BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 1331
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 24, 2013

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

           AB 1331 (Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife) - As Amended:   
                                    May 21, 2013 

          Policy Committee:                              Water, Parks and  
          Wildlife     Vote:                            10-0  

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY

           This bill requires three studies relating to California's water  
          resource needs.  Specifically, this bill:

          1)Requires the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to initiate  
            and complete a comprehensive study of California's state and  
            local water supply infrastructure needs and report to the  
            Legislature by July 1, 2014. 

          2)Requires the Delta Stewardship Council (Council), after  
            adoption of its long-term management plan for the  
            Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta Plan), to initiate and  
            complete a comprehensive study of the state funding necessary  
            to implement the Delta Plan and report those finding to the  
            Legislature by July 1, 2014.  

          3)Requires the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and  
            the Drinking Water and Environmental Management Division of  
            the Department of Public Health (DPH) to initiate and complete  
            a comprehensive study of the need for state funding for  
            projects necessary to ensure that all Californians have access  
            to safe drinking water and a report to the Legislature by July  
            1, 2014.

           FISCAL EFFECT

           1)Costs to the DWR, potentially in the millions of dollars, to  
            recompile and update existing data.

          2)Costs to the Delta Stewardship Council to expedite existing  








                                                                  AB 1331
                                                                  Page  2

            study requirements that are already funded in the current  
            budget.

          3)Costs to SWRCB and DPH, potentially in the millions of dollars  
            to standardize data and provide the necessary public system  
            funding information.

          All three reports are due July 1, 2014.   Even if much of the  
          data exists, the compressed timeline may significantly increase  
          the costs to the state agencies performing the studies.


           


          COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose.   This bill is intended to provide additional  
            information to inform future water bond discussions.

           2)Background.   In 2009, the Legislature placed the Safe, Clean,  
            and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act, an $11.4 billion  
            general obligation bond for on the ballot for voter approval  
            in 2012.  Subsequent legislation moved the bond to the  
            November, 2014 general election.   Discussions continue on  
            whether to reduce the size or scope of the water bond prior to  
            the election.  This bill is a vehicle for those discussions.





           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081