SACRAMENTO, Calif. – For the first time in 25 years, California lawmakers used a rarely used legislative tool called "Committee of the Whole." 

The procedure allows legislators to meet at the same time and hear testimony from witnesses. 

The last time this parliamentary process was used was in 1995 to discuss Orange County’s bankruptcy. 

Nearly all 80 members of the lower house gathered in the Assembly chamber Tuesday to discuss Governor Gavin Newsom's revised budget. 

“It provides the opportunity for them to all hear the same set of answers and to learn from one another’s questions,” said Assembly Speaker, Anthony Rendon. 

Normally, they’d meet in several budget subcommittees, but due to COVID-19, a lot of those hearings were canceled. 

“We’re digging into our tool box. This is something that hasn’t been done in 25 years. We’re digging into our tool box to use all the tools that we have at our disposal,” said Rendon. 

Normally, only legislators are allowed to speak on the floor, but because the Committee of the Whole process was used, they got to hear from Newsom’s finance director, Keely Bosler and Gabriel Petek, a legislative analyst with the Legislative Analyst Office.

Members of the Assembly asked questions and expressed their concerns with the governor’s proposed cuts to public education, health care, and lack of help for undocumented immigrants.

“It is just injustice that these taxpayers can’t access their earned income tax credit,” said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. 

While lawmakers disagreed on where the cuts should be made, they did agree that California can’t rely on the federal government to close the $54 billion budget hole.

The deadline for the legislature to pass a balanced budget is June 15.