BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION Senator Isadore Hall, III Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Bill No: AB 646 Hearing Date: 7/14/2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Author: |McCarty | |-----------+-----------------------------------------------------| |Version: |7/8/2015 Amended | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ |Urgency: |Yes |Fiscal: |Yes | ------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Consultant:|Felipe Lopez | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUBJECT: State Archives: museum activities. DIGEST: This bill removes the Secretary of State (SOS), the Director of Parks and Recreation, and the State Archivist from their honorary, nonvoting positions on the governing board of the California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts (California Museum) and, instead, would require the SOS and the Director of Parks and Recreation to act as ex officio voting members of the board. ANALYSIS: Existing law: 1)Requires the SOS to administer the State Archives Building Complex for the use, education and civic engagement by all Californians. 2)Authorizes the SOS to enter into an agreement to operate a museum in the State Archives Building Complex with the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, a nonprofit public benefit corporation, or its successor. 3)Requires the SOS, the Director of Parks and Recreation, and the State Archivist to act as honorary nonvoting members of the governing board of the corporation. This bill: AB 646 (McCarty) Page 2 of ? 1)Removes the SOS, the Director of Parks and Recreation, and the State Archivist from their honorary, nonvoting positions on the governing board of the California Museum, instead, would require the SOS and the Director of Parks and Recreation to act as ex officio voting members of the board. 2)Includes an urgency clause. Background Correction to AB 1234 (McCarty). This bill corrects an issue in law that was created with the passage of AB 1234 (McCarty) and its signing on June 30, 2015. AB 1234 (McCarty) provided that the SOS and the Director of Parks and Recreation, or their respective designees, were honorary non-voting board members of the foundation's governing board. AB 646 simply restores them as voting members as was the case prior to the signing of AB 1234 (McCarty). The restoration is needed to correct a misinterpretation of current law related to the ability of an ex officio board member's ability to vote. California Museum. The California Museum opened in June of 1998 through a unique partnership with the State of California as a private non-profit institution focused on California History and culture. Under the development of the Secretary of State's office, the Museum was created to be the public showplace for contents of the California State Archives and it's the home of the California Hall of Fame. Since its opening, nearly three million people have visited the museum. The mission of the Museum is to engage, enlighten and inspire visitors about California's rich history and its unique influence on the world of ideas, innovation, art, and culture by creating opportunities for learning about past decisions and events, present circumstances and future possibilities. Prior/Related Legislation AB 1234 (McCarty, Chapter 33, Statutes of 2015) updated the authority of the SOS to renew the agreement with the public benefit corporation that operates the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, located in the SOS and State Archives Building Complex. AB 646 (McCarty) Page 3 of ? FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No SUPPORT: None received OPPOSITION: None received