Committee roundup: bills advanced or debated (SB 47 audit, SB 253 fees, SB 709 storage disclosures and others)

The Senate Judiciary Committee handled a slate of bills Wednesday. The hearing centered on SB 47 (a bill to audit the State Barand examine the February 2025 bar exam administration), but committee members also considered several other measures. Below are short summaries and the committee actions recorded on the transcript during the hearing.

Votes at a glance (committee action recorded in hearing)

- SB 47 (Umberg) State Bar audit: Advanced out of committee (committee roll call recorded a favorable tally; committee instructed staff to gather procurement, scoring and cost data). Tally recorded in transcript: yes 6, no 0 (motion carried; item held open on call). See separate article for detailed coverage.

- SB 253 (Umberg) State Bar fees: Motion to pass recorded in committee. Transcript roll call recorded a favorable tally (committee announced a recorded result with "7 to 0" in committee and held the item open). Committee discussion referenced the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision Williams v. Reed and public comments disputing the State Bar Act's structure; the author said the committee would review implications.

- SB 709 (Menjivar) Self storage disclosure bill: Committee passed SB 709 as amended (motion carried; transcript roll call recorded "7 to 0"). The bill, as amended in committee, would require clearer contract disclosures for promotional pricing and rental-rate changes; the author cited data showing many tenants use storage during housing instability and consumer advocates supported improved…