Appropriations committee places 25 measures on suspense file; most authors waive presentations

The Senate Committee on Appropriations convened and placed 25 bills on the committee's suspense file, with most authors waiving presentation and the committee taking public testimony limited to fiscal aspects. The chair said the authors for all but one of the suspense measures had waived presentation and that testimony would be limited to fiscal matters because this is the Appropriations Committee.

Multiple bills were announced and moved to the suspense file without substantive committee debate. Examples recorded by the clerk and chair included SB 46 (Umberg), SB 342 (Umberg), SB 490 (Umberg), SB 574 (Umberg), SB 58 (Padilla), SB 73 (Cervantes), SB 99 (Blake Sperry), SB 247 (Smallwood Cuevas), SB 288 (Sayardo), SB 327 (McNerney), SB 347 (Choi), SB 417 (Cabaldon), SB 828 (Cabaldon), SB 492 (Menjivar), SB 501 (Allen), SB 557 (Hurtado), SB 623 (Archuleta), SB 667 (Archuleta), SB 742 (Perez), SB 747 (Wiener), SB 811 (Caballero), SB 837 (Reyes) and SB 849 (Weber Pearson). Each of these measures was announced, opened for testimony (where present), and then placed on the suspense file "without objection." The committee chair recorded there were 25 measures on the agenda that met criteria for referral to the suspense file.

Several bills drew brief testimony in support from organizational representatives. Clifton Wilson spoke in support of SB 758 on behalf of the boards of supervisors for Humboldt, Kern and Tulare counties. Housing and homelessness-related supporters (Marina Espinosa for the California Housing Consortium; Nathalie Spivak of Housing California; Bridal Agusto for the California Coalition for Rural Housing and Self Help Enterprises; Alicia Deans for Sacramento-area congregations) spoke in support of SB 417. Opposition testimony was limited but noted: Jack Worson of NOSMEN, representing the Motorcycle Industry Council, stated an "opposed unless amended" position on SB 501.

The Department of Finance advised the committee it would not comment on bills before the committee this morning. Following the routine for suspense-file candidates, the chair moved each bill to the suspense file; motions were handled "without objection" and no roll-call vote was recorded on the individual referrals. The committee adjourned after completing the agenda and recorded that Senator Richardson arrived late and voted consistently with the members present earlier in the hearing.