BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Bill No: SB
1578
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Senator Roderick D. Wright, Chair
2011-2012 Regular Session
Staff Analysis
SB 1578 Author: Committee on Governmental Organization
As Introduced: March 20, 2012
Hearing Date: April 24, 2012
Consultant: Art Terzakis
SUBJECT
State Treasurer
DESCRIPTION
SB 1578 makes minor clarifying changes to outdated
provisions of law relating to the State Treasurer's Office
(STO) in order to modernize its business practices.
EXISTING LAW
Existing law requires the STO to close at 4:00 p.m.
(Government Code Section 11020)
Existing law, among other things, authorizes the Treasurer
to appoint as civil executive officers: one cashier, one
bond officer, one deposit officer, one vault officer, one
principal accountant, one bookkeeper, and one secretary
stenographer. (Government Code Section 12302)
Existing law provides STO employees who are performing
guard or messenger duties with the powers and authority
conferred by law upon peace officers. (Government Code
Section 12304)
BACKGROUND
Purpose of SB 1578: This measure would delete portions of
three separate Government Code provisions and a
corresponding Penal Code provision which are obsolete and
SB 1578 (Committee on Governmental Organization) continued
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impact the STO. These existing provisions of law are not
consistent with current STO business practice and
necessitate deletion to avoid any conflicts that could
arise if STO staff followed the letter of the law.
Staff Comments: Government Code Section 11020 currently
requires the STO to close at 4:00 p.m. This statute was
relevant when the STO operated like a bank, and actually
had a "teller" window. Modifying this provision brings the
STO in line with actual practice - the STO stays open until
5:00 p.m.
Government Code Section 12302, among other things,
currently authorizes the Treasurer to appoint as civil
executive officers: one cashier, one bond officer, one
deposit officer, one vault officer, one principal
accountant, one bookkeeper, and one secretary stenographer.
This language is obsolete and unnecessary. SB 1578 would
strike reference to these positions.
Government Code Section 12304 currently provides STO
employees who are performing guard or messenger duties with
the powers and authority conferred by law upon peace
officers. This particular provision of law made sense when
the cash window in the STO lobby functioned - redeeming
state-issued bonds and cashing state payroll checks but not
in this day and age - the STO currently does not employ
peace officers for such work. The state vault is still
housed in the Treasurer's building but, much to the chagrin
of the elementary students who tour the vault, it's full of
boxed unclaimed personal property not pallets of gold bars
and stacks of Benjamins - U.S. one hundred dollar bill
($100).
This measure would delete the above-referenced provision
relating to STO employees who perform guard or messenger
duties and require a corresponding deletion to a portion of
the Penal Code Section 830.4.
SB 1578 is technical and clarifying in nature - it would
have no fiscal, programmatic, or policy impact to the STO
or any other State agency and rightfully belongs in an
Omnibus bill.
SUPPORT: As of April 20, 2012:
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State Treasurer's Office
OPPOSE: None on file as of April 20, 2012.
FISCAL COMMITTEE: Senate Appropriations Committee
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