of funding. These timely articles coincide with the California Budget Conference Committee hearings, with public testimony, that occurred on the afternoon of June 2, 2009. Budget Conference Committee Hearing On June 2, 2009 the Budget Conference Committee convened a hearing for public comment on the Governor's budget proposal. The hearing is archived on video, the testimony on behalf of OEHHA begins at 3:49:11 The supporters of OEHHA proposed and alternative to keep OEHHA intact and save $8.3 million, OEHHA's general fund budget. The proposal includes alternative funding sources and also expands OEHHA with the addition of Department Pesticide Regulation's risk assessment activities, Department of Toxic Substances Control's hazard evaluation functions, and lead roles in the children's health initiative and the Cal/EPA portion of the biomonitoring program. The main argument against the Governor's proposal is that the science performed in OEHHA should be independent of policy decisions made by the other boards and departments of Cal/EPA. Further, in the governor's proposal, many of OEHHA's programs would be dropped entirely (e.g. the Public Health Goals for drinking water contaminants). Speakers in support of OEHHA included: Gina Solomon, MD, Natural Resources Defense Council senior scientist and UCSF faculty John Froines, Ph.D., UCLA School of Public Health John Balmes, MD, UCSF and UC Berkeley faculty, Director of UC Berkeley Northern California Center for Occupational Health Janice Kim, MD, Ph.D., MPH, representing American Academy of Pediatrics Julia Quint, Ph.D., retired chief of Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service of the California Department of Public Health Martha Guzman Aceves, MS, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation Suzanne Murphy, Executive Director of Worksafe David Chatfield, Executive Director of Californians for Pesticide Reform Bill Magavern, JD, Director of Sierra Club California Renee Sharp, MS, Environmental Working Group Bill Allayaud, MRP, Director of Government Affairs for Environmental Working Group Bonnie Holmes-Gen, Senior Policy Director, American Lung Association Kyle Gardner, Center for Environmental Health Donne Brownsey, JD, Breast Cancer Fund Amy Kyle, Ph.D., MPH, UC Berkeley School of Public Health faculty Ann Notthoff, MCRP, California Advocacy Director, Natural Resources Defense Council On June 11, 2009 the second hearing for the Budget Conference committee was convened. OEHHA's item number was 3980 on the Agenda and included the recommendation from the Senate Environmental Quality Committee (below) to keep OEHHA intact and add risk assessment and hazard evaluation functions from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.