BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 482
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 482 (Atkins)
As Amended April 10, 2013
2/3 vote. Urgency
ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS 4-2
APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Ian Calderon, Bloom, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra, |
| |Gomez, Levine | |Bradford, |
| | | |Ian Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Eggman, Gomez, Hall, |
| | | |Ammiano, Pan, Quirk, |
| | | |Weber |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Waldron, Wilk |Nays:|Harkey, Bigelow, |
| | | |Donnelly, Linder, Wagner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Transfers the California Cultural and Historical
Endowment (CCHE) from the California State Library to the
Natural Resources Agency. Also authorizes the CCHE to create a
small museum competitive grant program as specified, and require
the CCHE to apply to the California Department of Motor Vehicles
(DMV) for a specialized license plate using the cartoon
character Snoopy, as specified, to fund the grant program.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Establishes in the Natural Resources Agency, the CCHE,
consisting of 10 members, as specified.
2)Provides that the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency
shall serve as chair of the endowment, or his or her designee.
3)Continues the requirements in current law that the endowment
must undertake a comprehensive survey of the state of cultural
and historical preservation, accessibility, and interpretation
in California, as specified, and; that in conducting the
survey, the endowment shall coordinate with existing state
agencies, including the California Arts Council and the
Secretary of State.
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4)Authorizes the endowment to create a competitive grant program
to support small capital projects in museums and establishes
priorities for grantee objectives.
5)Requires that the grants be funded initially from any moneys
deposited in the California Cultural and Historical Endowment
Fund from the California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe
Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection Fund (Fund) for the
administration of the endowment.
6)Declares that once funding becomes available from the sale of
Snoopy specialized license plates (which this bill would
authorize) funding for the grant program shall only be made
from the funds collected from the specialized license plate
program.
7)Requires that if the endowment creates the museum grant
program described above, the endowment shall apply, on or
before October 1, 2013, to the DMV for the purpose of creating
a specialized license plate program using the cartoon
character Snoopy.
8)Requires that the additional fees collected from the sale of
the Snoopy specialized license plates shall be deposited in
the Fund.
9)Limits the expenditures of the proceeds from the Snoopy
special license funding the competitive small museum grant
program created under the bill.
10)Requires that in seeking authorization from DMV for the
special Snoopy license plate, the endowment shall comply with
all of the requirements that apply to a state agency that
sponsors a specialized license plate program.
11)Provides that this is an urgency measure.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)Potential one-time special fund costs of approximately
$400,000 to DMV to establish the Snoopy license plate program,
including computer programming changes and updating of forms.
Pursuant to current law, DMV will make computer programming
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and form changes only after program applications meet a
7,500-application threshold. Therefore, the DMV will incur
these costs only if it receives enough applications to require
the department to implement the program. The DMV will incur
minor ongoing costs to continue issuing specialty license
plates and renewals under the program. All of the DMV's
initial and ongoing costs will be covered by a portion of the
additional $50 fee paid for specialized license plates.
2)Minor costs to CCHE to submit the program application and
license prototype to DMV, design and print the license plate
application, and collect and hold applications and fees until
7,500 applications are received. It is expected the endowment
will receive assistance with these activities from nonprofit
organizations interested in this program. The endowment's
costs will eventually be recovered assuming sufficient
participation in the program.
3)Potential ongoing revenue to the endowment for museum grant
projects and program administration, depending on the number
of participants in the license plate program.
It is unclear what level of Proposition 40 bond funding will
be available for the new grant program. The Governor's 2013-14
includes $1.4 million to the CCHE from Prop. 40 funds for
additional projects under the bond program (see below). The
CCHE indicates, however, that allocating a small amount of
funds on a competitive basis will entail a time-consuming and
administratively costly process, at a time when the endowment
staff is significantly diminished. Since this funding level
was proposed for the budget, about $70,000 in additional bond
funds has been identified as available to the endowment.
COMMENTS : According to the author's office, "The California
Cultural and Historical Endowment (CCHE) is winding down its
grant program that has funded 180 capital projects and planning
grants with approximately $122 million in Proposition 40 bond
funds. AB 482 would shift the agency's location from the State
Library to the Resources Agency, with a reduction in
administrative and facility costs. The bill has urgency because
of the potential savings.
"In May 2012 the CCHE Board voted to accept an offer by the
California Association of Museums to sponsor a "Snoopy"
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specialty license plate, which would provide an ongoing new
funding source that could allow the agency to develop a
competitive grant program to support small capital projects in
museums, consistent with the original legislation that created
the CCHE." This bill would implement that program.
Please see the policy committee analysis for full discussion of
this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Dana Mitchell / A.,E.,S.,T. & I.M. /
(916) 319-3450
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