Assembly Republicans forced action on the cost crisis: Democrats had the chance to help. They voted no.

During #CostOfLivingWeek, Assembly Republicans took the fight to the floor, demanding action on a slate of bills to cut costs for California families.

The Sacramento Bee made it clear: “Republicans in California’s deep blue Assembly are calling out their colleagues across the aisle for refusing to engage with their legislative efforts to address affordability in the state. On Monday and Tuesday, Republicans made attempts to bring the bills up for a floor debate. Those attempts were quashed by the Democratic supermajority.”

The 15-bill affordability package was introduced earlier in the session and included proposals to:

• Caputility rate hikes at the rate of inflation.
• Requiregas price transparency and accountability .
• Suspendthe state gas tax.
• Eliminateincome tax on service tips.
• Deliveran $11 billion middle-class tax cut.

“None of the group’s 15 affordability bills made it all the way through the Assembly. Some were never heard in the committees they were assigned to, and others were held in the Committee on Appropriations.,” according to the Sacramento Bee.

Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher told the Bee, “We had good ideas that would actually cut costs. You know, we want to move them to the forefront and give Democrats the opportunity to vote for them.”

According to a statement from the Assembly Republicans, “Assembly Democrats opened the year calling affordability ‘the main task’ of the legislature. They promised affordability. Then they blocked every bill that delivered it.”