member of UAW 4811. I live and work in District 14, and I strongly support this bill and urge the committee to move it to an Assembly floor vote today. Thank you. Hi, good morning. My name is Vivian Lee and I'm a member of the UAW 4811 and a student junior specialist at the Hartigan O'Connor Lab at the California National Primary Center and I strongly support this bill. Thank you. Hi, good morning. My name is Koi Huen. I'm a graduate researcher at UC Davis and I strongly support this bill and I urge the community to move it to the assembly floor today. Good morning, my name is Jeffrey Sagan. I am a graduate student researcher at UC Davis and a member of UAW 4811. I strongly support this bill and I urge you to move it to the assembly for today. Thank you. Hi, my name is Curtis Bonanno. I teach AP Environmental Science and Biology at Albany High School. So I'm a member of the Albany Teachers Association as well as the CTA. And the students I get in my classroom are already naturally curious about science, so it kind of gives me a leg up compared to math class. And I really just teach them to answer testable questions. And when students leave my classroom, some of them really aren't satisfied with the answers we're able to get in class. Name, organization, and position, please. Oh, sorry. Yeah. In organization, position, I strongly support this bill to help those kids answer those questions. Thank you. And thank you for all you do in our classroom, too. My name is Tony Yang. I'm a research and public service professional, a member of UAW 4811, and I'm strongly in favor and supporter of this bill, and please vote it out of suspense today. Thank you. Madam Chair and members, Jason Murphy on behalf of the University of California Office of the Presidents. Honored to be a co-sponsor of this bill and here today in strong support. Thank you. Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, UAW 4011, resident of Assembly District 14, also speaking in support on behalf of City of Berkeley Vice Mayor Igor Tregub. I urge the committee to move this to a fuller vote. Thank you. Hi my name is Siroc McHale I a commissioner in the City of Berkeley and I urge the committee to move it to a fuller vote Thank you Hi good morning My name is Colin Cooper I an organic chemist a graduate student researcher at the University of California Berkeley and I strongly support this bill and ask that the committee move this bill to the floor today. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Nick Duran. I'm a graduate student at UC Berkeley, and I live in District 14. I strongly support this bill. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Adam Pickett. I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley, living in District 14. I strongly support this bill and urge you to move it to the Assembly floor. Thank you. Good morning. I'm Harish Sariradevara. I'm a graduate student at UC Berkeley, and I live in District 14. I strongly urge you to push this bill forward to committee, and I strongly support it. Thank you. Good morning. My name is David Peters. I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley and a proud member of UAW 4811. I also live and work in District 14 and I am speaking my support for this bill and bringing it to a floor vote today. Thank you. Hi, I'm Amy Fletcher. I'm a researcher at UC Davis and I'm the treasurer of UPTI, a union of over 26,000 research, technical and healthcare workers across the UC system. And And I'm in strong support of this bill and ask you to vote to send this to the assembly floor. Madam Chair and members, Matt Broad for UpdCWA and Teamsters in support. Thank you. Hello, my name is Alexander Lisegang and I'm a graduate student at the University of California Davis. And I'm in strong support of Assembly Bill 895 and urge it to move to the floor today. Thank you. Hello, I'm Matthew Sardi, graduate student researcher at UC Davis, and I strongly support this bill. Good morning, my name is Olivia Correa. I am an incoming graduate student at UCLA, and I strongly support this bill. Morning, I'm Patrick Tran from UC Berkeley's Institute of Theoretical Physics, and I strongly support this bill. Thank you. Good morning, Joshua Baalbek from the Materials Science Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. I am a graduate student researcher and I am in support of this bill. Good morning, I'm Dr. Tania Osorio-Harp. I live and work in Assembly District 14. I am a member of UAW 411 and I support this bill and urge the committee to vote on it today and move it to the floor. Thank you. Hello, I'm Audrey Ravid and I'm an undergraduate researcher at UC Berkeley in molecular and cell biology and I support this bill. Good morning, I'm Dr. Leanna Owen. I'm a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley and I strongly support this bill. Good morning, my name is Carter Bauer. I'm a graduate student at UC Berkeley and I'm in support of this bill. Hi, I'm Dr. Joanna Bautista. I'm a neonatologist and physician scientist, and I strongly support this bill at UC Davis. Good morning. I'm Dr. Laura Fantoni. I'm a research project manager at UC Berkeley, and I strongly urge you to move forward with this important bill. I'm also a voter and constituent of District 14. Good morning I Dr Connor Jackson from UAW 4811 in support of this bill and I urge to the committee to send it directly to the floor today Thank you Good morning my name is Katherine Dabrowski I a veteran student researcher at UC Davis and I strongly support this bill Good morning. My name is Tanzul Choudhury. I'm a graduate student researcher in material science and engineering at UC Berkeley. I'm an affiliate of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and a member of the executive board for UAW Local 4811. I'm also a constituent of Assembly District 14, in strong support of this bill and urge the committee to move it to the floor today. Good morning, I am Haley Mendelson. I am a research technician at UC Davis and a member of UAW 4811. And I support this bill and strongly urge you to move it to the floor today. Thank you. Hi, my name is Nathan Ng. I'm an incoming graduate student at UC Berkeley and I strongly support this bill. Hello, I'm Dr. Bernard Field. I am a postdoctoral scholar at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab here in my personal capacity and a member of UAW 4811, and I live and work in Assembly District 14. I strongly support this bill and urge the committee to vote it to the floor today. Good morning. My name is Spencer McEvoy. I'm a member of UAW 4811. I work in Assembly District 14. I'm in strong support of this bill, and I urge the committee to vote to send it to the floor today. Hello, I'm Shreya, I'm a postdoctoral researcher with UC Berkeley and I'm in support of this bill. Hi, good morning, I'm Wendy Yang, I'm a member of the UC Berkeley community and I strongly support this bill. Thank you. Hi, I'm Cameron Skatland, I'm a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley. I live and work in Assembly District 14 and I support this bill and I ask the committee to send it to the it to the assembly floor to vote today. Hi, my name is Carlson Kong. I'm a graduate researcher at UC Berkeley and proud member of UAW 4011. I'm in strong support of the bill and urge the committee to send the bill to the floor today. Thank you. I just want to actually, Senator McNerney just arrived. So we're going to just put a hold on public comment for a second. Senator McNerney, are you prepared to present or two minutes? Great. Two more minutes of public comment. And also, I just want to just shout out to all the Assembly District 14 people who are coming up here. I just appreciate all of you weighing in. So with that, let's go back to public comment until Senator McInerney is available. Good morning. My name is Dennis Swazzo. I'm a graduate student researcher and member of UAW. I'm here to express my support and ask that you vote to pass this. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Solana Glass. I'm an undergrad student at Sac State and a member of UAW 4123. I strongly support this bill and urge you to move it to the assembly floor today. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Orr Karmie. I'm an administrative assistant at the Institute of Personality and Social Research at UC Berkeley. I'm a member of Teamsters Local 2010. I am a resident and work in Assembly District 14. I am here representing myself and my institute. We are in strong support of SB 895, and we respectfully request that you vote to bring it to the assembly floor today. Hello, my name is Jules Lark. I'm a researcher at UC Davis, and I strongly support this bill. Thank you. Adam Zarin, on behalf of Blood Cancer United, former the Leukemia and Lymphomia Society, and support, thank you. Good morning I Dr Diane Huebner I a postdoctoral scholar at UC Merced and a member of UAW 4811 And I here today in support of SB 895 Thank you Good morning. Isela Bravo on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber and San Mateo Chamber of Commerce in support. Connor Roderick, Associate Instructor in Electrochemistry at UC Berkeley, AD14 resident and proud member of UAW 4811 in strong support and urge the committee to move this to the floor today. Thank you. Dr. Maria Satnik, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, UAW 4811, postdoctoral researcher. I strongly urge the committee to vote this through. Thank you. Chris Morales, CSU Office of the Chancellor in support. Good morning, I'm Julia Feinstone. I'm a student researcher at University of California, Davis, and I'm voicing my support for SB 895. Good morning, my name is Deir Jarda. I'm a grad student at UC Davis and a proud member of UAW 4811. And I would like for you to pass the bill and vote for it to go to the floor today. Thank you. Hello, my name is Barbara Gachet. I am a UC Davis graduate student researcher and a proud member of UAW 4811, and I'm here in support of SB 895. Okay. We're going to take a pause on public comment. I really appreciate everyone hanging with us and pivot here for a moment to Senator McNerney, who's going to present, and then he's got to go to other committees. So with that, Senator Wiener, I deeply appreciate your leadership here and bringing this here to present. And as I mentioned earlier, the bonds similar to the budget require a three-party agreement, and should that materialize, we can move it out of committee. But thank you for testifying, bringing your researchers. I want to thank everyone who has testified from the public. We'll make sure those of you that haven't had a chance will get a chance to. And so just a lot of gratitude and appreciation. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for your leadership on so many issues. Thank you. Okay, and with that, Senator McNerney, step up to the plate. And you can begin when you're ready. I want to thank the chair for indulging me this way. And Vice Chair Hoover and distinguished members of the committee. where I'm here to present SB 1350, Expanding Green Hydrogen. California is committed to reaching 100% clean energy by 2045, and this development of clean energy industries now is under threat in California. The federal government has created tax credits, has canceled tax credits for creating clean energy projects, including canceling $1.2 billion in funding, $1.2 billion for California's proposed hydrogen hub called Arches. Hydrogen made from renewable energy is a clean and safe fuel source that can help us meet our clean energy goals and targets. Hydrogen can be used to transition existing power infrastructure into clean energy infrastructure. SB 1350 stimulates investment in hydrogen projects by allowing power plants to get renewable portfolio standard credits when they use green hydrogen, especially if it's made from renewable sources to these turbines. By incentivizing in-state hydrogen projects, we're also creating thousands of jobs and that's really important to me and to one of our assembly colleagues. One hydrogen production project alone in Lancaster, it's called Element, is creating 1,200 good union construction jobs. I want to thank the committee for allowing this bill to be heard early so that projects like Element can secure millions in federal tax credits before they expire which will happen shortly with us today we have my principal co-author assembly member Correo Tim Kronheimer from the Green Hydrogen Coalition assembly member would you like to make your case good morning madam chair members thank you for the opportunity to co-present I am a proud principal co-author of this measure because hydrogen is an economic priority in my community and the constituents that I represent in my district without an appropriate time I'd like to request an aye vote. Thank you. Madam Chair Wicks, members, good morning. My name is Tim Kammer and I am the Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs for the Green Hydrogen Coalition, a 501 nonprofit dedicated to the thoughtful advancement of renewable and clean hydrogen. I want to start by thanking the chair and committee staff for working with us and the author on these mini amendments and moving through the process. Members, renewable hydrogen is a carbon-free fuel that can be reduced in large quantities and used to ensure reliability in our power sector. It can help with emergency reserves when the choice is an outage or burning diesel. And it's already formally defined in the RPS guidebook under qualifying hydrogen gas and can be used in linear generators and in fuel cells. As we're now facing a severe energy volatility situation, there's a need for fuel diversification. SB 1350 is the logical extension that puts renewable hydrogen on the same footing as other renewables in the guidebook. But let's be clear, nothing about 1350 actually mandates reutilization of hydrogen. Instead, it just provides another opportunity, another tool in the toolbox for load-serving entities to meet their carbon goals using existing infrastructure. And that means we can achieve our energy goals affordably. SB 1350 is needed because the power sector is one of the few sectors that can utilize a lot of hydrogen near term. This level of demand will encourage conversion and help in other hard-to-abate sectors such as long-haul and heavy-duty trucking, shipping, aviation, and even fertilizer. Producing renewable hydrogen from local resources will also diversify our energy supply. This is good for our economy, the environment, and our health. Members, the renewable hydrogen industry is at an inflection point. The dream of being able to use clean, curtailed power and solar to be able to create green hydrogen that can be used to actually diversify our portfolio is still available and still possible, but it requires a little bit of a pivot from California. SB 1350 is that move and we thank you and request your aye vote. Thank you. Are there any other folks in the room that wish to express support? Any primary witnesses in opposition? Any additional folks in opposition? Great. We'll bring it back to committee. Any questions for Mr. McNerney? We have a motion and a second. Would you like to close? Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, please. I commend this bill. I'd like to be added as a co-author. Thank you very much. Great. Would you like to close, Mr. McNerney? Well, yes, thank you. This is good policy. We need to create these jobs, and using hydrogen to sort of transition and using the same equipment with hydrogen mixed with methane will help us make that transition smoother. I will ask for an aye vote. Thank you very much That is out on an A roll call And I also want to go back to Mr Cerrado bill AB 308 that is due pass as amended out on an A roll call And I also want to go back to Mr Cerrado bill AB 308 That is do pass is amended out on an A roll call Oh sorry Yes Sorry Yeah I think we had a motion Actually, we didn't have quorum when we did that. So yeah. Yeah. We have motion in a second that SB 308 Cerrado is out on an A roll call. Again, do pass is amended. And we don't have any other authors, so if we have additional folks that wish to express support on Senator Wiener's SB 895, please feel free to step back up and we will resume public comment. Again, please name, organization, and position on the bill.

Hi, my name is Kenny Ozuna. I'm an organizer with UAW 4811 at UC Merced. I'm in strong support of this bill, and I ask for it to be moved to the assembly floor today.

Good morning. I am a staff researcher at UC Berkeley in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and I strongly support this bill.

Hello, my name is Baldomar Matomochi. I am a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley in Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and I'd like to strongly express my support for SB 895 and ask that you vote yes and pass it on to the floor today. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good morning, my name is Mason Clark. I'm an undergraduate student researcher in biophysics at UC Merced and I'm in strong support of this bill. Thank you.

My name is Leo Curtis. I'm here with UAW 4811 and I live and work in District 14. I support this bill and I ask the committee to move it to the assembly floor and vote today. Thank you.

Hi there. My name is Meredith Song. I work for UAW 4811 and work in Assembly District 14 at Berkeley. I'm in strong support of this bill and ask the committee to vote today and move it to the floor Thank you Good morning Madam Chair and Committee My name is Tasfi Rashid I a grad student in global health and epidemiology a proud member of UAW 4811 I live and work in Assembly District 14, and I strongly support this bill and urge the committee to vote today and move it to the assembly floor. Thank you.

Good morning. I'm Anupam Mitra, a postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, working in quantum computing. I'm here in my personal capacity to request all the members of the committee to show their support for the bill, as I'm here showing mine and a vote to move it to the floor today. Thank you.

Hi, I'm Swapnil Garg. I'm a grad student at UC Berkeley, a member of UAW 48811, and I live and work in Assembly District 14. I support this bill and I urge the committee to move it to the Assembly floor today. Thank you.

Good morning, committee. Patrick Dexter on behalf of Region 6 of the United Auto Workers Union here in strong support. Thank you.

My name is Reid Yalasev. I'm a graduate student researcher at University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and a proud member of UW-4011 and a resident and worker in Assembly District 4. I'm here in strong support of this bill. Thanks.

Justin Garcia, Senior Environmental Scientist, Vice President of CAPS UAW-1115, the Union of California State Scientists, in strong support. Thank you.

Good morning, Madam Chair and members. Robert Harrell. I'm the Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California. We are in opposition to Senate Bill S-19 by Senator Cabaldon. This is a bill opposed by a number of consumer groups and also by domestic violence organizations. Unfortunately, despite that opposition, it was on your consent calendar this morning, which we think personally is an error. But setting that aside, we think there's a number of problems with the bill. and that bill was just amended, got it amended on June 10th and they're trying to meet a July 1 deadline. So this deals with the auto industry and them not wanting to make technological advancements that would protect women at risk of or suffering from domestic violence. We are deeply concerned with the process and also the substance of the bill and would like the opportunity to speak to both of those matters. And I know this is on sort of a freight train But I thought it important that despite the bill being on the consent calendar, because I normally don't stand up here for a bill that's on the consent calendar, that we express our very strong opposition and that of the other three groups, which is the National Consumers League, the – pardon me, the Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, and then a number of domestic violence groups.

Good morning, Madam Chairman and Assembly members. My name is Roberta Maness. I'm a certified cold capper for Penguin Cold Caps, and I'm here to support Assembly Bill 1682, and I am a constituent of District 5, but I work throughout the state of California. Thank you.

Good morning, Madam Chair and members. My name is Keith Weiss, and I'm here. I'm the Director of Operations for Nex Automotive, owned by Kinesis Collision, with 13 locations in the Sacramento area. We respectfully oppose SB 988 unless it's properly amended. At the last hearing of the discussion about fraud, consumer protection, and distinction between Safe Flight Autoglass and Safe Flight Solutions, I want to be clear, we as an independent auto glass shop support safety and proper calibration, transparent billing, and enforcement against fraud. One of our core values is right repair as always. And California has already has anti-steering laws and fraud laws, and it should be investigated and enforced under the existing laws. We have the Bureau of Automotive Repair. That's what they're for. What has not been presented in public evidence showing widespread auto glass fraud in California and anywhere else that justifies adding language that gives insurers and third-party administrators, affiliated companies, more control over claim. We are also concerned with how this works in the real world. Safelight Autoglass and Safelight Solutions may be separate business entities, but consumers do not experience them that way. Safe Flight Solutions helps control claim intakes and referrals and the consumer path through the insurance process. Consumer processes is also a repair provider. That relationship creates confusion and gives one market participation an advantage over independent shops. This is not just theory. Consumers using insurance portals and glass claim solutions often see Safe Flight solutions presented in their same workflow. making the decision unclear. Thank you.

Don't you always get that kind of greeting?

Thank you so much, Madam Chair and members. I apologize for the delay. SB 1306 is a bill we're presenting. It aligns California law with existing federal exemptions for certain chemical mixtures containing GBL. that are essential to semiconductor manufacturing and research. To be clear, nothing in this bill would change the requirements for purchase, storage, or use of pure GBL. My staff and the bill's sponsors have explained this to the opposition multiple times. The last letter I saw doesn't reflect the bill in print. I remain open to the possibility of addressing opposition concerns, but they have not responded to our sponsors' latest overtures. In 2010, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration adopted regulations accepting chemical mixtures containing GBL at concentrations of 70% or less from the Controlled Substances Act requirements since extracting GBL from these complex industrial mixes is not practically feasible. This reality is reflected by there being no reports of diversion for nefarious purposes in the 15 years since the federal change. AT THE SAME TIME, COMPANIES AND STATE AGENCIES ARE SPENDING TIME AND MONEY ENFORCING CHEMICAL REGULATIONS THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY DEEMED IRRELEVANT TO PUBLIC SAFETY. CALIFORNIA LAW LEAVES SUPPLIERS SERVING THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY SUBJECT TO SIGNIFICANT REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING PERMITTING, ONERIST REPORTING AND RECORD-KEEPING AND 21-DAY TRANSACTION HOLDS. SO IN SHORT, WE ARE TRYING TO BRING CALIFORNIA INTO A LIONELY. federal policy SB 1306 helps reduce operational disruptions, supports in-state R&D and strengthens California's role as a global leader in high technology innovation. With us here today in support is Tatum Ackler on behalf of CEMI and at the appropriate time I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you. And Ms. Pacheco, thank you for joining us. And any other folks in support? Any primary witnesses in opposition? Any additional witnesses in opposition? We'll bring it back to committee. Any questions? We have a motion. in a second. Would you like to close?

Mr Cardesi That is out on an A call with Ms Dixon voting no and Mr Tangapa not voting Thanks again for your time consideration and help Yes appreciate you All right and with that we are adjourned Thank you. Thank you.