BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2746
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 18, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
2746 (Obernolte) - As Amended March 28, 2016
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill requires the California Public Utilities Commission
(PUC) to adopt procedures authorizing the submission of
electronic signatures and documents by all parties on contracts
involving the PUC.
AB 2746
Page 2
FISCAL EFFECT:
Assuming the PUC will use the California Civil Code definition
of electronic signature, all costs are minor and absorbable.
COMMENTS:
Rationale. State agencies generally rely on the Department of
General Services (DGS) State Contracting Manual when soliciting
or entering into a contract to provide services. Statutory
authority for the competitive and non-competitive procurement of
information and non-information technology goods and services
for state government resides within DGS.
The DGS State Contracting Manual requires contracts to have
original handwritten signatures. At the PUC, contracts often
involve numerous signatories in a various locations. Getting
handwritten signatures from all of these individuals requires
contract documents to be mailed to each party.
The PUC contracts with consultants to provide services for which
specific expertise is required or for which staff is
unavailable. The PUC has stated in internal procedure documents
that it uses the state's contracting process for all contracts
it develops or manages.
AB 2746
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According to the author's office, this process is inefficient
and difficult to track, costly, and creates opportunities for
the documents to become misplaced in the process in which case
the process would start over.
This bill clarifies the PUC's ability to use electronic
signatures and requires the PUC to adopt procedures to allow the
submittal of electronic signatures and documents.
Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081