Bill Text: CA AB2483 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Indemnification of public officers and employees: antitrust awards.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-06-26 - In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author. [AB2483 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB2483-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 09, 2018

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2483

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Introduced by Assembly Member Voepel

February 14, 2018

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An act to add Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 473) to Division 1 of the Business and Professions amend Section 825 of the Government Code, relating to professions. liability.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2483, as amended, Voepel. Department of Consumer Affairs: Office of Supervision of Occupational Boards. Indemnification of public officers and employees: antitrust awards.

The Government Claims Act, except as provided, requires a public entity to pay any judgment or any compromise or settlement of a claim or action against an employee or former employee of the public entity if the employee or former employee requests the public entity to defend him or her against any claim or action against him or her for an injury arising out of an act or omission occurring within the scope of his or her employment as an employee of the public entity, the request is made in writing not less than 10 days before the day of trial, and the employee or former employee reasonably cooperates in good faith in the defense of the claim or action. That act prohibits the payment of punitive or exemplary damages by a public entity, except as specified.

This bill would require a public entity to pay a judgment or settlement for treble damage antitrust awards against a member of a regulatory board within the Department of Consumer Affairs for an act or omission occurring within the scope of the member’s official capacity as a member of that regulatory board. The bill would specify that treble damages awarded pursuant to a specified federal law for violation of another federal law are not punitive or exemplary damages within the act.

Under existing law, the Department of Consumer Affairs is composed of various boards, bureaus, commissions, committees, and similarly constituted agencies that license and regulate the practice of various professions and vocations for the purpose of protecting the people of California. With certain exceptions, decisions of these entities with respect to setting standards, conducting examinations, passing candidates, and revoking licenses, are final and are not subject to review by the Director of Consumer Affairs.

This bill would establish an Office of Supervision of Occupational Boards within the department to exercise active supervision over a “covered board,” defined as specific licensing and regulatory agencies within the department, to ensure compliance with specific policies established in the bill regarding licensing and enforcement (established policies). The bill would require the office, in the exercise of active supervision, to be involved in the development of a covered board’s rules and policies, to disapprove the use of any board rule or policy and terminate any enforcement action that is not consistent with the established policies, and to review and affirmatively approve only rules, policies, and enforcement actions consistent with the established policies. The bill would require the office to review and approve or reject any rule, policy, enforcement action, or other occupational licensure action proposed by each covered board before adoption or implementation. The bill would establish procedures for complaints, investigation, remedial action, and appeal relating to a rule, policy, enforcement action, or other occupational licensure action of a covered board inconsistent with the established policies.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 825 of the Government Code is amended to read:

825.

 (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, if an employee or former employee of a public entity requests the public entity to defend him or her against any claim or action against him or her for an injury arising out of an act or omission occurring within the scope of his or her employment as an employee of the public entity and the request is made in writing not less than 10 days before the day of trial, and the employee or former employee reasonably cooperates in good faith in the defense of the claim or action, the public entity shall pay any judgment based thereon or any compromise or settlement of the claim or action to which the public entity has agreed.

If the public entity conducts the defense of an employee or former employee against any claim or action with his or her reasonable good-faith cooperation, the public entity shall pay any judgment based thereon or any compromise or settlement of the claim or action to which the public entity has agreed. However, where the public entity conducted the defense pursuant to an agreement with the employee or former employee reserving the rights of the public entity not to pay the judgment, compromise, or settlement until it is established that the injury arose out of an act or omission occurring within the scope of his or her employment as an employee of the public entity, the public entity is required to pay the judgment, compromise, or settlement only if it is established that the injury arose out of an act or omission occurring in the scope of his or her employment as an employee of the public entity.

Nothing in this section authorizes a public entity to pay that part of a claim or judgment that is for punitive or exemplary damages.

(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) or any other provision of law, a public entity is authorized to pay that part of a judgment that is for punitive or exemplary damages if the governing body of that public entity, acting in its sole discretion except in cases involving an entity of the state government, finds all of the following:

(1) The judgment is based on an act or omission of an employee or former employee acting within the course and scope of his or her employment as an employee of the public entity.

(2) At the time of the act giving rise to the liability, the employee or former employee acted, or failed to act, in good faith, without actual malice and in the apparent best interests of the public entity.

(3) Payment of the claim or judgment would be in the best interests of the public entity.

As used in this subdivision with respect to an entity of state government, “a decision of the governing body” means the approval of the Legislature for payment of that part of a judgment that is for punitive damages or exemplary damages, upon recommendation of the appointing power of the employee or former employee, based upon the finding by the Legislature and the appointing authority of the existence of the three conditions for payment of a punitive or exemplary damages claim. The provisions of subdivision (a) of Section 965.6 shall apply to the payment of any claim pursuant to this subdivision.

The discovery of the assets of a public entity and the introduction of evidence of the assets of a public entity shall not be permitted in an action in which it is alleged that a public employee is liable for punitive or exemplary damages.

The possibility that a public entity may pay that part of a judgment that is for punitive damages shall not be disclosed in any trial in which it is alleged that a public employee is liable for punitive or exemplary damages, and that disclosure shall be grounds for a mistrial.

(c) Except as provided in subdivision (d), if the provisions of this section are in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 3500) of Division 4 of Title 1, 4, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if those provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provisions shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act.

(d) The subject of payment of punitive damages pursuant to this section or any other provision of law shall not be a subject of meet and confer under the provisions of Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 3500) of Division 4 of Title 1, 4, or pursuant to any other law or authority.

(e) Nothing in this section shall affect the provisions of Section 818 prohibiting the award of punitive damages against a public entity. This section shall not be construed as a waiver of a public entity’s immunity from liability for punitive damages under Section 1981, 1983, or 1985 of Title 42 of the United States Code.

(f) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a public entity shall not pay a judgment, compromise, or settlement arising from a claim or action against an elected official, if the claim or action is based on conduct by the elected official by way of tortiously intervening or attempting to intervene in, or by way of tortiously influencing or attempting to influence the outcome of, any judicial action or proceeding for the benefit of a particular party by contacting the trial judge or any commissioner, court-appointed arbitrator, court-appointed mediator, or court-appointed special referee assigned to the matter, or the court clerk, bailiff, or marshal after an action has been filed, unless he or she was counsel of record acting lawfully within the scope of his or her employment on behalf of that party. Notwithstanding Section 825.6, if a public entity conducted the defense of an elected official against such a claim or action and the elected official is found liable by the trier of fact, the court shall order the elected official to pay to the public entity the cost of that defense.

(2) If an elected official is held liable for monetary damages in the action, the plaintiff shall first seek recovery of the judgment against the assets of the elected official. If the elected official’s assets are insufficient to satisfy the total judgment, as determined by the court, the public entity may pay the deficiency if the public entity is authorized by law to pay that judgment.

(3) To the extent the public entity pays any portion of the judgment or is entitled to reimbursement of defense costs pursuant to paragraph (1), the public entity shall pursue all available creditor’s remedies against the elected official, including garnishment, until that party has fully reimbursed the public entity.

(4) This subdivision shall not apply to any criminal or civil enforcement action brought in the name of the people of the State of California by an elected district attorney, city attorney, or attorney general.

(g) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a public entity shall pay for a judgment or settlement for treble damage antitrust awards against a member of a regulatory board within the Department of Consumer Affairs for an act or omission occurring within the scope of the member’s official capacity as a member of that regulatory board.

(h) For purposes of this section, treble damages awarded pursuant to the federal Clayton Act (Sections 12 to 27, inclusive, of Title 15 of, and Sections 52 and 53 of Title 29 of, the United States Code) for a violation of the federal Sherman Act (Sections 1 to 7, inclusive, of Title 15 of the United States Code) are not punitive or exemplary damages under this division.

SECTION 1.Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 473) is added to Division 1 of the Business and Professions Code, to read:

10.Office of Supervision of Occupational Boards

473.

The following are policies of the state:

(a)Occupational licensing laws should be construed and applied to increase economic opportunity, promote competition, and encourage innovation.

(b)Regulators should displace competition through occupational licensing only where less restrictive regulation will not suffice to protect consumers from present, significant, and substantiated harms that threaten public health, safety, or welfare.

(c)An occupational licensing restriction should be enforced against an individual only to the extent the individual sells goods and services that are included explicitly in the statute or regulation that defines the occupation’s scope of practice.

473.1.

As used in this chapter:

(a)“Covered board” means any entity listed in Section 101.

(b)“Office” means the Office of Supervision of Occupational Boards established in Section 473.2.

473.2.

(a)There is hereby established an Office of Supervision of Occupational Boards within the department.

(b)(1)Notwithstanding Section 109, the office shall be responsible for exercising active supervision over each covered board to ensure compliance with the policies in Section 473.

(2)In exercising active supervision over covered boards under paragraph (1), the office shall independently do the following:

(A)Play a substantial role in the development of a covered board’s rules and policies to ensure they benefit consumers and do not serve the private interests of providers of goods and services regulated by the covered board.

(B)Disapprove the use of any rule or policy of a covered board and terminate any enforcement action, including any action pending on January 1, 2019, that is not consistent with Section 473.

(C)Exercise control over each covered board by reviewing and affirmatively approving only rules, policies, and enforcement actions that are consistent with Section 473.

(D)Analyze existing and proposed rules and policies and conduct investigations to gain additional information to promote compliance with Section 473, including, but not limited to, less restrictive regulatory approaches.

(3)In exercising active supervision over covered boards under paragraph (1), the office shall be staffed by not fewer than one attorney who does not provide general counsel to any covered board.

(c)(1)Notwithstanding Section 109, the office shall review and approve or reject any rule, policy, enforcement action, or other occupational licensure action proposed by each covered board before the covered board may adopt or implement the rule, policy, enforcement action, or other occupational licensure action.

(2)For purposes of paragraph (1), approval by the office shall be express and silence or failure to act shall not constitute approval.

473.3.

(a)Any person may file a complaint to the office about a rule, policy, enforcement action, or other occupational licensure action of a covered board that the person believes is not consistent with Section 473.

(b)Not later than 90 days after the date on which the office receives a complaint filed under paragraph (1), notwithstanding Section 109, the office shall investigate the complaint, identify remedies, and instruct the covered board to take action as the office determines to be appropriate, and respond in writing to the complainant.

(c)(1)There shall be no right to appeal a decision of the office under subdivision (b) unless the challenged rule, policy, enforcement action, or other occupational licensure action would prevent the complainant from engaging in a lawful occupation or employing or contracting others for the performance of a lawful occupation and the complainant has taken material steps in an attempt to engage in a lawful occupation or employ or contract others for the performance of a lawful occupation.

(2)Any appeal authorized under paragraph (1) shall be to the superior court.