Several votes in Congress could have significant impacts on California. The GOP-controlled House voted last week to pass a budget bill, which could remove Medicaid coverage for millions of Californians. The Senate also voted to block the state’s landmark zero-emission vehicle mandate. And on the state level, lawmakers voted last week to kill or gut hundreds of bills as they aim to close a $12 billion budget deficit. Dustin Gardiner is the co-author of POLITICO’s California Playbook and joins Insight with the latest on state politics.

California lawmakers have introduced more than 2,000 bills so far this year and many are going through jam-packed committee hearings. During these hearings, paid lobbyists, activist organizations and the general public are allowed to testify in support or against a bill. But securing time is not guaranteed, and on many occasions regular people who travel long distances to testify get cut off after a few seconds. CalMatters Digital Democracy Reporter Ryan Sabalow and CapRadio Politics Reporter Laura Fitzgerald join us with their reporting on the challenges of the general public to weigh in on legislation.

The Sacramento Book Festival is back for its second year. Scheduled for Saturday, May 31 at the Shepard Garden & Arts Center in McKinley Park, literary lovers of all genres can enjoy readings and writer panels, a scavenger hunt and raffle, and participate in a book drive for the Mustard Seed School. Author J. Scott Coatsworth is the event’s lead organizer and he’s joined by fellow writers Catriona McPherson and James Rollins to preview the festival.