BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                     AB 1624


                          ASSEMBLY THIRD READING

               AB 1624 (Bowen) - As Amended:  May 18, 1993

ASSEMBLY ACTIONS: 

COMMITTEE   RULES    VOTE 8-0  COMMITTEE W. & M.         VOTE 21-0  

DIGEST

Existing law:

1) Requires the Legislature to provide notice of meetings and to open 
š    proceedings to the public.  The Legislative Open Records Act (Govt. 
   Code Sec. 9070, et seq.) and the Open Meetings Act of 1989 (Govt. Code 
   Sec. 9027, et seq.) both serve to provide the public with extensive 
   knowledge of the process. 

2) Provides that the public has access to all bills and legislative 
š   documents through the Capitol bill room.  Bill texts, amendments, 
   analyses and related information are also available for a fee through 
   several computer information services, various law book companies and 
   newspapers.

This bill:

1) Requires the Legislative Counsel, with the advice of the Joint Rules 
š    Committee, to make available to the public specified legislative data 
   in electronic form.

2) Reserves to the Legislative Counsel the right to charge a fee to any 
š   user who subsequently sells the data.

3) Appropriates to the Legislative Counsel any moneys/funds received from 
š   the above fees.

FISCAL EFFECT

The costs of creating the information are primarily borne by the 
šLegislative Counsel Bureau.  Cost of preparing the data for release to 
špublic electronic networks will involve acquisition of gateways and servers 
šplus some software creation.  Legislative Counsel estimates costs at 
šapproximately $50,000.

COMMENTS

The Legislature presently makes hard copies of all documents available to 
šall libraries and colleges that request these documents (98 libraries and 
š61 colleges and universities statewide).  Additionally, 1,718 subscribers 
šreceive various levels of bill service ranging from $140 for the Index to 
š$2,545 for the full service (pick-up).



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A large body of potential users of legislative information in electronic 
šform exists.  The appropriate format needed to serve the greatest number of 
šusers and the actual number of users is currently unknown.  Without this 
šinformation, the difficulty of identifying a general format is greatly 
šincreased.

The proposal to have volunteer programmers write access systems may have 
šthe effect of limiting the usefulness of the data since no central 
šinformation retrieval plan would prevail. 

The Internet (a worldwide network) is one of many systems which could 
šreceive the raw data.  A format which enables Internet users to receive the 
šdata may exclude users of other networks.

A study of the potential user groups and the most useful, efficient data 
šdistribution mode would clarify many of the ambiguities present in the bill 
šas drafted.



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