California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1651

Introduced by Assembly Member Obernolte

January 12, 2016

An act to add Sections 324.7 and 324.8 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to the Public Utilities Commission.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1651, as introduced, Obernolte. Public Utilities Commission: contracts.

Existing law generally requires public contracts to be awarded by competitive bidding pursuant to procedures set forth in the Public Contract Code, subject to certain exceptions. Existing law authorizes any state agency that receives delegated authority from the Department of General Services to acquire, without prior approval, materials, supplies, and equipment to make those acquisitions as long as they do not exceed certain cost thresholds.

Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to semiannually electronically publish certain data collected for its clearinghouse minority and women business data base for use by governmental agencies and members of the public who request the information.

This bill would require the commission to publish a copy of each awarded contract that it enters into for goods or services and to identify specified information about the contract and contracting party on its Internet Web site. The bill would require this information to be published no less frequently than once a month and be available free of charge on the commission’s Internet Web site. The bill would also require the commission to make available on its Internet Web site audits conducted by the Department of General Services of the commission’s contracting practices.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the
Public Utilities Commission Contracting Transparency Act of
2016.

SEC. 2.  

Section 324.7 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
read:

324.7.  

(a) The commission shall, on its Internet Web site,
publish a copy of each awarded contract that the commission enters
into pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 10300) and
Article 4 (commencing with Section 10335) of Chapter 2 of Part
2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code and identify the
following information about the contract and contracting party:
the name, address, and point of contact of the company, the goods
and services requested, and the contract value.

(b) The information described in subdivision (a) shall be
published no less frequently than once a month.

(c) The information described in subdivision (a) shall be made
available free of charge on the commission’s Internet Web site.

SEC. 3.  

Section 324.8 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
read:

324.8.  

The commission shall make available on its Internet
Web site audits conducted by the Department of General Services
of the commission’s contracting practices.