BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 797 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 22, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Jimmy Gomez, Chair AB 797 (Steinorth) - As Amended April 6, 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Accountability and |Vote:|9 - 0 | |Committee: |Administrative Review | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: > SUMMARY: This bill requires a copy of each major regulation submitted to the Secretary of State (SOS) by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) to also be submitted to the appropriate Legislative policy committees responsible for the subject matter of the regulation for review. AB 797 Page 2 FISCAL EFFECT: Minor and absorbable costs to the Office of Administrative Law. OAL indicates that of the approximately 600 regulatory actions they receive each year, fewer than 15 would likely be impacted by this bill at the current economic impact threshold of $50 million. COMMENTS: Purpose and Background. The author argues that the bill improves transparency of the rule making process and accountability to ensure that major government regulations, those with a fiscal impact on California's economy of $50 million or greater, face careful scrutiny by elected officials. In 2011, the Little Hoover Commission issued a report, Better Regulation: Improving California's Rulemaking Process, and recommended major regulations be sent to the Legislature for review. Currently, the OAL publishes all adopted regulations, including major regulations, in the California Regulatory Notice Register. Additionally, the Department of Finance posts a list of major regulations on its website. Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081 AB 797 Page 3