June 1, 2026 · BPE · 2,639 words · 8 speakers · 30 segments
All right, good morning everyone. Welcome to the Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee. Seeing that we do not have a quorum yet, we're going to start as a subcommittee, but I have a couple of announcements just for everybody to understand what we are doing. We have eight bills on our agenda. We have a number of bills on consent. File item number two, which is AB 2085 by Assemblymember Alanis. File item number four, AB 1733 by Assemblymember Lee. File item number five, ACR 129 by Assemblymember Haney. Haney file item 6 ACR 164 by Assemblymember Baines and file item 7 AB 166 by Assemblymember Sorry a ACR 166 by Assemblymember Avila Farias In this committee, we're gonna basically do it this way We're gonna hear from the author and then they have either two witnesses in support and also potentially two witnesses in opposition They will be speaking at that lectern mic over there. They will be timed at roughly two minutes each. We are very strict. I like to make sure that people stick to their two minutes and move on. The Me Too's that come in will state their name, their organization, and whether they support or oppose. Both support and opposition come at the same time. We would like for you guys to be quick about it. And at the same time, we're going to then go to members of the committee if they have any questions, comments, any concerns, any thoughts that they may share. We will close with the author and then move on to a vote. Again, we are going to be moving as a subcommittee. So we're going to start with file item number one, AB 277 by Assemblymember Alanis. So whenever you would like to present, please do so. Madam Chair, I wonder if I could just add one message at the beginning of this hearing. Sure. Today is Senator Archuleta's birthday. Oh. Oh, yes. Happy birthday.
Well, thank you.
Thank you, everyone.
Just keep them coming, Lord.
Yes. Absolutely. Happy birthday.
Thank you.
All right. Assemblymember, if you'd like to begin.
Well, thank you, Madam Chair and Senators. Good morning. I want to thank the committee staff for their work on this bill, and I'll be accepting the committee amendments today to fix a technical error in the language. So thank you. AB 277 would require unlicensed employees who provide behavioral health treatment to undergo a background check. Current law requires background checks for school employees, volunteers of youth service organizations, and licensed health care professionals. However, there is currently no background check requirement in state law for employees of behavioral health companies, such as registered behavioral technicians, or RBTs. Data shows that children with disabilities are more likely to be abused and neglected than their neurotypical peers. Additionally, many children with developmental disabilities are nonverbal and less likely to report abuse when it occurs. AB 277 increases transparency in the hiring process and parents and guardians feel more comfortable trusting their children in the hands of behavioral health care workers. AB 277 passed through the assembly with no opposition. And today with me is Rachel Blucher, who will be testifying on behalf of CalABA.
Hi, good morning, Chair and members. Rachel Blucher on behalf of CalABA. We're the California Association of Behavior Analysis. co-sponsors of AB277, which mandates background checks for individuals providing behavioral health treatment in behavioral health centers, facilities, and programs. CalABA is a professional membership association representing over 31,000 practitioners of behavior analysis in California. Our members provide ABA services across a range of settings, including homes, schools, clinics, and community environments. Many of our members provide behavioral health treatment to individuals with developmental disabilities, such as autism and intellectual disabilities. We recognize the importance of implementing clear and enforceable safety measures within behavioral health services to protect individuals we serve, particularly children and individuals with disabilities. By requiring employers to conduct background checks, AB 277 aligns behavioral health settings with existing standards of other health care and educational institutions. institutions. This legislation will promote employer accountability, strengthen public trust, and most importantly, enhance consumer protection. Thank you.
Thank you. Do we have any other in-support witnesses? Seeing none, we're going to move on to opposition witnesses. Seeing none, we're going to move on to Me Too's. Seeing none, we're going to move on to committee members. Seeing none, okay, Senator Archuleta.
Yeah, just for clarification, there's a good number of people that are in the profession, they'll be able to now go through the system and we can do a background check on them as well as those that are coming into the industry.
That's the way I see it, yes.
I'm sorry?
Yes.
Okay, good.
Thank you.
Thank you. Assemblymember, I always appreciate you and I working together on protecting children, so I always appreciate you bringing bills like this forward. Would you like to close?
I also agree with you on that, and thank you very much. Thank you.
respectfully ask your aye vote. All right, we do not have quorum yet so that bill will, you know, be waiting for somebody to make a motion when it's appropriate. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. We're gonna move on to file item number three by AB 1382, Assemblymember Castillo.
Good morning Madam Chair and Committee members I am here to present AB 1382 the Ethics Over Aesthetics Act which would prohibit the sale of genetically modified animals where the genetic modification is for cosmetic purposes While investments have been made to further genetic research for potential beneficial medical advancements, some companies have begun the development of genetically modified cats, dogs, and other pets with altered appearances to fulfill consumer demand for designer traits, despite unknown long-term health risks. These genetic modifications run the risk of prioritizing aesthetics over the well-being of the animal, as well as drive consumer demand for novelty pets where there already exists a pet overpopulation crisis. I want to clarify that this measure will not inhibit genetic medical research aimed at benefiting society and is explicitly curated to target animals genetically modified for the sole purpose of sale. Furthermore, in an effort to address the concerns expressed by opposition to the bill, we have amended the language to exempt the sale of glowfish from this ban. These amendments satisfy their concerns, resulting in the removal of their opposition. With me today to provide testimony is Nick Zackett,
Director of Legislative Affairs for Social Compassion in Legislation. Good morning, Chair and members. AB 1382 addresses two issues, preventing the exacerbation of the pet overpopulation problem and the questionable ethics of modifying animals' genes for the sake of novelty. California animal shelters euthanize approximately a quarter of a million animals every year. There are not enough homes for all the animals being bred, and the public pays for that to the tune of about $400 million per year to operate animal shelters, and that doesn't include the millions that nonprofit rescues spend every year to save animals. The last thing we need is for a novel pet such as a glow-in-the-dark rabbit to become the latest fad on TikTok, leading these animals being bred at a pace that puts profit over their well-being, and later dumped on the side of the road after the photos have been taken and posted on social media. Thousands of impulse buys later and after the novelty wears off, the public is the one that will foot the bill, along with the animal to suffer. California Fish and Game regulations only regulate aquatic transgenic animals with the regulation silent on mammals and birds. From 2003 to 2016, the Fish and Game Commission banned the sale of genetically modified fish. At the time of the initial vote, one commissioner was quoted in the LA Times as saying, For me, it becomes a question of values. Under what circumstances do we want to monkey around with the genome of an organism? To do it for a pet seems rather frivolous, end quote. This bill will ensure that California does not encourage this burgeoning and frivolous industry. It will reduce the burden of regulating this industry from both the Fish and Game Commission and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and it will save untold dollars that our state will incur if we add to our overflowing shelters. And with that, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
Thank you. Do we have any other support witnesses?
Clifton Wilson, on behalf of the California Animal Welfare Association, as well as Humane World for Animals, both in strong support. And thank you for the bill.
Thank you. Do we have any opposition witnesses? Seeing none, do we have any me-tos? Seeing none, we're going to move to the committee members. Seeing no commentary, Assemblymember, would you like to close?
Yes. At the appropriate time, I would respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.
Thank you. So again, we do not have quorum. We will make the motion when it's appropriate. Thank you. We're going to move on to file item 8, ACR 173, by Assemblymember Carrillo.
Good morning, Madam Chair and committee members. First, I want to start by wishing Senator Achilleta a very happy birthday. Happy birthday, sir. I'm here to present Assembly Concerned Resolution 173, which recommends to formalize the sister-state relationship between the state of Jalisco and Mexico and California. As my colleagues know personally from their own bipartisan legislative trips to Mexico, our state and Jalisco share long-standing cultural, economic, and demographic ties. Those ties between our two states represent their past and a collaborative future together in policies ranging from agriculture and labor to technology and education. This resolution emphasizes diplomacy independent of federal policy shifts, emphasizing collaboration and respect instead of confrontation and threats. The resolution also purposely calls out immigration protections because that's the reality on the ground being imposed upon our state at this time. It is sad to see a shift away from celebrating the historical contributions of immigrants to our state's agriculture, infrastructure, and culture. That shift should not be why, when it's needed most, we're saying the least. But that doesn't need to be the case. We can rightly raise concerns when they are warranted. And we can respectfully agree to disagree on policies. But when there is an understanding of the need to respectfully work together at a binational level, something we evidence ourselves in our legislative visits, let's do that as well. I ask for your support and I vote for ACR 173. Our states and peoples have much we can accomplish together, beginning with the World Cup, which is less than 10 days away. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Do we have any witnesses in support? Seeing none, any witnesses in opposition? Seeing none. Any me-toos? Seeing none. Members, would you guys like to comment? Senator. Thank you, Madam Chair. I was ready to support this resolution, not unlike the item before, which is on consent until I reached the last whereas when it states to address the recent mass deportations Now I think you know and many people know I am not anywhere near a Donald Trump apologist But this year and last year, we seem to be blaming almost every problem that we have in this state on the current administration. And while I'll agree that there are some things, well, to be criticized, And with regard to immigration, we do have mixed messages coming out of Washington, D.C. on this relative to mass deportations versus criminal deportations. But when we say recent, there were more deportations under the last year of the Biden administration than there were in 2025. So I guess two things. Number one, you could have made that clear or just not said it at all. And either way, in the former, I may have been able to support it. In the latter, I definitely would have been able to support it. But I can't because of that. I'm not going to vote no. I'm going to abstain. But I just think that the comment is pointed. It didn't have to be made. And again, there have been significantly more deportations, not just in the Biden administration, but in prior Democratic administrations before that than there was in 2025. So it's a statement that really didn't need to be made in the context of the message that you're trying to portray. Thank you, Senator. Thank you for those comments. Assembly member, would you like to close?
I respectfully ask for an aye vote at the appropriate time. I don't know if we have quorum now, but when that's appropriate. Thank you.
We do not have quorum yet. We are waiting for one more member, which hopefully should come pretty soon. Otherwise, we have gone through all the bills. Again, thank you. And we have items on consent. So do we have an ETA of any one of my colleagues? Same car, too? Same car too? Same car. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you . . Hey, can we make sure we're continuously calling them? Because if they're in the building, they should be down here within two minutes. Yeah, so anyway, so I didn't know that. All right, we have quorum. Can we get a roll call to establish quorum? Wahab? Here. Wahab here. Choi? Hi. Choi? Choi. Choi here. I'm here. Choi here. Archuleta? Here. Archuleta here. Adagin? Here. Adagin here. Caballero? Grayson, Menjavar, Nilo? Here. Nilo here. Smallwood Cuevas. Strickland, Umberg? Here. Umberg here. All right. Quorum has been established. Can I get a motion on a consent item? Consent AB 2085. Consent item AB 1733. Consent ACR 129. Consent ACR 164. Consent ACR 166. So moved. Moved by Senator Umberg. Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Choi? Aye. Choi, aye. Archuleta? Aye. Archuleta, aye. Adeguin? Aye. Adeguin, aye. Caballero, Grayson, Menjavar, Nilo? Aye. Nilo, aye. Smallwood Cuevas, Strickland, Umberg? Aye. Umberg, aye. All right. That consent file has six to zero. They're out. Can we get a motion on file item number one, AB 277? So moved. Moved by Senator Archuleta, the birthday boy. Motion is due passed. The Senate Public Safety Committee, Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Choi? Aye. Which Troy I archuleta archuleta I add again I dig in I cabriero Grayson menjavar Nilo I small with Cuevas Strickland umberg I'm burger guy six that vote is six to zero yeah then bill moves on a file item number three AB 1382 by Assemblymember Castillo motion is due passed to Senate moved by Senator Umberg. Motion is to pass the Senate Judiciary Committee. Wahab. Aye. Wahab, aye. Choi. Aye. Choi, aye. Archuleta. Aye. Archuleta, aye. Adagin. Aye. Adagin, aye. Caballero. Grayson, Menjabar. Nilo. Aye. Nilo, aye. Smallwood, Cuevas. Strickland. Umberg. Aye. Umberg, aye. All right. That bill is 6-0. That is out. Out. Yeah. Okay. File item number 8, ACR 173 by Assemblymember Carrillo. Motion is to be adopted. Wahab? Aye. Wahab, aye. Choi? No. Archuleta? Aye. Archuleta, aye. Adagin? Aye. Adagin, aye. Caballero? Grayson? Menjavar? Nilo? Aye. Smallwood Cuevas? Strickland? Umberg? Aye. Humberg, aye. Four. That bill is four, zero. We are going to grant reconsideration. Without objection, seeing none. I'd just add to that, perhaps Assemblyman Carrillo might consider addressing the issue that I raised on reconsideration. All right. If his staff is hearing that, it'll be relayed to him. We have been waiting for them. Yeah. All right. Yes. All right. So with that, I think we've given reconsideration. we have all the items we have gone through and file item number one is out six to zero oh yes we can okay so let's let's add on file Thank you. It's Batman. Thank you.