BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 985
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Date of Hearing: April 13, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Das Williams, Chair
AB 985
(Dahle) - As Introduced February 26, 2015
SUBJECT: Sierra Nevada Conservancy
SUMMARY: Requires that two members of the Senate and two
members of the Assembly meet with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy
(Conservancy) and participate in its activities. One member from
each house must represent a district within the Sierra Nevada
Region, and the other member must represent a district outside
the region.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Established in 2005, the Conservancy is tasked with nine
specific purposes including increasing tourism and recreation
opportunities, protecting the region's resources, and
balancing environmental preservation with local residents'
economic well being.
2)The governing board consists of thirteen voting members and
three nonvoting liaison advisors. Six voting members are
required to be from each of the six subregions in the Sierra
Nevada. Three members appointed by the Governor, one by the
Speaker of the Assembly, and one by the Senate Committee on
Rules are specifically selected to represent statewide
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interests.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
1)Background. There are nine other state conservancies with
varying governing board member requirements which include:
a) State Coastal Conservancy and Santa Monica Mountains
Conservancy:
i) In addition to their governing board members, three
members of the Senate and three members of the Assembly
are required to participate. There are no regional
geographic requirements for the Senate or Assembly
members.
b) Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy:
i) The governing board consists of eleven voting
members and two nonvoting members. The two nonvoting
members must consist of a Senate member and an Assembly
member from districts encompassing a portion of the
Delta.
c) The remaining six conservancies do not have any
requirements for members of the Senate or Assembly to
participate.
2)Purpose of this bill. According to the author, the purpose of
this bill is to satisfy a need to better inform and engage
State level policy makers on Sierra Nevada Region issues and
the role the Conservancy plays, and to expand involvement from
the Legislature in identifying opportunities to mitigate the
effects of drought.
3)Sierra Nevada representation. There are currently seven
Assembly members and four Senators representing districts in
the Sierra Nevada Region. Although it might often be best to
have participating legislators from the region, permanently
limiting the choices the Senate Committee on Rules and Speaker
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of the Assembly has might exclude the best fit for these
positions.
4)Suggested Amendments. The author and committee may wish to
consider striking page 3, lines 21-24: "One appointee from
each house shall represent a district either partially or
wholly within the Sierra Nevada Region and one appointee from
each house shall represent a district that lies outside of the
Sierra Nevada Region".
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Paul Jacobs / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092
AB 985
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