Dozens of public witnesses spoke in support of SB 509, a bill addressing transnational repression, telling the Senate Committee on Appropriations the legislation would help protect Californians and could reduce long-term public costs by enabling earlier intervention in investigations.

Senator Anna Caballero, chair of the Committee on Appropriations, noted that Senator Caballero (bill author) had waived presentation and invited public testimony. A large number of individuals representing community groups and media outlets, and many private citizens, offered fiscal-focused comments in support of the bill. Puneet Gohr identified himself as speaking on behalf of the "sick coalition" and as a proud sponsor; many individual speakers gave their names and indicated they were California residents.

Several witnesses argued the bill would reduce long-term costs to the state by making investigations and prosecutions more efficient. Gary Singh, speaking as an individual, told the committee that, from a fiscal point of view, enacting SB 509 “will result in long term savings, because when these incidents occur, the investigations that follow are extremely costly.” Other witnesses described personal experiences they said involved transnational repression and urged lawmakers to act.

Committee staff recorded no opposition witnesses. Chair Caballero thanked the assembled supporters and said the bill would nonetheless be placed on the suspense file so that the Legislature could weigh SB 509 against the state budget and other priorities.

The committee formally moved SB 509 to the suspense file without objection; no committee vote tally was recorded in the hearing transcript. Committee members said the move to suspense is part of the appropriations process to evaluate fiscal impacts during budget review.

Speakers who identified organizational affiliations included representatives of Punjabi Radio USA, TV Asia, Sacramento-based groups and the Sacramento Sikh Caucus Committee; many individuals identified themselves as residents of Fremont, Sacramento, Fresno and other California cities. Several speakers described themselves as victims or survivors of transnational repression and urged the committee to advance the bill for further consideration.