Media Contact: Michelle.Sherwood@sen.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO, CA – – Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) released the following statement after her bill, Senate Bill 1029—The One Health Framework Development Act passed the Senate Health Committee 11-0:

“California is leading the nation in innovation and technology,” said Senator Hurtado. “By adopting the One Health Framework Development Act, California is one step closer to identifying diseases, pests and other contaminants that threaten the integrity, reliability and sustainability of our food systems, which if left unchecked, threaten overall human health. SB 1029 recognizes the future of healthcare--that the health of the environment, animals and humans are integrated.”

The ever-changing interactions and proximity between humans and animals have led to the spread of existing or emerging zoonotic diseases for centuries. These diseases or infections are caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites, and can spread by contact with animals, insects or through food consumption. One Health is a collaborative, multisector, and transdisciplinary approach which aims to prevent outbreaks of zoonotic disease in animals and people, improve food safety and security, and protect global health security overall.

SB 1029 requires the California Department of Public Health and the California Department of Food and Agriculture to jointly establish and administer the One Health Program for the purpose of developing a framework for interagency coordination in response to zoonotic diseases and to reduce hazards to human and animal health.

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders, as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and as a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website here or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado

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