BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
AB 239 (Ammiano)
Hearing Date: 07/11/2011 Amended: 06/28/2011
Consultant: Jolie Onodera Policy Vote: Public Safety 6-0
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BILL SUMMARY: AB 239 would require the Crime Laboratory Review
Task Force (CLRTF) to be reconvened to submit a supplemental
report to the Legislature on or before July 1, 2013, that
contains recommendations regarding the composition of a
statewide oversight body that would perform tasks related to
crime laboratories, as specified.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund
DOJ to reconvene CLRTF $68 $68 $0 General
CLRTF member Potential state-reimbursable costs
toGeneral
participation local agency participants in excess of
$100
Supplemental report Substantial future cost pressure
ifGen/Fed
oversight body convened
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STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
Existing law requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to
establish and chair the CLRTF, comprised of representatives from
various state and local agencies to conduct a review of
California's crime laboratory system. Members shall include
representatives from various crime laboratory entities, state
and local law enforcement, the California District Attorneys
Association, the Public Defenders Association, the Judicial
Council, the Legislature, and the Governor's Office. Under
current law, the CLRTF is to review and make recommendations as
AB 239 (Ammiano)
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to how best to configure, fund, and improve the delivery of
state and local crime laboratory services in the future, seeking
input from specialized law enforcement disciplines, other state
and local agencies, relevant advocacy groups, and the public. A
final report of the CLRTF findings was submitted to the
Department of Finance and the Legislature in 2009.
This bill would require the task force to be reconvened for the
purpose of preparing a supplemental report to be submitted to
the Legislature on or before July 1, 2013, containing
recommendations regarding the composition of a statewide
oversight body that would perform the following tasks:
§ Implement federal legislation or guidelines imposed
directly on crime laboratories or imposed indirectly as a
requirement for receiving a grant;
§ Oversee investigations into acts of misconduct or
negligence committed by any employee or contractor of a
crime laboratory;
§ Collect data generated by investigations in order to
determine the root causes of crimes;
§ Identify systemic failures and make recommendations
for preventing future problems;
§ Study methods to facilitate communication between
laboratories and stakeholders and draft guidelines for
disclosure and discovery of crime laboratory documents;
§ Make recommendations to the Legislature and local
governmental entities regarding the allocation of
resources to crime laboratories throughout the state to
ensure that taxpayers' funds are maximized and distributed
in a more equitable manner.
The DOJ indicates one-time costs of $136,000 over two years to
administer the Task Force. Costs include temporary staffing,
operating expenses, equipment, and travel costs. Although not
keyed as a reimbursable mandate, by requiring additional duties
upon CLRTF members to provide a supplemental report could result
in state-reimbursable costs in excess of $100,000 to local
agencies.
There may be substantial future cost pressure to implement the
recommendations of the CLRTF, once developed. The extent of
those costs and the agencies that would incur those costs are
unknown at this time but would be significant, and would be
dependent upon the specific recommendations outlined in the
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report regarding the composition of the oversight body and the
responsible entities to complete the tasks required to be
performed.
Prior Legislation. AB 1079 (Richardson) 2007 created the
original CLRTF, which completed its initial required report in
2009.