BILL NUMBER: AB 543	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Campos

                        FEBRUARY 20, 2013

   An act to add Section 21097 to the Public Resources Code, relating
to environmental quality.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 543, as introduced, Campos. California Environmental Quality
Act: translation.
   Existing law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),
requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be
prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact
report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may
have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative
declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect.
CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative
declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the
environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that
effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as
revised, would have a significant effect on the environment.
   This bill would require a lead agency to translate any notice,
document, or executive summary required by the act when the impacted
community has a substantial number of non-English-speaking people, as
specified. By requiring a lead agency to translate these writings,
this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
   This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates
determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these
statutory provisions.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 21097 is added to the Public Resources Code, to
read:
   21097.  A lead agency shall translate any notice, document, or
executive summary required by this division when the impacted
community has a substantial number of non-English-speaking people, as
specified in Section 7296.2 of the Government Code.
  SEC. 2.  If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this
act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local
agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant
to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of
the Government Code.