Bill Text: CA SB1156 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Groundwater sustainability agencies: conflicts of interest: financial interest disclosures.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Enrolled) 2024-08-27 - Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m. [SB1156 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB1156-Enrolled.html
Enrolled
August 23, 2024 |
Passed
IN
Senate
August 22, 2024 |
Passed
IN
Assembly
August 15, 2024 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
June 18, 2024 |
Amended
IN
Senate
April 29, 2024 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 1156
Introduced by Senator Hurtado (Coauthor: Assembly Member Bennett) |
February 14, 2024 |
An act to add Section 87200.5 to the Government Code, relating to the Political Reform Act of 1974.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1156, Hurtado.
Groundwater sustainability agencies: conflicts of interest: financial interest disclosures.
Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans, except as specified. Existing law requires a groundwater sustainability plan to be developed and implemented for each medium- or high-priority basin by a groundwater sustainability agency. Existing law authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin, as provided.
The Political Reform Act of 1974 prohibits a public official from making, participating in making, or attempting to use their official position to influence a governmental decision in
which they know or have reason to know that they have a financial interest, as defined. The act requires specified public officials, including elected state officers, judges and court commissioners, members of certain boards and commissions, other state and local public officials, and candidates for these positions to file statements of economic interests, annually and at other specified times, that disclose their investments, interests in real property, income, and business positions. The Fair Political Practices Commission is the filing officer for such statements filed by statewide elected officers and candidates and other specified public officials.
This bill would require members of the board of
directors and the executive, as defined, of a groundwater sustainability agency to file statements of economic interests, according to the filing requirements described
above, with the Fair Political Practices Commission using the Commission’s online system for filing statements of economic interests.
Existing law makes a knowing or willful violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 a misdemeanor and subjects offenders to criminal penalties. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may
amend the act to further the act’s purposes upon a 2/3 vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements.
This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
Digest Key
Vote: 2/3 Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares it is essential to establish mechanisms that promote transparency, prevent conflicts of interest, and ensure accountability within groundwater sustainability agencies to safeguard the sustainable management of groundwater resources.SEC. 2.
Section 87200.5 is added to the Government Code, to read:87200.5.
(a) Members of the board of directors and the executive of a groundwater sustainability agency shall file statements of economic interests in accordance with this article with the Commission using the Commission’s online system for filing statements of economic interests.(b) For purposes of this section, “executive” means the executive director, general manager, or other equivalent position of the groundwater sustainability agency.