BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2720
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 2720 (Ting)
As Amended August 7, 2014
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |78-0 |(May 15, 2014) |SENATE: |35-0 |(August 14, |
| | | | | |2014) |
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Original Committee Reference: G.O.
SUMMARY : Requires a state body to publicly report any action
taken and the vote or abstention on that action of each member
present for the action.
The Senate amendments made technical changes to correct a
drafting error.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill is substantially similar to
the version passed by the Senate.
FISCAL EFFECT : None. The bill is keyed non-fiscal by
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS :
Purpose of the bill: According to the author, current law
requires that the meetings of state boards and commissions be
open to the public, so that their deliberations and actions are
conducted in service of the public's interest. However, there
is no specific requirement that actions taken by state boards
and commissions during regular meetings are publicly reported
and reveal vote or abstention of each member present for the
action. Consequently, there are multiple examples of state
boards and commissions that do not make this important
information readily accessible to the public. Final votes are
often reported, for example, as 20 Ayes and 10 Noes, making it
impossible to determine how individual members, who represent
different industry interests, voted on the action taken. Some
votes do not even report the final vote numerically, only
reporting whether the action passed or failed. If a member of
the public was not able to attend the meeting, then it is
impossible for that individual to be wholly informed about the
outcome of the action taken.
AB 2720
Page 2
This bill would strengthen California's commitment to open and
transparent governance by requiring all state boards and
commissions to count, identify, and publicly disclose all votes
on actions taken during meetings. This bill will ensure that
the public has complete information about the decisions made by
state bodies, so they are held accountable to the public
interest.
Arguments in support: The California Taxpayers Association
states that all levels of government need to continue to promote
a transparent government. Empowering people to engage in
government allows them to become stakeholders in the political
process. Giving access, in turn, allows people to see how their
government is run, and how policymakers' decisions will impact
their lives.
There is no opposition on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Felipe Lopez / G.O. / (916) 319-2531
FN: 0004525