Appropriations Committee approves consent and suspense calendars, advances dozens of bills including school health, parks, grapes and reproductive-health clarif

The California State Assembly Appropriations Committee on April 9, 2025 conducted a regular-order hearing covering more than 100 bills, approved the consent and suspense calendars, and advanced multiple individual bills to the Assembly floor.

Committee staff read a consent calendar and a separate "due pass" list at the start of the hearing; the committee then approved the consent calendar and later deemed the suspense calendar approved. Committee members heard short presentations and, in most cases, testimony in support from sponsoring organizations before advancing the measures on roll calls.

Votes at a glance (bills presented in hearing excerpt and committee action recorded in transcript):

- AB 439 (Coastal Act technical changes) — Presented by Assemblymember Rogers. The bill would remove a 10-day wait period for de minimis amendments and change a reporting frequency from annually to every five years to free staff capacity. The committee advanced the bill; the transcript records the measure advanced "with Republicans not voting," and notes Ms. Dixon and Mr. Ta voted no.

- AB 322 (school-based health and mental health reimbursements) — Presented by Assemblymember Ward. The bill directs the California Department of Education to encourage local education agencies to participate in reimbursement programs for school-based health and behavioral-health services. Denise Morgan testified in support for the California State VA. The committee advanced the bill; the transcript records it advanced "with Republicans not voting."

- AB 679 (state park land acquisition exemption) — Presented by Mr. Hart on behalf of Assemblymember Pellerin. AB 679 would exempt specified parcels acquired for Big Basin, Año Nuevo and Butano State Parks from a Public Works Board approval process to speed transfers to the Department of Parks and Recreation; the sponsor testified the parcels are already purchased and the fiscal effect is minor and absorbable. The committee advanced the bill on an Assembly roll call.

- AB 482 (California Table Grape Commission law modernization) — Presented by the author; the bill modernizes commission law and raises a statutory cap on assessments without increasing current assessments (any assessment increases would remain the responsibility of elected commissioners). Taylor Triffo testified in support on behalf of the California Table Grape Commission. The committee advanced the bill on a roll call.

- AB 681 (California Dream Loan annual cap increase) — Presented by Assemblymember Lehi Hawari. The bill increases the annual loan cap under the Dream Loan Program from $4,000 to $20,500, the presenter said, and does not request additional state funding; the sponsor described the program’s fixed budget of roughly $2,000,000 annually, while a UC witness noted a separate UC-related appropriation in the state budget. The committee advanced the bill on a roll call.

- AB 40 (emergency services and reproductive health) — Presented on behalf of Assemblymember Bonta. The bill clarifies that state law defining emergency services includes reproductive health services, including abortion; supporting testimony came from the American College of Emergency Physicians (California chapter) and the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. The committee advanced the bill; the transcript notes Ms. Dixon did not vote.

- AB 454 (remove sunset on California Migratory Bird Protection Act) — Presented to make the California Migratory Bird Protection Act permanent; Audubon California testified in support and the Department of Fish and Wildlife indicated costs are minor and absorbable. The committee advanced the bill on a roll call.

- AB 639 (dams definition exception for weirs) — Presented by Assemblymember Soria. The bill narrows the definition of "dams" to exclude certain weirs, the presenter said, to avoid additional regulatory burden; witnesses included representatives of the Kings River Conservation District and local water associations. The committee advanced the bill on a roll call.

Several other bills were read on the suspense calendar and deemed approved; the full suspense list was read into the record by the secretary during the session. The transcript excerpt does not record roll-call tallies for most items; where the record does report voting detail it is noted above.

What the actions mean: advancing a bill out of the Appropriations Committee means it will move to the Assembly floor for a vote or to the next committee step, depending on procedural requirements. Committee analysis commonly noted the measures would carry "minor and absorbable" costs to state departments unless otherwise specified.

The hearing adjourned after public comment and final roll-call actions.