"The committee's members and its powerful Democratic chairperson, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Oakland, did not provide a reason for killing the bill during an Aug. 29 hearing, which quickly and with little fanfare announced the fate of 260 other bills that had been placed on the committee's so-called "suspense file." Seventy other bills also were killed without explanation."
"The Senate and Assembly's appropriations committees, which both met Friday and rejected hundreds of bills, are supposed to be the gatekeepers for bills proposing to spend taxpayer money. But the committees' suspense files are where hundreds of politically touchy bills die quietly each year with only a few insiders knowing the real reasons. State officials did, however, warn the committee that the proposal could potentially cost the state money, and the state's influential environmental organizations opposed it."
California's Assembly Appropriations Committee blocked Senate Bill 712, which would have exempted classic car owners from smog-check requirements. Jay Leno had testified in support of the measure. The committee's chair, Buffy Wicks, and other members did not provide a reason during the Aug. 29 hearing, where 260 bills on a 'suspense file' had their fates announced and 70 others were killed without explanation. Appropriations committees are gatekeepers for spending bills, and their suspense files often end politically sensitive proposals quietly. State officials warned of potential costs, and environmental organizations opposed the proposal. Sponsor Shannon Grove expressed deep disappointment.
Read at San Jose Inside
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