BILL NUMBER: AB 2738	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 29, 2010

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Niello

                        FEBRUARY 19, 2010

   An act to amend Section 11346.2 of the Government Code, relating
to regulations.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 2738, as amended, Niello. Regulations: agency statement of
reasons.
   Existing law, the Administrative Procedure Act, governs the
procedure for the adoption, amendment, or repeal of regulations by
state agencies and for the review of those regulatory actions by the
Office of Administrative Law.
   Existing law requires an agency to submit to the office, among
other things, an initial statement of reasons for proposing the
adoption, amendment, or repeal of a regulation that includes, among
other things, a description of reasonable alternatives to the
regulation. Existing law requires, for a regulation that would
mandate the use of specific technologies or equipment or prescribe
specific actions or procedures, that the imposition of performance
standards be considered as an alternative.
   This bill would  delete the requirement  , in the
case of a regulation that would mandate the use of specific
technologies or equipment or prescribe specific actions or procedures
 , that the imposition of performance standards be
considered as an alternative. This   that would require
the use of specific technologies or equipment, require that the
agency take certain actions. Specifically, this  bill would
 instead  require that the agency acknowledge that
performance standards are generally the preferred alternative to
mandating specific methods of compliance  and would require
the agency to   ,  provide a justification for
departing from that acknowledged preference,  as specified
  and provide a detailed specification as to why certain
technologies o   r equipment, or actions or procedures
requiring the use of specific technologies or equipment, are
necessary in order to meet the goals of the regulation  . The
bill would also require the agency to identify and describe the
elements of a regulation that require, or may require through at
least one alternative method of compliance, the use of specific
technologies, equipment,  or  actions  , 
or procedures  that require the use of specific  
technologies or equipment  , or other potentially proprietary
compliance scheme, methodology, or process.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 11346.2 of the Government Code is amended to
read:
   11346.2.  Every agency subject to this chapter shall prepare,
submit to the office with the notice of the proposed action as
described in Section 11346.5, and make available to the public upon
request, all of the following:
   (a) A copy of the express terms of the proposed regulation.
   (1) The agency shall draft the regulation in plain,
straightforward language, avoiding technical terms as much as
possible, and using a coherent and easily readable style. The agency
shall draft the regulation in plain English.
   (2) The agency shall include a notation following the express
terms of each California Code of Regulations section, listing the
specific statutes or other provisions of law authorizing the adoption
of the regulation and listing the specific statutes or other
provisions of law being implemented, interpreted, or made specific by
that section in the California Code of Regulations.
   (3) The agency shall use underline or italics to indicate
additions to, and strikeout to indicate deletions from, the
California Code of Regulations.
   (b) An initial statement of reasons for proposing the adoption,
amendment, or repeal of a regulation. This statement of reasons shall
include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
   (1) A statement of the specific purpose of each adoption,
amendment, or repeal and the rationale for the determination by the
agency that each adoption, amendment, or repeal is reasonably
necessary to carry out the purpose for which it is proposed. Where
the adoption or amendment of a regulation would mandate the use of
specific technologies or equipment, a statement of the reasons why
the agency believes these mandates or prescriptive standards are
required.
   (2) An identification of each technical, theoretical, and
empirical study, report, or similar document, if any, upon which the
agency relies in proposing the adoption, amendment, or repeal of a
regulation.
   (3) (A) A description of reasonable alternatives to the regulation
and the agency's reasons for rejecting those alternatives.  In
the case of a regulation that would mandate the use of specific
technologies or equipment or prescribe specific actions or
procedures, the imposition of performance   standards shall
be considered as an alternative. 
   (B) In the case of a regulation that would mandate the use of
specific technologies or equipment or prescribe specific actions or
procedures  that would require the use of specific technologies
or equipment  , the agency shall do all of the following:
   (i) Acknowledge that the imposition of a performance standard is
generally the preferred alternative to mandating specific methods of
compliance.
   (ii) Identify and describe the elements of a regulation that
require, or may require through at least one alternative method of
compliance, the use of specific technologies, equipment, 
actions,   or actions  or procedures  that
would require the use of specific technologies or equipment  ,
or other potentially proprietary compliance scheme, methodology, or
process.
   (iii) Provide a justification for departing from the acknowledged
preference of imposing performance standards and a detailed
specification as to why certain technologies, equipment, 
actions,   or actions  or procedures  are
required  requiring the use of specific technologies or
equipment,   are necessary in order  to meet the goals
of the regulation, instead of imposing a performance standard.
   (C) A description of reasonable alternatives to the regulation
that would lessen any adverse impact on small business and the agency'
s reasons for rejecting those alternatives.
   (D) Notwithstanding,  subparagraphs 
subparagraph  (A), (B), or (C) an agency is not required to
artificially construct alternatives, describe unreasonable
alternatives, or justify why it has not described alternatives.
   (4) Facts, evidence, documents, testimony, or other evidence on
which the agency relies to support an initial determination that the
action will not have a significant adverse economic impact on
business.
   (5) A department, board, or commission within the Environmental
Protection Agency, the Resources Agency, or the Office of the State
Fire Marshal shall describe its efforts, in connection with a
proposed rulemaking action, to avoid unnecessary duplication or
conflicts with federal regulations contained in the Code of Federal
Regulations addressing the same issues. These agencies may adopt
regulations different from federal regulations contained in the Code
of Federal Regulations addressing the same issues upon a finding of
one or more of the following justifications:
   (A) The differing state regulations are authorized by law.
   (B) The cost of differing state regulations is justified by the
benefit to human health, public safety, public welfare, or the
environment.
   (c) A state agency that adopts or amends a regulation mandated by
federal law or regulations, the provisions of which are identical to
a previously adopted or amended federal regulation, shall be deemed
to have complied with subdivision (b) if a statement to the effect
that a federally mandated regulation or amendment to a regulation is
being proposed, together with a citation to where an explanation of
the provisions of the regulation can be found, is included in the
notice of proposed adoption or amendment prepared pursuant to Section
11346.5. However, the agency shall comply fully with this chapter
with respect to any provisions in the regulation that the agency
proposes to adopt or amend that are different from the corresponding
provisions of the federal regulation.