BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 563| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONSENT Bill No: SB 563 Author: Galgiani (D) Amended: As introduced Vote: 21 SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE : 9-0, 4/24/13 AYES: Hernandez, Anderson, Beall, De León, DeSaulnier, Monning, Nielsen, Pavley, Wolk SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8 SUBJECT : Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development: construction of health facilities SOURCE : California Hospital Association DIGEST : This bill requires the person or entity requesting a copy of a plan maintained by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) to bear the cost of producing the copy of that plan. ANALYSIS : Existing law: 1.Establishes the Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act of 1983 (Seismic Safety Act), which requires OSHPD to propose proper building standards for earthquake resistance, and provide an independent review of the design CONTINUED SB 563 Page 2 and construction of hospital buildings. 2.Requires OSHPD to observe the construction of, reconstruction, or alteration of any hospital building as it deems necessary to comply with the Seismic Safety Act. 3.Requires the governing authority of each hospital, before adopting any plans for the hospital building, to submit the plans to OSHPD for approval. 4.Establishes the California Public Records Act (PRA), which requires each state or local agency, upon a request for a copy of records, to make the records promptly available to any person upon payment of fees covering direct costs of duplication, or a statutory fee if applicable. 5.Defines "public records," for purposes of the PRA, to include any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public's business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics. Exempts certain types of records from disclosure under the PRA. 6.Requires certain specified state and local bodies, including OSHPD, to establish written guidelines for accessibility of records under the PRA. This bill requires the person or entity requesting a copy of a plan maintained by OSHPD to bear the cost of producing the copy of that plan. Background OSHPD's PRA Guidelines . According to OSHPD's guidelines for access to public records under the PRA, in general, all public records are open to inspection by any person on any state business day, unless the records are exempt from disclosure, pursuant to specific provisions of law. If there is any question as to whether the requested records or "public records" or whether the records are otherwise exempt from disclosure, OSHPD's legal staff will review the records and make a determination. With regard to requests for copies of records, OSHPD charges the following duplicating costs: CONTINUED SB 563 Page 3 1.The fee for photocopying 8-1/2" x 11" or 8-1/2" x 14" documents is $0.10 per page. 2.The fee for computer data will be calculated on a case-by-case basis. It will be based on staff and processing time, as well as a per-page charge for printouts; 3.Any applicable statutory fees will be assessed; and, 4.If the records are mailed to the requester, the requester must pay the cost of postage. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: Yes Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No SUPPORT : (Verified 5/7/13) California Hospital Association (source) Association of California Healthcare Districts ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : This bill is sponsored by the California Hospital Association (CHA), which states that OSHPD receives numerous requests to have architectural plans in their office copied. Plans can be thousands of pages and weigh hundreds of pounds. CHA states that this bill allows OSHPD to recover all of its costs from such requests. The Association of California Healthcare Districts (ACHD) also supports this bill, stating that many district hospitals are in the midst of meeting Seismic Safety Act requirements. ACHD states that this bill would protect construction plans of hospitals when those plans are submitted to OSHPD. JL:ej 5/8/13 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END **** CONTINUED SB 563 Page 4 CONTINUED