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March 31, 2009
The First Step Toward Victory!
Dear FCL Supporter,
TODAY - THE FIRST STEP TOWARD VICTORY
SENATE BILL 115 PASSES SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE 3-2!
Together you and FCL made a difference
Thanks to your letters of support, Sen. Lowenthal and his staff, and our allies, Senate Bill 115 has passed the first hurdle on its way to become law.
Over the past couple of weeks, FCL supporters turned in over 100 letters in support of Senate Bill 115, which allows state employees and job applicants to sign an alternative statement to the current state-mandated loyalty oath. Sen. Lowenthal’s key staff person on the bill told us that in his years of working at in the Capitol, this was one of the strongest showings of support he had ever seen! Thank you!
We joined with our allies on this issue, including the ACLU, California Council of Churches, and the Pacific Union Conference, in delivering our support of this bill to the committee members. Our lobbyist, Jim Lindburg, outlined FCL’s position on the bill in his testimony today at the Senate Judiciary Committee. He stressed that the bill would benefit Californians in two ways: 1) by assuring that California had access to the services of all well-qualified applicants, including those whose beliefs precluded the oath and 2) that all Californians would be able to both serve their state and honor their religious beliefs.
The Senate Judiciary Committee today voted 3-2 to pass the bill on to the full Senate. Voting in favor: Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro), Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), and Dean Florez (D-Fresno), and voting against: Tom Harman (R-Costa Mesa) and Mimi Walters (R-Laguna Hills). If any of these Senators represent your district, please contact them and let them know your opinion of their vote. Thanking those who voted “Aye” is a great idea.
MORE GOOD NEWS: Sen. Mark Leno has signed on to be a co-author of the bill!
FCL’s lobbyist Jim Lindburg had a very positive meeting with his staff last Thursday.
WHAT’S NEXT?
SB 115 goes next to the Senate Appropriations Committee for hearings on its fiscal impact. We’ll need to build support this spring and summer as the bill moves through the Senate and Assembly and heads to the Governor for his signature. As you may remember, a bill containing this language, among other provisions, was passed by the Legislature last year and vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger. Let’s make it happen this year!
Stay tuned for more action alerts and thanks again for making a difference.
Contact: Kevan Insko
Director of Development and Outreach
Friends Committee on Legislation
717 K Street, Suite 500-B
Sacramento, CA 95814
Ph: (916) 443-3734
Fax: (916) 448-6109
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