BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 1520 Page 1 SENATE THIRD READING SB 1520 (Ron Calderon) As Amended August 20, 2012 2/3 vote. Urgency SENATE VOTE :38-0 BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS 9-0 APPROPRIATIONS 12-0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Ayes:|Hayashi, Bill Berryhill, |Ayes:|Gatto, Blumenfield, | | |Allen, Butler, Eng, | |Bradford, | | |Hagman, Hill, Ma, Smyth | |Charles Calderon, Campos, | | | | |Davis, Fuentes, Hall, | | | | |Hill, Cedillo, Mitchell, | | | | |Solorio | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY : Makes minor and technical changes to the procedures for adopting regulations. Specifically, this bill : 1)Requires a statement of reasons for the adoption, amendment or repeal of a regulation to include a standardized impact analysis for each major regulation proposed after November 1, 2013, instead of January 1, 2013, under existing law. 2)Requires agencies proposing to adopt, amend or repeal a regulation prior to November 1, 2013, to prepare an economic assessment. 3)Makes technical and clarifying changes. 4)Contains an urgency clause. EXISTING LAW : 1)Establishes the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), which is charged with rulemaking procedures and standards for the adoption, amendment, or repeal of regulations by state agencies charged with the enforcement of state laws and for the review of those regulations by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL). 2)Requires every agency to submit to OAL, a notice of proposed SB 1520 Page 2 action and make a copy of the express terms of the regulation available to the public upon request. 3)Requires for every major regulation proposed on or after January 1, 2013, a standardized regulatory impact analysis. 4)Requires state agencies that are proposing to adopt, amend or repeal any administrative regulation to assess the potential for adverse economic impact on California business enterprises and individuals. 5)Establishes the permit streamlining act. 6)Provides that the Legislature finds and declares that there is a statewide need to ensure clear understanding of the specific requirements which must be met in connection with the approval of development projects and to expedite decisions on such projects. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, there are not significant costs associated with this legislation. COMMENTS : According to the author, "From a project review standpoint, this bill is an attempt to encourage a quicker review of applications for pending California development and other projects to expedite review and processing under applicable California law." The APA governs the adoption of regulations by state agencies for purposes of ensuring that they are clear, necessary, legally valid, and available to the public. In seeking adoption of a proposed regulation, state agencies must comply with procedural requirements that include publishing the proposed regulation along with supporting statement of reasons; mailing and publishing a notice of the proposed action 45 days before a hearing or before the close of the public comment period; and, submitting a final statement to OAL that summarizes and responds to all objections, recommendations and proposed alternatives that were raised during the public comment period. The OAL is then required to approve or reject the proposed regulation within 30 days. OAL is responsible for reviewing administrative regulations SB 1520 Page 3 proposed by over 200 state agencies for compliance with the standards set forth in the APA, for transmitting these regulations to Secretary of State (SOS) and for publishing regulations in the California Code of Regulations. Existing law requires OAL to review all regulations for necessity and non-duplication, and requires OAL to print a summary of all regulations filed with SOS in the previous week in the California Regulatory Notice Register. Analysis Prepared by : Elissa Silva / B.,P. & C.P. / (916) 319-3301 FN: 0005046