Last chance call in to voice your support for AB99
Assembly Bill 99 (Connolly) would limit Caltrans' pesticide use and require advanced notifications and pesticide use reporting. It's a small step for a big agency that uses over 420K pounds of pesticides every year on California roads, but it would be an important one that could have large ripple effects.
AB99 has been through multiple committee hearings in the State Assembly and passed the Senate Transportation Committee on June 27th. This will be the last Senate committee hearing before AB99 flows through the labyrinthine process of Senate Appropriations/the Senate Floor before it has a fleeting chance to see the Governor's desk. This is the last chance the public has to call in to support this important legislature; your call makes a huge difference!
The Senate allows individuals and organizations to call in with their brief statement support of a bill during its hearing. These support calls have been instrumental in showing committee members how much the public is paying attention to this bill and this issue. Please call in this Wednesday/July 12th at 9:00am (**newly revised time) to show your support. Instructions are below:
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Senate Committee on Environmental Quality call-in information for hearing on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 9:00am (**newly revised time). AB99 is second on the agenda, please call in promptly.
Participant number: 877-226-8163
Access Code: 3525905
Please note: In order for your testimony to be heard clearly, you must mute any devices you are using to live stream the committee hearing prior to calling into the teleconference service. Please do not testify using speakerphone or bluetooth, this can cause acoustic feedback and make it very difficult to hear your testimony.
Upon calling in, you will be placed in a “waiting room” where you will be muted but you can listen to the committee hearing as you wait.
When a committee moves to public comment, a moderator will ask for anyone who is wishing to testify in “Support” or “Opposition” of the bill to please press 1-0. You should press 1-0 when you are prompted by the moderator. When you press 1-0 on your phone, you will wait and an operator will assign you a line number, at that time you will be placed in the queue for identification. Remember your line number, the moderator will call out that number to identify YOU when it is your turn to testify. OF IMPORTANT NOTE: If you press 1-0 a second time, you will remove yourself from the queue and you will not be identified to testify. Every time you press 1-0 you either put yourself “In queue” or take yourself “out of queue” so listen carefully, and press 1-0 only once when you are prompted by the moderator.
When you are successfully in the queue, with your assigned line number, the moderator will call out your line number, open your line, and at that time you may address the committee. You must have your own phone unmuted before you begin testimony.
Suggested Script: “Hello, my name is [name] with [name of organization or affiliation, if applicable, or city/county of residence]. I am calling in support of AB99. Thank you."
A more detailed explanation of the teleconference instructions can be found by clicking the “Teleconference Instructions”
