BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 650| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONSENT Bill No: SB 650 Author: Hall (D) Amended: 4/8/15 Vote: 21 SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE: 7-0, 4/28/15 AYES: Hall, Block, Hernandez, Hill, Hueso, Lara, McGuire NO VOTE RECORDED: Berryhill, Gaines, Galgiani, Vidak SUBJECT: California Gambling Control Commission: records SOURCE: Author DIGEST: This bill clarifies that the California Gambling Control Commission (CGCC) shall keep a record pertaining to its regular and special meetings and a record of all applications for licenses under the Gambling Control Act open to public inspection during normal business hours. ANALYSIS: Existing law: 1)Establishes, under the Gambling Control Act, the CGCC and requires five members to be appointed to the CGCC by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the California State Senate. 2)Requires the CGCC to keep a record of all proceedings at its regular and special meetings and requires that these records be open to public inspection. 3)Requires the Department of Justice to maintain a file of all applications for licenses under the Gambling Control Act. The SB 650 Page 2 CGCC shall maintain a record of all actions taken with respect to those applications and make that record open to public inspection. This bill clarifies that the CGCC shall make these records open to public inspection during normal business hours. Background Purpose of the bill. The author argues that this bill simply aims to clarify when records maintained by the CGGC should be made open for public inspection. By clarifying that records should be made open for public inspections during normal business hours, we can ensure that these records are available for public inspection during the time of day when employees are expected to be in the office while continuing to provide transparency and open government. The Gambling Control Act. The Gambling Control Act, established in 1998, created a comprehensive scheme for statewide regulation of legal gambling under a bifurcated system of administration involving the Bureau of Gambling Control (Bureau) within the Attorney General's Office and the five-member CGCC by the Governor. The CGCC is authorized to establish minimum regulatory standards for the gambling industry and to ensure that the state gambling licenses are not issued to or held by unsuitable or unqualified individuals. The Bureau monitors the conduct of gaming operations to ensure compliance with state gambling laws and conducts extensive background investigations of applicants seeking a state gambling license. The Bureau also conducts background checks for all key employees and state gambling license and vendor applications. The Bureau inspects premises where gambling is conducted, examines gambling equipment, audits papers, books, and records of the gambling establishment, investigates suspected violations of gambling laws, and is ultimately responsible for enforcing compliance with all state laws pertaining to gambling. Prior/Related Legislation SB 650 Page 3 SB 399 (Hall, 2015) requires that a public record of every vote of the CGCC be posted on the CGCC's Internet Web site no later than 48 hours after the vote is taken. AB 2720 (Ting, Chapter 510, Statutes of 2014) required a state body to publicly report any action taken and the vote or abstention on that action of each member present for the action. SB 95 (Ayala, Chapter 949, Statutes of 1997) made various changes to the Bagley-Keene Act by expanding the notice, disclosure and reporting requirements for open and closed meetings of state bodies. FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No SUPPORT: (Verified 4/28/15) None received OPPOSITION: (Verified 4/28/15) None received Prepared by:Felipe Lopez / G.O. / (916) 651-1530 4/29/15 16:07:32 **** END ****