BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 13|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 13
Author: Pavley (D)
Amended: 7/6/15
Vote: 21
SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE: 8-1, 3/24/15
AYES: Pavley, Stone, Allen, Hertzberg, Hueso, Jackson,
Monning, Wolk
NOES: Fuller
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
SENATE FLOOR: 36-0, 4/30/15
AYES: Allen, Anderson, Bates, Beall, Berryhill, Block,
Cannella, De León, Gaines, Galgiani, Hall, Hancock, Hernandez,
Hertzberg, Hill, Hueso, Huff, Jackson, Lara, Leno, Leyva, Liu,
McGuire, Mendoza, Mitchell, Monning, Moorlach, Morrell,
Nguyen, Nielsen, Pan, Pavley, Roth, Stone, Wieckowski, Wolk
NO VOTE RECORDED: Fuller, Runner, Vidak
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 8/20/15 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT: Groundwater
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill makes numerous technical and clarifying
amendments to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)
and related sections of the Water Code.
SB 13
Page 2
Assembly Amendments add additional technical and clarifying
amendments regarding reprioritizing groundwater basins,
notifications for becoming a groundwater sustainability agency,
and other technical and clarifying amendments.
ANALYSIS: Existing law establishes the SGMA. Among other
things, SGMA requires that each high- and medium-priority
groundwater basins be managed pursuant to a groundwater
sustainability plan, with the goal of achieving sustainability
within 20 years.
This bill makes numerous technical and clarifying amendments to
SGMA and related sections of the Water Code. These include
amendments to:
1)Clarify that only high- and medium-priority basins not within
the management area of a groundwater sustainability agency are
subject to reporting requirements to the State Water Resources
Control Board.
2)Clarify the noticing process for becoming a groundwater
sustainability agency.
3)Clarify language regarding participation of investor owned
water companies and mutual water companies.
4)Correct cross references.
Background
Last session, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed SB
1168 (Pavley, Chapter 346, Statutes of 2014), SB 1319 (Pavley,
Chapter 348, Statutes of 2014) and AB 1739 (Dickinson, Chapter
347, Statutes of 2014). Those three bills established SGMA and
SB 13
Page 3
made other related changes to the Water Code. Together, those
bills created a comprehensive program to achieve sustainable
groundwater management in California.
The bills were complicated, not only from a policy perspective
but from a technical legislative process perspective as well.
For example, AB 1739 amended portions of SB 1168, SB 1168
amended portions of AB 1739, and all three were contingently
enacted. As with many complex set of bills, some minor
"clean-up" amendments are required.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee this bill has
"negligible state costs."
SUPPORT: (Verified8/20/15)
Association of California Water Agencies
California Equity Leaders Network
California Groundwater Coalition
Clean Water Action
Community Water Center
Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability
Sonoma County Water Agency
Union of Concerned Scientists
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author, "This bill
makes numerous technical and clarifying amendments necessary to
help implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
(SGMA). I do not intend to change any of the policies embodied
SGMA in this measure."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 8/20/15
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom,
SB 13
Page 4
Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang,
Chau, Chávez, Chiu, 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, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina,
Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen,
Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez,
Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting,
Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Chu
Prepared by:Dennis O'Connor / N.R. & W. / (916) 651-4116
8/21/15 9:28:02
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