BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 685 Page 1 CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS AB 685 (Eng) As Amended August 22, 2012 Majority vote ----------------------------------------------------------------- |ASSEMBLY: |52-24|(June 1, 2011) |SENATE: |22-16|(August 23, | | | | | | |2012) | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Original Committee Reference: W., P. & W. SUMMARY : Declares that it is the established policy of the state that every human being has the right to clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking and sanitary purposes and that relevant state agencies, including the Department of Water Resources (DWR), the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), and the State Department of Public Health (DPH) shall consider this state policy when revising, adopting, or establishing policies, regulations and grant criteria pertinent to the human uses of water specified above. The Senate amendments modify the human right to water policy (Policy) to: 1)Narrow the standard for determining when the Policy is met; 2)Remove the California regional water quality control boards from among the agencies identified by name that must consider the Policy; 3)Specify that agencies must consider the Policy only when it is pertinent to the uses of water enumerated; and, 4)Apply the Policy to the revision, adoption or establishment of grant criteria instead of funding in general. AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill was almost identical with the exception of the changes outlined above. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, DPH indicated it would need approximately $150,000 for additional staff to review and potentially revise existing grant guidelines or regulations, as required under the bill (Special Fund). The staff analysis advises that DWR and SWRCB indicated that their costs to AB 685 Page 2 implement the bill can be absorbed within existing resources. COMMENTS : This bill as amended in the Senate changed the standard in the Policy from one that established a right to water that, if used for specific purposes, is adequate to meet individual and family health and well being needs to one that requires the clean, accessible and affordable water to be adequate to meet the specified purposes. Analysis Prepared by : Tina Cannon Leahy / W., P. & W. / (916) 319-2096 FN: 0005592