BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 255
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB
255 (Liu)
As Amended August 17, 2015
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE: 36-0
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Accountability |8-0 |Salas, Lackey, | |
| | |Brough, Burke, | |
| | |Frazier, Irwin, | |
| | |Medina, Rodriguez | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bloom, Bonta, | |
| | |Calderon, Chang, | |
| | |Gordon, Eggman, | |
| | |Gallagher, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Holden, | |
| | |Jones, Quirk, Rendon, | |
| | |Wagner, Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SB 255
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SUMMARY: Authorizes the Commission on the Status of Women and
Girls (Commission) to conduct fundraising activities that charge
an admission price; exempts Commission meetings conducted solely
for fundraising purposes from the Bagley Keene Open Meeting Act
(Bagley Keene Act); and, makes a clarifying change to the
composition of the Commission. Specifically, this bill:
1)Authorizes the Commission to conduct fundraising activities
that may require a payment or purchase to attend.
2)Exempts any Commission meetings conducted solely for
fundraising purposes and where no other business within the
subject matter jurisdiction of the Commission is discussed,
deliberated, or acted upon, from the Bagley Keene Act.
3)Specifies that the Labor Commissioner is a member of the
Commission, instead of the Chief of the Division of Industrial
Welfare, which is an obsolete position.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Creates the Commission in state government consisting of 17
appointed members.
2)Vests the Commission with the powers and authority necessary
to carry out its duties, including, but not limited to,
accepting federal funds, gifts, donations, grants or bequests
to further its purposes.
3)Establishes the Women and Girls Fund in the State Treasury in
SB 255
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support of the Commission. Requires the Department of Finance
to approve all gifts, bequests or donations collected or
received by the Commission for deposit into the fund.
Appropriations from the fund require legislative approval.
4)Requires all meetings of the commission to be open and public
and all persons to be permitted to attend any meetings of the
commission.
5)Establishes the Bagley Keene Act, set forth in Government Code
Sections 11120 to 11132, which generally requires all state
bodies to publicly notice their meetings, prepare agendas,
accept public testimony and conduct their meetings in public,
absent a specific reason to meet in closed session.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, potential minor savings to the extent that
fundraising meetings and events no longer have to be publically
noticed under the Bagley Keene Act.
COMMENTS: The Commission was established in 1965 to protect and
improve opportunities for California women and girls. As an
independent, nonpartisan state agency, it provides a statewide
perspective to the Legislature and other policymakers on issues
affecting women and girls, such as gender in the workplace;
gender equity in the media; educational needs of women and
girls; health and safety of women; and women in the military.
SB 1038 (Budget and Fiscal Review Committee), Chapter 46,
Statutes of 2012, restructured the mission of the Commission and
directed it to seek funding from private entities to reduce its
reliance on state funding. Proceeds from non-state sources are
deposited in the Women and Girls Fund in the State Treasury to
be used to support the work of the Commission. The final
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2015-16 State Budget includes a $500,000 General Fund
appropriation to the Commission and $374,000 in the special
Women and Girls Fund.
According to the author, during California's recession, the
budget for the Commission was substantially reduced and,
pursuant to SB 1038, it was charged with raising private money
to fund its operation. The author contends this task has proven
particularly difficult for the Commission because, as a state
body, it is also required to comply with the Bagley Keene Act, a
set of regulations not designed for entities that must also
raise private funds for operation. This bill clarifies that
meetings and activities conducted solely for the purpose of
fundraising do not fall under the scope of Bagley Keene and
reiterates that no commission business may be discussed,
deliberated, or acted upon at a meeting convened for the sole
purpose of fundraising. The author states that these necessary
changes will enable the Commission to focus its business
meetings on the pressing issues facing California's women and
girls and help stabilize funding to carry out its work.
This bill also corrects the membership of the Commission to
identify the Labor Commissioner, who is the acting Chief of the
Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in the Department of
Industrial Relations, as a member, instead of the Chief of the
Division of Industrial Welfare, a position that no longer
exists.
Analysis Prepared by:
Cassie Royce / A. & A.R. / (916) 319-3600 FN:
0001537
SB 255
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