Members:

On Tuesday, June 30, all 10 Democrat and Republican members of the Assembly Business & Professions Committee voted unanimously, 10-0, in support of the CALI-sponsored SB 202 [Harman] which would establish a continuing education requirement for licensed private investigators.

Unanimous Voting:

There have now been four unanimous votes on SB 202 in the state legislature:

• 10 - 0 Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development Committee
• 13 - 0 Senate Appropriations Committee
• 33 - 0 Senate Floor
• 10 - 0 Assembly Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee

In response to input from private investigators and others around the state, SB 202 was amended in committee yesterday to add provisions that strengthen the bill, offer solid caps on fees for CE courses, and clarify the provisions for retired peace officers during their first two years as licensees. The official, amended bill should be available on-line in the next day or two at: SB 202

Assembly Appropriations Committee

The next stop for SB 202 is the Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing, which is the final hearing before the bill is considered on the Assembly floor. If the bill clears the Assembly it will return to the Senate for a final concurrence vote before it is forwarded to the governor for his consideration.

Hearing Facts - The Record

Yesterday, following the B&P vote, there was another inappropriate posting on the CALI Listserv which stated in part, "I sat in that hearing and I heard the president of the largest PI organization in the world tell our state law makers that all California Licensed Private Investigator are a danger to the consumer."

This is simply a blatant misrepresentation of my testimony. Once again, since the opponents to SB 202 have not been able to defeat this bill on its merits, or to persuade even one legislator to vote against it, the tactic appears to be to attack the leadership of our association and to misrepresent the facts.

Opponents of SB 202 have repeatedly been asked to refrain from misusing their CALI listserv privileges; however some choose not to respect their fellow members by adhering to the same rules as the rest of us. I felt compelled to set the record straight on my testimony at the June 30 hearing.

My testimony to the Committee was as follows:

Madam Chair and Honorable Members:
My name is Jim Zimmer, and I am a licensed private investigator with my residence and business in San Juan Capistrano. As President of the California Association of Licensed Investigators [CALI], and on behalf of the Board of Directors of the CALI, this is to express our support of SB 202. CALI is the largest PI association in the world, and since our inception 41 years ago, we have strongly believed in education.

This legislation, which Senator Harman has introduced on our behalf, would assist California consumers by providing a mechanism for licensed investigators to be knowledgeable of the many new laws in the areas of privacy rights and ethics, as well as updates in legal and technological developments. Distinguished members of the committee and Madam Chair, I ask for your AYE votes to ensure that licensed PIs have the training needed to protect the consumers who employ our services.

I respect the right of every member to support or oppose SB 202. I reject the idea that personal attacks and misrepresentation of facts benefit either side. Please join me in asking that the merits of the bill be debated in the proper forums and in a decent and appropriate manner. Agree to disagree, but please be respectful. The outcome of this bill should not dictate the manner in which we treat each other as colleagues and members.

Jim Zimmer, CPI
CALI President
zimmerpi@pacbell.net
949-248-7721

California Association of Licensed Investigators
1215 K Street Suite 2290
Sacramento, California 95814