BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2549|
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CONSENT
Bill No: AB 2549
Author: Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife
Amended: 8/9/16 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE: 9-0, 6/14/16
AYES: Pavley, Stone, Allen, Hertzberg, Hueso, Jackson,
Monning, Vidak, Wolk
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 76-0, 5/19/16 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT: Public resources
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill is the omnibus committee bill from the
Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee that makes
non-controversial amendments to the Fish and Game Code that
affect the Department of Fish and Game, and amendments to the
Public Resources Code that affect the California Department of
Parks and Recreation.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Establishes procedures for public input, petitions to add or
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Page 2
remove species from the state endangered or threatened species
lists, and other administrative procedures regarding the
public hearing process and the administrative record of
matters pursuant to the California Endangered Species Act,
several of which sunset on January 1, 2017. Specifically,
these include Fish and Game Code Sections 2074.2, 2074.6,
2074.8, and 2075.5.
2)Prohibits and establishes enforcement criteria regarding the
invasive quagga and zebra mussels that sunset in 2017.
3)Authorizes the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to
receive funding from third parties for maintenance,
restoration, operation, repairs and other purposes at state
parks and requires such funds to be deposited in a separate
account in the State Park Contingent Fund.
4)Requires DPR, for all operating agreements it enters into with
third parties, to include a projection of costs, including
design, planning, construction, operation, staff, maintenance,
marketing, and information technology.
5)Requires the California Parks and Recreation Commission
(commission) to approve general plans of state park units that
are prepared by DPR and establishes criteria for such
approvals.
This bill:
1)Removes the sunset on certain public hearing process and
administrative record matters of the California Endangered
Species Act. These provisions were enacted in SB 749 (Wolk,
Chapter 387, Statutes of 2013) and the sunset was added to
ensure there were no unintended consequences.
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2)Extends the sunset date on the quagga and zebra mussel
invasive species program until 2020.
3)Clarifies the cost analysis required for revenue generation
projects at the DPR so that the criteria identified above are
applied only when appropriate to each funded project.
4)Requires DPR, in consultation with the commission, to present
specific recommendations to the Legislature for improving the
state park planning and project approval process that will do
all of the following:
a) Provide more efficient and cost-effective plan
development, including the use of multi-unit general plans
where appropriate;
b) Provide for public participation;
c) Reduce redundant reviews carried out pursuant to CEQA
and other statutes; and
d) Enable the department to reduce its backlog of general
plans by 2025.
1)Directs DPR to provide an accounting of donated funds to
donors until all the donated funds have been expended.
Comments
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According to the author, the general plan process at DPR is
labor and resource intensive. DPR currently has a significant
backlog of state parks that do not have general plans, as well
as parks with plans that are outdated. DPR has estimated that
under the current process for general plans, it would take more
than 30 years to address the backlog. The commission has been
working with DPR in an effort to identify additional reforms as
well. The other provision adds transparency to donors for funds
they contribute to the department.
On the Fish and Game Code changes, the author pointed out that
those procedural provisions had a sunset clause in order to
identify any unintended consequences from SB 749 (Wolk, 2013).
No unintended consequences have been reported. The other
provisions extend a sunset provision on the quagga mussel
program.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: Yes
SUPPORT: (Verified8/8/16)
None received
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/8/16)
None received
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 76-0, 5/19/16
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Page 5
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Arambula, Atkins, Baker,
Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke,
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines,
Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson,
Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Roger
Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey,
Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mayes, Medina,
Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen,
Patterson, Quirk, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago,
Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber,
Wilk, Wood, Rendon
NO VOTE RECORDED: Chang, Mathis, McCarty, Williams
Prepared by:William Craven / N.R. & W. / (916) 651-4116
8/10/16 16:03:46
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