BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 479
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Date of Hearing: August 21, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
SB 479 (Block) - As Amended: August 14, 2013
Policy Committee:
AccountabilityVote:12-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill:
1)Transfers responsibility for management of the state's records
from the Department of General Services (DGS) to the Secretary
of State (SOS), effective July 1, 2014.
2)Stipulates that any state civil service employees transferred
from DGS to the SOS as a result of (1) will maintain their
status, position, and employment rights.
3)Makes the above operative only upon appropriation of funds for
the SOS to carry out its new responsibilities.
FISCAL EFFECT
Net ongoing General Fund cost of $166,000. Currently, the State
Records Management program is funded through a portion of the
statewide surcharge collected by DGS from all state agencies. To
accomplish the transfer of the program from the DGS to SOS, the
DGS's expenditure authority, and the surcharge collection, would
be reduced by $432,000 and the SOS' General Fund expenditure
authority would need to be increased by a like amount.
Approximately 62% the funds collected for the statewide
surcharge are from the General Fund, with the balance from
various special funds. Thus the total $432,000 reduction in the
statewide surcharge would result in savings of $266,000 GF (to
partially offset the $432,000 GF appropriation to the SOS) and
$166,000 in special funds.
SB 479
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COMMENTS
1)Background . The State Archives, which is part of the SOS,
collects, catalogs, preserves, and provides access to the
historic records of state government and some records of local
governments. The SOS also had responsibility for state
records management until legislation created DGS in 1963.
The state records program within DGS has two elements:
California Information Records Management (CalRIM) and the
State Records Center (SRC). CalRIM establishes guidelines for
state agencies in records management and retention and
provides training and other technical services to help state
agencies maintain effective records programs. The SRC stores
and retrieves vital records and semi-active and inactive
records for state agencies.
CalRIM and the State Archives currently review and approve
records retention schedules prepared by state agencies. State
Archives staff determines if records identified on each
retention schedule have archival value and should therefore be
transferred to the Archives at the end of the records'
lifecycles.
2)Purpose . According to the author's office, the state's
existing program for creating, managing, and preserving
records is not cohesive and results in significant duplication
of effort and missed opportunities for efficiency between the
State Archives and CalRIM. SB 479, which transfers
responsibility for state records management from CalRIM to the
State Archives, is intended to more efficiently manage state
records.
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081