BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 1531 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 25, 2012 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Felipe Fuentes, Chair AB 1531 (Fuentes) - As Amended: April 19, 2012 Policy Committee: AppropriationsVote: Urgency: Yes State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: SUMMARY This bill, one of two annual bills sponsored by the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board (board) and carried by the Appropriations Committee chairs, appropriates $859,738 to pay 273 claims against the state as approved by the board. FISCAL EFFECT Appropriates $859,738 ($794,911 GF; $64,825 special funds) to the board for payment of claims, all of which are stale-dated warrants - state checks that were lost or expired and never cashed. COMMENTS 1)Rationale. The Government Code requires the board to take all necessary steps to ensure that all approved claims, for which there exists no legally available appropriation, are submitted for legislative approval at least twice each calendar year. 2)Support . This bill, supported by the board, the Department of Finance, and the administration, has no opposition. 3)All 273 claims are all for stale-dated warrants (expired checks) , ranging from $2 to $249,644. The 11 stale-dated warrant claims over $10,000 account for $574,504, 66% of the costs of this bill; the remaining 262 claims average $1,089. For stale-dated warrant claims, the Controller must confirm the check was not cashed and that at least three years have AB 1531 Page 2 passed since the check was issued and the monies have reverted to the General Fund. Analysis Prepared by : Geoff Long / APPR. / (916) 319-2081