Bill Text: CA AB31 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Whistleblowers: California State Auditor.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2017-10-09 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 605, Statutes of 2017. [AB31 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB31-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Senate  June 05, 2017

Amended  IN  Assembly  April 06, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 31

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Introduced by Assembly Member Rodriguez

December 05, 2016

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An act to amend Section 8547.5 of the Government Code, relating to whistleblowers.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 31, as amended, Rodriguez. Whistleblowers: California State Auditor.

Existing law creates the California State Auditor’s Office, which is independent of the executive branch and legislative control, to examine and report annually upon the financial statements prepared by the executive branch. Existing law exempts the California State Auditor from specific provisions of existing law relating to oversight by state control agencies, including specific provisions relating to employment, administration, contracting, fiscal matters, and the adoption of regulations.

Existing law, the California Whistleblower Protection Act, authorizes the California State Auditor to conduct an investigative audit upon receiving specific information that an employee or state agency has engaged in an improper governmental activity, as defined. The act requires the California State Auditor to establish a means of submitting allegations of improper governmental activity, and generally requires the California State Auditor to keep confidential every investigation, including all investigative files and work product.

This bill would require the California State Auditor to create the means for employees of the California State Auditor’s Office to submit confidential allegations of improper governmental activity engaged or participated in by employees of the office to an independent investigator. The bill would define “improper governmental activity” and “independent investigator” for its purposes. The bill would require the independent investigator to conduct investigations in a manner consistent with provisions of the act relating to other state civil service employees. The bill would require the independent investigator, if he or she finds that an employee may have engaged or participated in improper governmental activities, to prepare a confidential investigative report and, subject to specific limitations, send a copy of the report and gathered evidence to the California State Auditor and certain other persons within the California State Auditor’s Office. The bill would require the independent investigator, if the California State Auditor elects not to take adverse action, to notify the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) and the Milton Marks “Little Hoover” Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy of the report and provide JLAC and the commission a copy as prescribed. The bill would authorize the independent investigator to take adverse action if the California State Auditor’s Office does not.

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 8547.5 of the Government Code is amended to read:

8547.5.

 (a) The California State Auditor shall create the means for the submission of allegations of improper governmental activity both by transmission via mail or other carrier to a specified mailing address and electronic submission through an Internet Web site portal. The California State Auditor may request that a person submitting an allegation provide his or her name and contact information and provide the names and contact information for any persons who could help to substantiate the claim. However, the California State Auditor shall not require any person submitting an allegation to provide his or her name or contact information and shall clearly state on the agency Internet Web site that this information is not required in order to submit an allegation.

(b) Upon receiving specific information that any employee or state agency has engaged in an improper governmental activity, the California State Auditor may conduct an investigation of the matter. The identity of the person providing the information that initiated the investigation, or of any person providing information in confidence to further an investigation, shall not be disclosed without the express permission of the person providing the information except that the California State Auditor may make the disclosure to a law enforcement agency that is conducting a criminal investigation.

(c) (1) The California State Auditor shall create the means for employees of the California State Auditor’s Office to submit confidential allegations of improper governmental activity engaged or participated in by employees of the California State Auditor’s Office to an independent investigator.

(2) The independent investigator shall conduct investigations in a manner consistent with the provisions of this article relating to other state civil service employees. If the independent investigator finds that an employee may have engaged or participated in improper governmental activities, the investigator shall prepare a confidential investigative report and, subject to the limitations of this section, send a copy of the report and all evidence gathered during the investigation to the California State Auditor, the Chief Deputy California State Auditor, and the California State Auditor’s Office chief counsel and human resource manager.

(3) (A) Within 60 days after receiving a copy of the independent investigator’s report, the California State Auditor’s Office shall either serve a notice of adverse action upon the employee who is the subject of the investigative report, or set forth submit to the independent investigator in writing its reasons for not taking adverse action and submit those reasons to the independent investigator. action.

(B) Within 10 days of a submittal of reasons pursuant to subparagraph (A), the independent investigator shall do both of the following:

(i) Notify the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, as described in Section 10501, and the Milton Marks “Little Hoover” Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy, as described in Section 8501, that it has provided a report to the California State Auditor’s Office pursuant to this paragraph.

(ii) Make Upon request, provide a copy of the report described in this paragraph, redacted to remove all information that could identify any reporting party, witness, or employee, to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, as described in Section 10501, and the Milton Marks “Little Hoover” Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy, as described in Section 8501.

(C) In the event that If the California State Auditor’s Office does not take adverse action, the independent investigator may take adverse action as provided in Section 19583.5.

(4) The California State Auditor’s Office shall reimburse the Milton Marks “Little Hoover” Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy, as described in Section 8501, for the costs of retaining the independent investigator.

(4)

(5) For purposes of this subdivision and any investigation conducted pursuant thereto, “improper governmental activity” has the same meaning as set forth in subdivision (c) of Section 8547.2, except that it shall not include violations of an executive order of the Governor, any policy or procedure mandated by the State Administrative Manual or State Contracting Manual, or any other rule, regulation, or requirement that the California State Auditor’s Office, because of its independence from executive branch and legislative control, is not required to follow.

(d) For purposes of this section, “independent investigator” means an investigator who is retained by the Milton Marks “Little Hoover” Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy Economy, as described in Section 8501, who is all of the following:

(1) An attorney who is licensed to practice law in this state.

(2) A certified fraud examiner.

(2)

(3) A person who is experienced in investigating allegations of improper governmental activity in a confidential manner.

(3)

(4) A person who is outside of, and independent from, the California State Auditor’s Office and also independent of the executive branch and legislative control.