April 2007

Legislation, Legislation, Legislation…
The past month has been a blur as my bills have begun to be heard in Assembly committees and my time in the district has been spent on a series of whirlwind tours and meetings in all corners of Marin and southern Sonoma. I’m exhausted, but in a great way because I’m enjoying all of my work in the Capitol and in the district. The process of preparing and presenting my bills, as well as chairing the Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials Committee (which has now held two hearings), has been demanding, but so far the results have been very good: all of my bills that have been heard in committee are moving forward, and one bill, AB 28 (breast cancer research), just passed the Assembly in a unanimous vote! I’m excited to be learning so much in a short amount of time, and making a difference. Thanks for your continued support, and I hope to see you in the district or in the Capitol soon.

I’ve attached a brief breakdown of where my Assembly Bills (AB) are headed or when they’ll be heard. The next two weeks are especially critical because bills must be passed out of policy committees by April 27th. There’s still a long road ahead, but we’re off to a great start. Please stay tuned and I’ll let you know the latest on our progress.

Jared

2007 Legislation

Here is a list of my bills and what’s next:

AB 28 - Breast Cancer Tax Check-Off Extension
Passed out of Assembly Health Committee on 3/12 with a vote of 8-0
Passed out of Assembly Appropriations Committee on 3/28 with a vote of 16-0
Passed off the Assembly Floor on 4/12 with a vote of 71-0
Will be heard in the Senate Health Committee sometime in May or June

AB 90 - Trans Fat Ban in Schools
Passed out of Assembly Education Committee on 3/14 with a vote of 7-2
Passed out of Assembly Health Committee on 3/27 with a vote of 11-3
To be heard in Assembly Appropriations Committee in April or May

AB 371 - Nurse Lift Team Funding
Passed out of Assembly Heath Committee on 4/10 with a vote of 11-4
To be heard in Assembly Labor Committee 4/18

AB 494 - High Performing School Flexibility (principal co-author, Assemblymember Martin Garrick)
Passed out of Assembly Education Committee on 4/11 with a vote of 10-0 (consent)
To be heard in Assembly Appropriations Committee in April or May

AB 541 - The Food and Farm Protection Act
Passed out of Assembly Judiciary Committee on 4/10 with a vote of 7-3
To be heard in Assembly Agriculture Committee 4/25

AB 705 - Carbon Sequestration (principal co-author, Sam Blakeslee-Rep.)
Passed out of Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee on 4/9 with a vote of 12-0
To be heard in Assembly Natural Resources Committee 4/23

AB 1083 - Clean Fuel Infrastructure Incentives
To be heard in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee 5/14

AB 1109 - Energy Efficient Lighting
Passed out of Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee on 4/9 with a vote of 9-3
To be heard in Assembly Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials Committee 4/24

AB 1155 - Penalties for Health Maintenance Organization Violations
Passed out of Assembly Heath Committee on 4/10 with a vote of 12-3
To be heard in Assembly Appropriations Committee in April or May

AB 1338 - Coastal Protection Act of 2007
Passed out of Assembly Natural Resources Committee on 4/16 with a vote of 6-3
To be heard in Assembly Appropriations Committee in April or May

AB 1390 - Emergency Room Physicians
Passed out of Assembly Heath Committee on 4/10 with a vote of 12-5
To be heard in Assembly Appropriations Committee in April or May

AB 1406 - Recycled water - condos
To be heard in Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee 4/18

AB 1457 - State Park Protection
To be heard in Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee 4/18

AB 1470 - Solar Thermal (principal co-author, Assemblymember Cameron Smyth)
Passed out of Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee on 4/16 with a vote of 7-4
To be heard in Assembly Natural Resources Committee on 4/23

AB 1489 - Water Bond Implementation - Huffman
To be heard in Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee 4/18

AB 1535 - E-Waste Recycling - CPU
Passed out of Assembly Natural Resources Committee on 4/16 with a vote of 6-3
To be heard in Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee 4/24

AB 1560 - Water Conservation - building standards
Passed out of Assembly Natural Resource Committee on 4/16 with a vote of 6-2
To be heard in Assembly Appropriations Committee in April or May

AB 1654 - Vote by mail - Oughta Be a Law Winner
To be heard in Assembly Elections Committee 4/17

ACA 8 - Bond Threshold - 2/3 to Majority
To be determined

News

Mr. Huffman Goes to Washington
Assembly Member Huffman joined a delegation of more than 30 Assembly Members last month to Washington, D.C. to lobby the Bush Administration and Congress for more federal funds for California and to do more in the fight against global warming. They also received updates on federal legislation and programs that impact the state. The delegation met with California’s two U.S. Senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, and with U.S. Representatives from California who serve on the House Appropriations Committee.

The visit also gave Huffman an opportunity to meet with key members of Congress who oversee Homeland Security and ICE (Immigration and Custom Enforcement) to discuss issues pertaining to recent immigration raids in his district.

“I understand that the ICE is working to improve homeland security, but the methods they are using violate basic human rights,” said Huffman.  “I discussed the importance of carrying out these objectives in a more humane and civil way.”

Huffman Provides Democratic Radio Address
Huffman was asked by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez to be a guest speaker and provide the March 29th Democratic Radio Address. Huffman spoke about the state’s most valuable resource, water and the importance of creating new ways to store, recycle and reuse this priceless resource. This radio address is broadcast every Saturday to update national and state media outlets on the ongoing policy and politics here in California. The entire address can be read or downloaded and played back by going to the Democratic Caucus website: http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/ademRadioAddress.asp

Around the District

School Visits - Huffman continued his school district visits this month by visiting over 15 schools throughout the district. These visits included: Terra Linda High School; Vallecito Elementary; McNear Elementary; County Community School/Phoenix Academy; ORACLE; Business Office Technology School for Adults; Hall Middle School; McDowell Elementary; Neil Cummings Elementary; Bel Aire Elementary; Petaluma High School; Reed Elementary; and Del Mar Middle School. At each stop, Assembly Member Huffman spoke with administrators and teachers about our public education needs, asking for their feedback and ideas. Underscoring the personal priority he places on public education, Huffman plans to visit as many schools as possible in his district to better understand their individual issues and needs, and to relate that information to the challenges the legislature is facing in addressing public education issues statewide.

Sustainable 6 Award - Huffman announced his winner for the March Sustainable 6 award to Green Builders of Marin for their work in incorporating green practices into numerous aspects of their operation. President, John Shurtz accepted the award on the companies’ behalf. Green Builders of Marin are known for their healthy and environmentally friendly building practices. With a focus of treading lightly on the earth, they implement sustainable solutions to achieve a superior outcome for their clients. Their mission, through their building practices, is to inspire, educate and support our community in becoming environmentally responsible. The company also encourages employees to participate in saving the planet by providing them with incentives for carpooling, and matching employee contributions to environmental organizations.

West Marin Agriculture - Huffman met with a number of farm operators, ranch owners and agricultural leaders in West Marin last month. The host of the meeting, Bob Giacomini, gave Huffman a tour of his world famous Point Reyes Blue Cheese Farm and provided him with updates on current issues that affect farmers in his district. Huffman, a strong supporter of local agriculture, vowed to work closely with the North Bay agricultural community in addressing issues that are of vital importance to farmers in Marin and Sonoma .

City Council Meetings - Huffman continued to personally visit City Council meetings throughout the district. He has visited the Sonoma and Cotati City Councils and will be attending the Petaluma and Rohnert Park Councils in the coming days. Huffman wants to be as accessible as possible in the district and feels this is the ideal way to stay connected to the communities of the 6th district.

Green Business Breakfast – On March 30th, Huffman was privileged to share the stage to promote green business as the wave of the future during the Green Business Breakfast. The event was jointly sponsored by the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Sonoma Ecology Center, the Economic Development Partnership and The Sonoma Index-Tribune at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn.  Over 150 local business and environmental leaders gathered to learn more about what they could do promote sustainable business practices while working collaboratively throughout the Sonoma Valley with one another. 

Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) - Huffman met with the Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging Legislative Committee on April 4th in Santa Rosa.  The Committee graciously briefed the Assembly Member on budget and legislative issues facing Sonoma County’s most vulnerable populations and submitted official requests for Assembly Member Huffman to take back to Sacramento with him.  The Sonoma County AAA is part of the County Human Services Department, and is responsible for policy, planning, funding and advocacy to address the needs of seniors, adults with disabilities, and family caregivers.

Marin Childcare Commission “Wee Read” - The Assembly Member was invited by the Marin Childcare Commission to participate in their “Wee Read” program. Huffman read a story out loud to over 20 children of the Head Start program at Bahia Vista Elementary School in San Rafael. The book, Commotion in the Ocean, detailed sea life and explained how our underwater allies live and eat. Huffman presented the class with a book that he brought from home to add to their library.

State of the City Dinner - Huffman attended the City of San Rafael’s State of the City Dinner and Auction on March 30th at the San Rafael Community Center. Huffman was honored to be the Guest Auctioneer for the Live Auction portion of the evening. After a brief description on the history of auctions, Assembly Member Huffman fetched some impressive prices for items ranging from a “Lunch with the Mayor” to San Jose Sharks tickets. All in all, the Live Auction was a great success, raising a substantial amount of money for the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce to dole out to various community organizations, services and projects. Jared was also honored to present certificates to a range of honorees: the City of San Rafael Citizen of the Year, Minh Phan; the City of San Rafael Employee of the Year, Diane Mitchell; San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year, Sabor of Spain Restaurant; San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Large Business of the Year; and Family Services of Marin.

Programs / Projects

Use the District Office as Your Resource

Remember if you are having any state issues that we can be helpful with please contact our office. The District Office is here for you and wants to be used as a resource. Please call the District Office numbers below to request assistance.

How to reach me:

Please feel free to visit my website at http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a06.

Assemblymember Huffman’s Committees:

Chair, Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials
Member, Assembly Appropriations Committee
Member, Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee
Member, Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee

If you know of anyone who you think would like to receive these newsletters, please e-mail their name, mailing address and e-mail address, and I’ll be happy to add them to my list.

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