BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 482
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 482 (Atkins)
As Amended September 3, 2013
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |57-19|(May 30, 2013) |SENATE: |26-7 |(September 11, |
| | | | | |2013) |
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Original Committee Reference: A., E., S., T. & I.M.
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
requires the CCHE to apply to the California Department of Motor
Vehicles (DMV) for a specialized license plate to fund the grant
program.
The Senate amendments :
1)Remove the requirement that the specialized license plate
authorized under this measure depict the cartoon character
"Snoopy."
2)Delete the requirement that start-up funds for the competitive
grant program authorized in the bill come from the California
Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal
Protection Act Fund of 2002 (Proposition 40 Fund).
3)Delete the continuous appropriation of funds from the
specialized license plate fund to the grant program.
4)Delete the urgency clause, which would have allowed the bill
to take effect immediately.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , in relevant part, this bill:
1)Established in the California Cultural and Historic Endowment
within the Natural Resources Agency, as specified.
2)Authorized the endowment to create a competitive grant program
to support small capital projects in museums and establishes
priorities for grantee objectives.
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3)Declared 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.
4)Required 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.
5)Required that the additional fees collected from the sale of
the Snoopy specialized license plates shall be deposited in
the Proposition 40 Fund.
6)Limited the expenditures of the proceeds from the Snoopy
special license funding the competitive small museum grant
program created under the bill.
7)Required 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.
8)Provided that this is an urgency measure.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee:
1)Ongoing annual costs, of approximately $400,000 for the CCHE's
administrative costs for the grant program. These costs would
completely be borne by revenues from the specialty license
plate.
2)One-time costs of approximately $400,000 from the Motor
Vehicle Account (special) to DMV to establish a program for
each new plate design that meets the 7,500 application
threshold by January 1, 2015. These costs would be fully
covered by fees paid in advance by applicants. Ongoing DMV
costs to administer the issuance and renewal of the specialty
plate will also be fully covered by fees.
3)Unknown ongoing revenue, anticipated in the hundreds of
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thousands to millions of dollars, to the California Cultural
and Historical Endowment Fund (special) depending on the
participation rate in the museum specialty license plate.
COMMENTS : According to the author's office, "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. This bill would shift the agency's location from
the State Library to the Resources Agency, with a reduction in
administrative and facility costs.
"In May 2012 the CCHE Board voted to accept an offer by the
California Association of Museums to sponsor a "Snoopy"
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.
Senate amendments delete the reference to "Snoopy" and
Proposition 40 funds : The author has amended the bill to delete
the express reference to a "Snoopy" design in the language
authorizing a specialty license plate. This amendment was taken
to avoid any potential issues which may grow out of on-going
litigation regarding the design of specialty license plates.
According to the author, "We don't need legislation to authorize
the Snoopy plate - the CCHE Board has already voted to sponsor
it, and DMV is ready to proceed as soon as we get this bill
through that sets up the continuing appropriation so that the
CCHE can spend the proceeds from the sale of the specialty
plates." Therefore, the specialty plate will still be a
"Snoopy" plate, even with this amendment through mutual
agreement of the Charles Schultz estate and CCHE.
Senate amendments taken in the Senate Appropriations Committee
also delete the requirement that the initial funding of the
grant program created by the bill come from the Proposition 40
Fund and the continuous appropriation language. This change
will still allow the grant program to go forward as funds become
available through the fees raised by the specialty license plate
and are appropriated by the Legislature.
Please see the policy committee analysis for full discussion of
this bill.
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Analysis Prepared by : Dana Mitchell / A.,E.,S.,T. & I.M. /
(916) 319-3450
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