BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 650|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
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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
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