BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 501
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Date of Hearing: April 29, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
501 (Levine) - As Amended April 22, 2015
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| |Judiciary | |10 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable:
SUMMARY:
This bill requires a person conducting Delta research, and whose
research is funded in whole or in part by state funds, to share
findings, data, samples, collections, and other supporting
material created and gathered in the course of the research.
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Additionally, this bill:
1)Requires a state agency that funds or participates in Delta
research to implement appropriate policies to disseminate and
share Delta research results, including by making it a
condition of a grant that the grantee share research data,
collections, and findings with other researchers.
2)Provides that a researcher who fails to comply with the
sharing and dissemination requirements, as specified, is not
eligible for state-funding until he or she complies.
3)Permits the Delta Independent Science Board (ISB) to adopt
guidelines to provide adjustments to, or exemptions from, the
requirements of this bill if necessary to safeguard the rights
of individuals or the validity or integrity of research.
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)One-time increased costs to the Delta Stewardship Council of
up to $1 million to develop an online data submittal and
retrieval system. Ongoing annual costs of up to $800,000
depending on how delta research is defined (GF or special
fund).
2)Increased one-time costs in the range of $150,000 to $200,000
for the Delta Independent Science Board to adopt guidelines
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(GF or special fund).
3)Increased ongoing annual costs, likely of over $150,000 for
ISB to provide adjustments and exemptions from the
requirements of the bill (GF or special fund).
The ISB is a part-time board with limited staff. This bill
would significantly expand their duties.
4)Unknown, potentially significant, increased costs for state
agencies, such as the Department of Water Resources,
Department of Fish and Wildlife, and State Water Resources
Control Board to comply with the requirements of the bill (GF
or special).
COMMENTS:
1)Rationale. In February 2015, the Environmental Data Summit
Organizing Committee, under the leadership of the Delta
Science Program, released a draft white paper, Enhancing the
Vision for Managing California's Environmental Information.
This draft discusses the need for sharable data to help inform
Delta policy and asserts that shared and accessible data with
a clear understanding of the accuracy and content of the
information is paramount to minimizing lawsuits and conflicts,
advancing nimble management and deepening public engagement.
According to the author, by some estimates there are over 100
different state, federal, local, and non-governmental entities
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conducting scientific analyses in the Delta. This bill will
foster communication and transparency among Delta researchers
and provide the Delta Science Program with open access to
research data.
2)Background. The Delta Stewardship Council is charged with
achieving the state's "coequal goals" of providing a more
reliable water supply for California and protecting,
restoring, and enhancing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
ecosystem.
In furtherance of these goals, the Delta Science Program seeks
unbiased research to help lawmakers and state agencies develop
scientifically-based water and environmental policies for the
Delta. According to the Council's Web site, the science
program has funded 40 research grants totaling more than $25
million. The Science Program considers funding scientific
research to be a critical component in establishing unbiased
and authoritative knowledge directly relevant to Bay-Delta
actions.
Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081
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