Bill Text: CA SB259 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Reports submitted to legislative committees.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 6-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-09-01 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 148, Statutes of 2023. [SB259 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB259-Chaptered.html
Senate Bill
No. 259
CHAPTER 148
An act to amend Sections 9795 and 10248 of the Government Code, relating to state government.
[
Approved by
Governor
September 01, 2023.
Filed with
Secretary of State
September 01, 2023.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 259, Seyarto.
Reports submitted to legislative committees.
Existing law requires a state agency that is required or requested by law to submit a report to the Members of either house of the Legislature generally to submit the report in a specified manner and to post the report on the state agency’s internet website.
This bill would additionally require a state agency to post on its internet website any report required or requested by law, or identified in the Legislative Analyst’s Supplemental Report of the Budget Act, that the state agency submits to a committee of the
Legislature or to the Members of either house of the Legislature.
Existing law requires the Legislative Counsel to make various categories of legislative information available to the public in an electronic form.
This bill would additionally require the Legislative Counsel to make available to the public a link to the list of state and local agency reports submitted by state and local agencies to a committee of the Legislature or to the Members of either house of the Legislature generally, as specified.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 9795 of the Government Code is amended to read:9795.
(a) (1) (A) Any report required or requested by law, or identified in the Legislative Analyst’s Supplemental Report of the Budget Act, to be submitted by a state or local agency to a committee of the Legislature or the Members of either house of the Legislature generally, shall instead be submitted as a printed copy to the Secretary of the Senate, as an electronic copy to the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, and as an electronic or printed copy to the Legislative Counsel. Each report shall include a summary of its contents, not to exceed one page in length. If the report is submitted by a state agency, that agency shall also provide an electronic copy of the summary directly to each member of the appropriate house or houses of the Legislature. Notice of receipt of the report shall also be recorded in the journal of the appropriate house or houses of the Legislature by the secretary or clerk of that house.(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), reports of the State Bar of California may be submitted electronically to the Secretary of the Senate.
(2) In addition to, and as part
of, the information made available to the public in electronic form pursuant to Section 10248, the Legislative Counsel shall make available a list of the reports submitted by state and local agencies, as specified in paragraph (1). If the Legislative Counsel receives a request from a member of the public for a report contained in the list, the Legislative Counsel is not required to provide a copy of the report and may refer the requester to the state or local agency, as the case may be, that authored the report, or to the California State Library as the final repository of public information.
(b) A report shall not
be distributed to a Member of the Legislature unless specifically requested by that Member.
(c) Compliance with subdivision (a) shall be deemed to be full compliance with subdivision (c) of Section 10242.5.
(d) A state agency report and summary subject to this section shall include an Internet Web site where the report can be downloaded and telephone number to call to order a hard copy of the report. A report submitted by a state agency subject to this section shall also be posted at the agency’s Internet Web site.
(e) For purposes of this section, “report” includes any study or audit.
SEC. 2.
Section 10248 of the Government Code is amended to read:10248.
Public computer network; required legislative information.(a) The Legislative Counsel shall, with the advice of the Assembly Committee on Rules and the Senate Committee on Rules, make all of the following information available to the public in electronic form:
(1) The legislative calendar, the schedule of legislative committee hearings, a list of matters pending on the floors of both houses of the Legislature, and a list of the committees of the Legislature and their members.
(2) The text of each bill introduced in each current legislative session, including each amended, enrolled, and chaptered form of each bill.
(3) The bill history of each bill introduced and amended in each current legislative session.
(4) The bill status of each bill introduced and amended in each current legislative session.
(5) All bill analyses prepared by legislative committees in connection with each bill in each current legislative session.
(6) All audiovisual recordings of legislative proceedings that have been caused to be made by the Legislature in accordance with paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 7 of Article IV of the California Constitution. Each recording shall remain accessible to the public through the Internet and downloadable for a minimum period of 20 years following the date on which the recording was made and shall then be archived in a secure format.
(7) All vote information concerning each bill in each current legislative session.
(8) Any veto message concerning a bill in each current legislative session.
(9) The California Codes.
(10) The California Constitution.
(11) All statutes enacted on or after January 1, 1993.
(12) A link to the list of state and local agency reports required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 9795.
(b) The information identified in subdivision (a) shall be made
available to the public by means of access by way of the largest nonproprietary, nonprofit cooperative public computer network. The information shall be made available in one or more formats and by one or more means in order to provide the greatest feasible access to the general public in this state. Any person who accesses the information may access all or any part of the information. The information may also be made available by any other means of access that would facilitate public access to the information. The information that is maintained in the legislative information system that is operated and maintained by the Legislative Counsel shall be made available in the shortest feasible time after the information is available in the information system. The information that is not maintained in the information system shall be made available in the shortest feasible time after it is available to the Legislative Counsel.
(c) Any documentation
that describes the electronic digital formats of the information identified in subdivision (a) and is available to the public shall be made available by means of access by way of the computer network specified in subdivision (b).
(d) Personal information concerning a person who accesses the information may be maintained only for the purpose of providing service to the person.
(e) The Legislative Counsel shall not impose a fee or other charge as a condition of
accessing the information that is accessible by way of the computer network specified in subdivision (b).
(f) The electronic public access provided by way of the computer network specified in subdivision (b) shall be in addition to other electronic or print distribution of the information.
(g) An action taken pursuant to this section does not alter or relinquish any copyright or other proprietary interest or entitlement of the State of California relating to any of the information
made available pursuant to this section.
