GOOD MORNING. WE WILL START WHEN
WE HAVE A MEMBER OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY. HERE, UM NOT
FORMER MEMBERS OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY. BUT THE CURRENT MEMBER OF
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, UH, AS AS
IS OUR TRADITION, SO THANK YOU.
OKAY GOOD MORNING. WE DO. WE
WILL GO AHEAD AND BEGIN AS A
SUBCOMMITTEE. SINCE WE'RE STILL
A COUPLE OF MEMBERS SHORT. UM MR
BERMAN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO
PRESENT YOUR BILL? BEFORE WE
START A COUPLE OF COMMENTS. I'M
SORRY YOU CAN YOU CAN RELAX. YOU
CAN TAKE A CUP OF COFFEE.
WHATEVER UM, SO BEFORE WE BEGIN,
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A STATEMENT ON
PROVIDING TESTIMONY AT THIS
HEARING. WE SEEK TO PROTECT THE
RIGHTS OF ALL WHO PARTICIPATE IN
THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS SO WE
CAN HAVE AN AFFECTED
DELIBERATION ON CRITICAL ISSUES
FACING CALIFORNIA. ALL WITNESSES
WILL BE TESTIFYING IN PERSON. WE
WILL ALLOW TWO MAIN WITNESSES
FOR A MAXIMUM OF THREE MINUTES
EACH. ADDITIONAL TESTIMONY WILL
BE IN PERSON AND LIMITED TO NAME
POSITION IN ORGANIZATION. IF YOU
REPRESENT ONE, I'D LIKE TO
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS TO THE
COMMITTEE. UH, WE HAVE TASHA
BOERNER HORVATH, VINCE FONG. UH
JOE PATTERSON, WHO WAS ACTUALLY
HERE? UM CARLOS V. VALLAPUDUA
AND DR AKILA WEBER. SO WHEN WE
DO HAVE A QUORUM, WE WILL GO
AHEAD AND TAKE ROLE, BUT FOR THE
TIME BEING, UH MR BERMAN, WOULD
YOU LIKE TO PRESENT A B 2 69?
WE'RE GOOD, PERFECT. THANK YOU,
MR CHAIR AND COLLEAGUES. MAYBE 2
69 IS AN URGENCY MEASURE THAT
WOULD QUANTIFY TO WAIVERS THAT
HAVE BEEN IN PLACE DURING THE
COVID 19 STATE OF EMERGENCY.
WHEN THE GOVERNOR ANNOUNCED THAT
THIS EMERGENCY WILL BE
TERMINATED AT THE END OF THIS
MONTH. HE REQUESTED THE SENSE
STATUTORY CHANGES IN THIS BILL
TO PREVENT THESE TWO IMPORTANT
WAIVERS FROM EXPIRING. FIRST THE
BILL WILL ALLOW THE DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC HEALTH TEST TO TREAT
PROGRAM THAT CONTINUE FOR AN
ADDITIONAL YEAR BY ALLOWING FOR
DOCTORS AND NURSES TO STORE AND
DISPENSE COVID THERAPEUTICS AT
APPROVED SITES AND LOW ACCESS
COMMUNITIES. SECOND THE BILL
WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOW ANY
LABORATORY PROFESSION WHO MEETS
FEDERAL STANDARDS. THEY ANALYZE
COVID TESTS AS THEY HAVE BEEN
ALLOWED TO DO SINCE THE START OF
THE PANDEMIC. I'VE ALSO HEARD
THE CONCERNS FROM FROM THE FOLKS
WHO ARE OPPOSED UNLESS AMENDED
AND FIND THEIR SOLUTION TO BE A
GOOD ONE. SO I FORMALLY
COMMITTED TO ADDING A FIVE YEAR
SUNSET DATE. TO THOSE PROVISIONS
OF THE BILL THROUGH ANOTHER
VEHICLE SOMETIME LATER THIS
SESSION. MEMBERS WHILE THE
FORMAL STATE OF EMERGENCY MAYBE
ENDING WE KNOW THAT TESTING AND
TREATMENT FOR COVID 19 WILL
REMAIN ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.
RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR YOUR I
VOTE. THANK YOU, MR BERMAN.
WE'RE GOING TO PAUSE FOR A
SECOND BECAUSE WE HAVE A QUORUM.
SO MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE TAKE
THE ROPE HERE, WALDRON. EDGAR
CURRY, ARAMBULA BOERNER HORVATH.
CARILLO FLORA FONG MAIENSCHEIN
MCCARTHY. BILL PATTERSON
RODRIGUEZ SANTIAGO VÆ
VALLAPUDUA. WEBER. FUNK. THANK
YOU. MADAM SECRETARY WITNESS IS
IN SUPPORT OF THE BILL WITH ME
TODAY, JUST AS F Y I IS MORALE
FARSI WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF
PUBLIC HEALTH. ONLY THE ANSWER
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS, NOT WITH
ANY WITNESS TESTIMONY. EMOTION
BY DR ARAMBULA SECOND BY MR
RODRIGUEZ WITNESSES AND SUPPORT
GOOD MORNING MICROBES IN HERE ON
BEHALF OF QUEST DIAGNOSTICS IN
SUPPORT OF THE BILL. QUEST
DIAGNOSTICS IS CURRENTLY UM,
STILL OPERATING WITH ABOUT 20%
OF THEIR THEIR COVID TESTING
BEING DONE BY PEOPLE WHO ARE
QUALIFIED TO DO SO BY VIRTUE OF
THE WAIVER WHO ARE CLEAR, CLEAR
QUALIFIED BUT DO NOT HAVE A
CALIFORNIA LICENSE. UM THERE
THERE IS A SEVERE WORKFORCE
SHORTAGE IN THE LAB INDUSTRY. WE
ENCOURAGE THIS COMMITTEE UM, AND
THE LEGISLATURE AS A WHOLE TO
ADDRESS THAT WORKFORCE SHORTAGE
. WE HAVE IDEAS ON THAT AND LOOK
FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE WITH
THE HEALTH, COMMUNITY BUSINESS,
FRESHNESS, COMMUNITY AND ANYBODY
INTERESTED ON THAT MATTER?
THANKS. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS
BRUCE PALMER WITH THE CALIFORNIA
ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH
LABORATORY DIRECTORS. CALF ALED.
WE WERE STRONGLY SUPPORT THE
BILL. WE FEEL THE WAIVER
ALLOWING CLS SCIENTISTS TO DO.
THE TEST AS INCREASED AN ADDED
TO THE WORK FORCE THAT IS VERY
SHORT IN TERMS OF PUBLIC HEALTH
LAB DIRECTORS, WE'D LIKE TO SAY.
THAT AT SOME POINT IN THE
PROCESS, WE'D LIKE TO SEE THIS
WAIVER EXPANDED SO IT COULD BE
USED FOR OTHER DISEASE
OUTBREAKS. WE FEEL THAT WITH
VERY BE VERY USEFUL, AND I DON'T
KNOW MANY PROFESSIONAL GROUPS
THAT ARE WILLING TO RELIEVE
THEIR LICENSING STANDARDS IN
TERMS OF INCREASING PERSONNEL.
JUST FINALLY, I WANT TO SAY THAT
IN MANY OF OUR COUNTIES. THIS
WAIVER ALLOWED US TO NEARLY
DOUBLE OUR TESTING STAFF, SO
IT'S CRITICAL, AND THAT'S WHY
WE'D LIKE TO SEE IT EXPANDED. TO
OTHER DISEASES. WE THANK
ASSEMBLYMAN BERMAN. YOU ALL FOR
DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING TODAY
FOR THE ADMINISTRATION, AND
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OTHER
WITNESSES, JUST YOUR NAME AND
ORGANIZATION IF YOU REPRESENT
ONE HI CRISTI BOY HERE ON BEHALF
OF THE CALIFORNIA CLINICAL
LABORATORY ASSOCIATION AND
STRONG SUPPORT. GOOD MORNING
NORLAND ASPIRIN REPRESENTING
KAYAK, THE COUNTY HEALTH
EXECUTIVES ASSOCIATION OF
CALIFORNIA AND SUPPORT ANYONE
ELSE? NO ONE IS THEIR OPPOSITION
TO THE BILL. MR CHAIRMAN MEMBERS
MATT BROUGHT ON BEHALF OF THE
TEAMSTERS AND ENGINEERS AND
SCIENTISTS OF CALIFORNIA. NOT
HERE IN OPPOSITION HERE TO AMEND
OUR OPPOSING LESS AMENDED
POSITION. WE THANK THE AUTHOR
FOR WORKING WITH US ON A SUNSET
QUICKLY, AND WE'RE LOOKING
FORWARD TO SEEING THAT ANOTHER
VEHICLE LATER THIS YEAR. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING,
AUDRA HARTMAN HERE WITH PUBLIC
POLICY ADVOCATES. I'M HERE ON
BEHALF OF THE CALIFORNIA
ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAL
LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY. WE ALSO
REMOVING OUR OPPOSITION BASED ON
YOUR COMMENTS TODAY AND THANK
YOU VERY MUCH. ANYONE ELSE? SEE
NO ONE. BRING IT BACK TO THE
COMMITTEE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
FROM THE COMMITTEE. WE DO HAVE
EMOTION BY A DOCTOR. ARAMBULA
SECOND BY MR RODRIGUEZ. I THINK
THAT WAS THE ORDER. BUT IF NOT,
I'VE DOESN'T REALLY MATTER.
YEAH. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
UH THE BILL DOES ENJOY A DO PASS
RECOMMENDATION. MADAM SECRETARY,
PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. THE MOTION
IS DO PASS. I WOULD. I WOULD I,
WALDRON WALDRON, IAGAR CURRY
CURRY. I ARAMBULA ARAMBULA. AYE
BOERNER HORVATH. CARILLO. RIO I
FLORA. VINCE FONG. VINCE WONG. I
MAIENSCHEIN MAIENSCHEIN I
MCCARTY JOE PATTERSON. PATERSON
I RODRIGUEZ RODRIGUEZ. I
SANTIAGO VALLAPUDUA WEBER.
WHOEVER I. THAT BECAUSE 10 VOTES
IT'S OUT, WE'LL LEAVE THE ROLE
OPEN FOR OTHER MEMBERS, OR FIVE
MINUTES FOR OTHER MEMBERS TO ADD
ON. SO IF THEIR MEMBERS OUT
THERE YOU REMEMBER THE
COMMITTEE. YOU'VE GOT FIVE
MINUTES TO ADD ON. SO THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR BERMAN.
MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE OPEN THE
ROLL CALL THE ABSENT MEMBERS.
OOPS. THANK YOU THAT I THAT VOTE
IS NOW 11 0.
OKAY WE WILL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE
THIS HEARING THE VOTE ON A B 2
69 WAS 11 0. SO THIS ENDS THE
ASSEMBLY HEALTH COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE HEARING THIS MORNING.
THANK YOU.