BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                           2125 (Ruskin)
          
          Hearing Date:  08/02/2010           Amended: 07/15/2010
          Consultant:  Brendan McCarthy   Policy Vote: NR&W 6-3














































          AB 2125 (Ruskin), Page 2


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          BILL SUMMARY: AB 2125 requires the Ocean Protection Council to  
          support other state agencies' use of geospatial information for  
          coastal- and ocean-related decision making. The bill requires  
          the Ocean Protection Council to report to the Legislature on  
          issues related to marine spatial planning. The bill requires all  
          other state agencies with coastal management or regulatory  
          responsibilities to assist the Ocean Protection Council in these  
          activities. The bill authorizes the Ocean Protection Council to  
          award grants and provide other assistance to support this  
          effort.
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          ____
                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2010-11      2011-12       2012-13     Fund
           
          Report development     Up to $100                       Bond *

          Cost pressure for additional      Unknown, potentially in the  
          millions.              Bond *
              grants                                    

          * Proposition 84.
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          ____

          STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the  
          Suspense File.

          Under current law, the Ocean Protection Council is required to  
          coordinate ocean protection and conservation activities of state  
          agencies, improve the effectiveness of state efforts to protect  
          coastal resources, and to establish policies to coordinate the  
          collection and sharing of scientific data. The Ocean Protection  
          Council is also authorized to make grants and loans for a  
          variety of projects to improve coastal water quality, improve  
          fisheries, and protect ocean ecosystems. These projects are  
          funded from the Ocean Protection Trust Fund, which is largely  
          supported by $90 million in general obligation bond funds  
          allocated in Proposition 84. 

          AB 2125 requires the Ocean Protection Council (subject to  
          available funding) to support other state agencies' use of  
          scientific and geospatial information for coastal and marine  







          AB 2125 (Ruskin), Page 2


          decision making. The bill requires the Council to take a variety  
          of actions, in coordination with other state agencies, to  
          collect and disseminate information on coastal resources. The  
          bill requires the Council to report to the Legislature on the  
          uses and benefits of marine spatial planning.  The bill requires  
          all other state agencies with ocean management interests or  
          regulatory responsibilities to cooperate with the Council in  
          these requirements.

          AB 2125 authorizes the Council to provide grants or other  
          assistance to pubic agencies and non-profit entities to improve  
          the availability and use of geospatial information relating to  
          coastal resources.

          According to the Council, many of the requirements of the bill  
          have already been undertaken. However, in order to review these  
          activities and other state efforts in this area and report to  
          the Legislature, the Council may need additional resources. The  
          cost to prepare the required report is estimated to be about  
          $100,000.

          In addition, by authorizing the Council to provide grants and  
          other assistance for these new activities, the bill puts cost  
          pressures on existing bond funds. The Legislature has  
          appropriated all of the $90 million allocated in Proposition 84  
          for use by the Council. Of this amount, about $25 million  
          remains unspent. By authorizing additional uses of this money,  
          the bill potentially reduces the funding that is available for  
          other uses of those bond funds. 


          Staff recommends the bill be amended to make a grammatical  
          correction. (Add a comma after "ecosystem health" on page 4,  
          line 26.)


          AB 2598 (Brownley) requires local government agencies that have  
          been granted public trust lands to develop a sea level action  
          plan, which may be supported by funds from the Ocean Protection  
          Council. That bill will be heard in this Committee.

          AB 1217 (Monning, Chapter 279, Statutes of 2009) authorizes the  
          Ocean Protection Council to develop and implement a voluntary  
          sustainable seafood program.

          SB 539 (Wiggins, 2009) would have expanded the eligible uses of  







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          existing Proposition 84 funds to include restoration of native  
          salmon and steelhead trout populations. SB 539 was held in the  
          Assembly Appropriations Committee.