Amended in Senate July 10, 2013

Amended in Assembly May 1, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 576

Introduced by Assembly Member V. Manuel Pérez

February 20, 2013

An act to add and repeal Part 12.2 (commencing with Section 15910) of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to the underground economy.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 576, as amended, V. Manuel Pérez. Revenue Recovery and Collaborative Enforcement Team Act: pilot program.

Existing law requires various state entities, including, but not limited to, the State Board of Equalization, the Franchise Tax Board, and the Department of Justice, to enforce laws relating to the taxation and legal operation of businesses throughout the state under their respective jurisdictions.

This bill would establish, until January 1, 2019, a pilot program to create a multiagency team consisting of the Franchise Tax Board, Department of Justice, and State Board of Equalization, to be known as the Revenue Recovery and Collaborative Enforcement Team, to collaborate in combating criminal tax evasion associated with the underground economy by, among other activities, developing a plan for a central intake process and organizational structure to document, review, and evaluate data and complaints. The bill would authorize other specified state entities to participate in the pilot program in an advisory capacity. The bill would authorize team members begin delete and representatives of other participating agencies end delete to exchange information for the purpose of investigating criminal tax evasion associated with the underground economy. The bill would require the team, on or before July 1, 2015, begin insert and each January 1, thereafter until January 1, 2019, end insert to annually report to the Legislature and each participating agency on its activities. The bill would require an additional report to be filed with the Legislature by December 1, 2017, to include the number of complaints received by the team and cases investigated or prosecuted as a result of team collaboration.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(a) According to the State Board of Equalization, an estimated
nine billion dollars ($9,000,000,000) in corporate, personal, and
sales and use taxes goes uncollected in California each year, with
unreported and underreported economic activity responsible for
the vast majority of that total.

(b) Criminal tax evasion associated with underground economic
activities hurts all Californians. Revenues to support government
services are lost, workers are forced to go without basic
employment protections, and legitimate businesses are confronted
with unfair competition. Despite significant statewide efforts,
California continues to lose billions of dollars in annual tax
revenues due to the underground economy.

(c) The mission of the Labor Enforcement Task Force (LETF)
and the Joint Enforcement Strike Force (JESF) is to combat the
underground economy to ensure a level playing field for California
businesses. However, these programs focus on labor violations
while often overlooking or disregarding criminal tax evasion.

(d) The Legislature intends this act to enhance existing efforts
to combat criminal tax evasion associated with underground
economic activities by institutionalizing collaboration among state
agencies. This collaborative effort to combat criminal tax evasion
will further aid the state in its progress toward protecting consumers
from counterfeit products, increasing public services, and
preventing human trafficking by enhancing the state’s ability to
identify and punish offenders. The Legislature recognizes that the
state needs to comprehensively address the underground economy
and capitalize on each agency’s enforcement efforts and
investigative resources by creating the Revenue Recovery and
Collaborative Enforcement Team. A key element of this effort is
to authorize and facilitate data and intelligence sharing among
participating state agencies. It is the intent of the Legislature in
enacting this act to focus on the criminal and civil prosecution of
those who operate in the underground economy and flagrantly
violate the tax laws.

SEC. 2.  

Part 12.2 (commencing with Section 15910) is added
to Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read:

 

PART 12.2.  Revenue Recovery and Collaborative
Enforcement Team Act

 

15910.  

This part shall be known, and may be cited, as the
Revenue Recovery and Collaborative Enforcement Team Act.

15912.  

(a) The Revenue Recovery and Collaborative
Enforcement Team is hereby established in state government as a
pilot program.

(b) For purposes of this part, the term “team” shall refer to the
Revenue Recovery and Collaborative Enforcement Team.

15914.  

(a) The team shall include all of the following state
entities:

(1) Franchise Tax Board.

(2) Department of Justice.

(3) State Board of Equalization.

(b) In addition to the agencies listed in subdivision (a), the
following agencies may participate in the pilot program in an
advisory capacity to the team:

(1) California Health and Human Services Agency.

(2) Department of Consumer Affairs.

(3) Department of Industrial Relations.

(4) Department of Insurance.

(5) Employment Development Department.

(6) Department of Motor Vehicles.

(c) If, in its normal course of investigation, an agency listed in
subdivision (b) discovers a violation of law that would result in
increased tax revenues to the state, that agency may notify the
appropriate tax agency listed in subdivision (a).

15916.  

The team shall meet as needed, but at least quarterly,
to conduct its business.

15918.  

To serve the best interests of the state by combating
criminal tax evasion associated with the underground economy,
the begin delete participating end delete agencies begin insert listed in subdivision (a) of Section 15914 end insert
shall do all of the following:

(a) Develop a plan for a central intake process and organizational
structure to document, review, and evaluate data and complaints.

(b) Evaluate the benefits of a processing center to receive and
analyze data, share complaints, and research leads from the input
of begin delete each impacted agency. end delete begin insert agencies listed in subdivisions (a) and
(b) of Section 15914. end insert

(c) Provide participating and nonparticipating agencies with
investigative leads where collaboration opportunities exist for
felony-level criminal investigations, including, but not limited to,
referring leads to agencies with appropriate enforcement
jurisdiction.

15920.  

Duly authorized team members begin delete and representatives of
other participating agencies end delete begin insert listed in subdivision (a) end insert begin insert of Section
15914 end insert may exchange intelligence, data, documents, information,
complaints, or lead referrals for the purpose of investigating
criminal tax evasion associated with underground economic
activities. Any member or ex-member of the team, any agent
employed by any begin delete member agency, end delete begin insert agency listed in subdivisions
(a) and (b) of Section 15912, end insert or any person who has at any time
obtained such knowledge from any of the foregoing agencies or
persons shall not divulge, or make known in any manner not
provided by law, any of the confidential information received by,
or reported to, the team. Information exchanged pursuant to this
section shall retain its confidential status and shall remain subject
to the confidentiality provisions contained in the following
provisions:

(a) California Health and Human Services Agency: Subdivision
(c) of Section 6254 of this code and Section 14100.2 of the Welfare
and Institutions Code.

(b) Department of Consumer Affairs: Section 30 of the Business
and Professions Code and Section 56.29 of the Civil Code.

(c) Department of Industrial Relations: Sections 11181, 11183,
and 15553 of this code, Article 7 (commencing with Section 1877)
of Chapter 12 of Part 2 of Division 1 of the Insurance Code, and
Sections 92, 138.7, 1026, 3762, 6309, 6322, 6396, and 6412 of
the Labor Code.

(d) Department of Insurance: Section 11180 of this code and
Sections 1872.6, 1873, 1874.2, 1875.1, 1877.1, 1877.3, 1877.4,
and 1877.5 of the Insurance Code.

(e) Department of Justice: Section 11183.

(f) Department of Motor Vehicles: Sections 1808.2, 1808.4,
1808.5, 1808.6, 1808.21, 1808.24, and 12800.5 of the Vehicle
Code.

(g) Employment Development Department: Sections 1094 and
1095 of the Unemployment Insurance Code.

(h) Franchise Tax Board: Sections 19542, 19542.1, and 19542.3
of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

(i) State Board of Equalization: Section 15619 of this code,
Section 42464.8 of the Public Resources Code, and Sections 7056,
7056.5, 8255, 9255, 9255.1, 30455, 38705, 38706, 43651, 45981,
45982, 45983, 45984, 46751, 50159, 50160, 50161, 55381, 60608,
and 60609 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

15922.  

On or before July 1, 2015, and begin delete annually thereafter, end delete begin insert each
January 1 thereafter, until January 1, 2019, end insert the team shall report
on its activities and accomplishments to the Legislature in
compliance with Section 9795, and to each begin delete participating agency. end delete
begin insert agency listed in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 15914. end insert

15923.  

The team shall submit to the Legislature on or before
December 1, 2017, and in compliance with Section 9795, a report
of the pilot program that includes, but is not limited to, the
following information:

(a) The number of leads or complaints received by the team.

(b) The number of cases investigated or prosecuted through
civil action or criminal prosecution as a result of team
collaboration.

(c) Recommendations for modifying, eliminating, or continuing
the operation of any or all of the provisions of this part.

15924.  

This part shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2019, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that is enacted before January 1, 2019, deletes or extends that date.