BILL ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 187| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 445-6614 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ THIRD READING Bill No: AB 187 Author: Hertzberg (D) Amended: 8/23/99 in Senate Vote: 21 SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE : 11-0, 6/29/99 AYES: Baca, Burton, Chesbro, Dunn, Hughes, Johannessen, Karnette, Knight, Lewis, O'Connell, Perata NOT VOTING: Johnson SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8 ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 76-0, 5/20/99 - See last page for vote SUBJECT : Grant Information Act of 1999 SOURCE : Author DIGEST : This bill allows state agencies to make available on their Internet websites, after July 1, 2001, a listing of all grants administered by that agency, as specified. (See analysis for specifics.) Senate Floor Amendments of 8/23/99 make several technical changes and make the bill permissive rather than mandatory to address concerns raised by the Governor's Office. ANALYSIS : Existing law : CONTINUED AB 187 Page 2 1.Requires state agencies to make available on their Internet websites, on or before July 1, 1998, or within 6 months of establishment of such a site, whichever is later, a plain-language form through which individuals can register complaints or comments relating to the performance of that agency. 2.Requires specified instructions on how to use the site to be included on the site. This bill: 1.Enacts the Grant Information Act of 1999, and in so doing, allows all state agencies having Internet websites, to make available on their websites a listing of all grants administered by the agency, along with instructions on filing grant applications consistent with the method the agency establishes for the filing of these grants. 2.Requires, to the extent feasible, state agencies making grant application forms available on the Internet, to advise individuals calling the state agency for information about a grant program, with certain specified information. 3.Includes as a state agency under its provisions, the Office of the Chancellor of the California State University (CSU), but does not include any individual campus of the CSU system, or any auxiliary enterprise affiliated with the CSU. 4.Provides that this act will only apply to the Chancellor's Office if the decision to award the grant is under the control of the Chancellor's Office as described. 5.Defines the term "Grant" to mean a solicited or unsolicited request for proposal (RFP) or request for application (RFA), to furnish assistance to another entity as specified. Does not include the procurement of goods or services for a state agency, or the acquisition, construction, alteration, improvement, or repair of real property for a state agency. AB 187 Page 3 6.Provides that this act will not be implemented until July 1, 2001, unless otherwise authorized by the Department of Information Technology (DOIT), pursuant to Executive Order D-3-99. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No SUPPORT : (Verified 8/24/99) Los Angeles Unified School District Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors California Association of Nonprofits City of Berkeley Alameda County Board of Supervisors California Park & Recreation Society California Commission on the Status of Women American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office, state grant information is often difficult to access because this information is often not readily available to the public. Some state agencies maintain a mailing list of potential applicants, while still others only provide the information upon request. Unfortunately, even if an applicant is interested in pursuing a grant opportunity, it often requires numerous telephone calls to obtain state grant information, and very often results in referrals and re-referrals to multiple locations within a given state agency. Many non-profit organizations participating in state grant programs have indicated that they have not previously applied for these grants because of the difficulty in obtaining basic state grant information. The author believes that these unnecessary restrictions in access to state grant information serve no useful purpose, and operate to artificially limit the potential pool of otherwise qualified applicants. The author believes, it is within the interests of California to expand the applicant pool and ensure that state grant opportunities are pursued by applicants capable of administering these grants. AB 187 Page 4 Utilizing the Internet to post notices of grant opportunities would facilitate this objective. Supporters believe that implementation would assure greater access to grant information and assist applicants to participate in opportunities made available through the grant process. ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 76-0, 5/20/99 AYES: Aanestad, Ackerman, Alquist, Aroner, Ashburn, Baldwin, Bates, Battin, Baugh, Bock, Brewer, Briggs, Calderon, Cardenas, Cardoza, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Cunneen, Davis, Dickerson, Ducheny, Dutra, Florez, Floyd, Frusetta, Gallegos, Granlund, Havice, Hertzberg, Honda, House, Jackson, Kaloogian, Keeley, Knox, Kuehl, Leach, Lempert, Leonard, Longville, Lowenthal, Machado, Maddox, Maldonado, Margett, Mazzoni, McClintock, Migden, Nakano, Olberg, Oller, Robert Pacheco, Rod Pacheco, Papan, Pescetti, Reyes, Romero, Runner, Scott, Shelley, Soto, Steinberg, Strickland, Strom-Martin, Thompson, Thomson, Torlakson, Washington, Wayne, Wesson, Wiggins, Wildman, Wright, Zettel, Villaraigosa NOT VOTING: Campbell, Cedillo, Firebaugh, Vincent TSM:cm 8/24/99 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END ****