Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 5, the Assembly Local Government Committee will meet starting at 1:30 p.m. to consider, among other things, Assembly Bill 361 (Rivas), CSDA’s sponsored legislation dealing with remote public meetings during declared emergencies. To date, CSDA has received over 45 letters from its members expressing their support for this measure.
CSDA encourages interested public agencies to weigh in with their support for this measure during tomorrow’s Assembly Local Government Committee meeting when it brings the bill up for discussion. As a result of the pandemic, the Assembly has instituted measures that allow for remote participation in committee proceedings, meaning that those who wish to express support for a bill may do so remotely – without having to travel to the Capitol.
Agencies wishing to call-in to support AB 361 should visit the Assembly Local Government Committee’s hearing website tomorrow to get the call-in number and passcode.
The call-in information is not posted to the website until the day of the hearing. The website includes instructions on how to be recognized when the bill is being heard to register your support for the bill. Additional notes for those calling in:
- Mute your computer if you are also watching the hearing online.
- Video for the hearing has about 30 seconds or more delay, so if you’re watching the video for your cue to call you might miss your chance.
- Bills are heard in File Order; you should call-in to the committee phone number at least one bill prior to AB 361 and begin listening to the committee hearing over the phone. The File Order can also be found on the committee’s hearing website by clicking “Show Details.”
Should Assembly Bill 361 pass out of the State Assembly, it would be expected to head to the Senate Governance and Finance Committee when it reaches the second house. Agencies that have previously written letters of support should prepare to engage the Legislature again by preparing another version of their support letters to send to the Senate Governance and Finance Committee. This also serves as another opportunity for those agencies that have not yet submitted a letter to submit their initial letter of support.
Remember to regularly visit CSDA’s Take Action page to remain current with ongoing advocacy efforts, including efforts to provide COVID-19 relief funding to special districts. If you haven’t already, consider subscribing to CSDA’s Advocacy News blog to receive breaking advocacy news alerts as they happen. It’s also not too late to register for the 2021 Virtual Special Districts Legislative Days May 18-19.
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