BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 312|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 312
Author: Romero (D), et al
Amended: 4/28/09
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 5-0, 4/15/09
AYES: Romero, Huff, Alquist, Maldonado, Padilla
NO VOTE RECORDED: Hancock, Liu, Simitian, Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 10-0, 4/27/09
AYES: Kehoe, Cox, Corbett, Denham, DeSaulnier, Hancock,
Leno, Oropeza, Walters, Wolk
NO VOTE RECORDED: Runner, Wyland, Yee
SUBJECT : Public meetings and hearings
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the State Board of Education
and the State Allocation Board to provide for live video
and audio transmission of any meetings and hearings that
are open to the public through a technology that is
accessible to as large a segment of the public as possible.
ANALYSIS : Existing law establishes the Office of the
State Chief Information Officer appointed by the Governor
to advise the Governor on the strategic management of the
state's information technology resources, coordinate the
activities of agency chief information officers and ensure
compliance with information technology policies and
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standards, among other duties. The office is the successor
to the Office of Technology Review, Oversight, and Security
within the Department of Finance. The office has no
authority over the Legislature, or the Legislative Data
Center or the Legislative Counsel Bureau.
The Constitution and statute establish the State Board of
Education (SBE), consisting of 10 members and an 11th
student member, who are appointed by the Governor. The SBE
is required to meet at least six times a year and may meet
more often at the call of the Board President or any four
members. The State Allocation Board (SAB) consists of the
Director of Finance, the Director of General Services, a
person appointed by Governor, and the Superintendent of
Public Instruction. The SAB also includes three Members of
the Senate appointed by the Rules Committee and three
Members of the Assembly appointed by the Speaker. The SAB
receives staff assistance from the Office of Public School
Construction in the Department of General Services.
Both boards are required to conduct meetings in public
pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, although
that act allows a board to meet in closed session in order
to consider such things as pending litigation or the
appointment, evaluation or dismissal of a public employee.
The State Board of Education is specifically exempted from
meeting in public when reviewing assessment instruments
when actual test content is reviewed and discussed.
This bill:
1.Requires the SBE to provide for live video and audio
transmission of any board meetings and hearings that are
open to the public and take all reasonable steps to use
of any of the following technologies:
(1) Cable television.
(2) Web cast.
(3) The K-12 High Speed Network.
2.Requires the SAB to provide for live video and audio
transmission of any board meetings and hearings that are
open to the public and take all reasonable steps to use
of any of the following technologies:
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(1) Cable television.
(2) Web cast.
(3) The K-12 High Speed Network.
3.Requires the SBE and the SAB to consult with the State
Chief Information Officer to provide for live video and
audio transmission of all board meetings and hearings.
The author's office state that live transmission of these
meeting will ensure greater transparency in education,
increase public participation in education policymaking,
and save costs for faraway school districts that otherwise
would send staff to attend meetings in Sacramento
Comments
State policy . In 2006, the Governor issued Executive
Order S-23-06 calling for expanded use of broadband
networks and advanced communication services to enhance
government operations through such methods as distance
learning for education. In the order, the Governor also
directed that "the Department of General Services and the
Department of Technology Services facilitate State use of
streaming video technologies to broadcast public meetings
over the Internet." The California Broadband Task Force
has also recommended administrative actions that promote
broadband access usage.
Strategic plan . The Chief Information Officer's
Information Technology Strategic Plan calls for the use of
technology that makes government transparent, available,
and intuitive. To make government more transparent, the
plan calls for the state to "deploy available technologies
to allow Californians to offer suggestions as part of the
policy development and deliberative process."
SBE meetings were carried on the California Channel about
10 years ago, but technical issues led to that being
discontinued. The existing K-12 High Speed Network has
technical capacity to carry a live web cast of SBE
meetings. The SAB, which usually meets in the Capitol,
could have its meetings carried on the California channel
if they are held in certain rooms. On January 1, 2009, the
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California Channel increased its capacity to transmit to 24
hours a day. Other state agencies, such as CalEPA,
regularly provide live web casts of public meetings and
hearings.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
Cost for SBE would be $5,000 and less than $10,000 annually
for the SAB to meet the primary objections of this bill.
SUPPORT : (Verified 4/28/09)
Association of California School Administrators
Los Angeles Unified School District
Riverside County Schools Advocacy Association
Small School Districts Association
DLW:do 4/30/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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