BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2927
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 3, 2006

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                   Judy Chu, Chair

                    AB 2927 (Leno) - As Amended:  April 17, 2006 

          Policy Committee:                              Governmental  
          Organization Vote:                            12 - 0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires that any state agency with an Internet Site  
          include on its homepage a link to a site that provides specific  
          information about how an individual can make a public records  
          act request to that department and a form for submitting online  
          requests. It also requires the departments to post specific  
          information, such as employment and consulting contracts and any  
          lawsuit settlements. In addition, this bill gives individuals  
          the right to bring an action to enforce public information  
          requests and establishes monetary award that shall be paid by  
          the agency officers or employees, as appropriate.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)On similar previous legislation the Attorney General's office  
            estimated their costs for the increased actions that may be  
            brought against agencies that fail to comply with public  
            records requests in a timely manner to be approximately $1  
            million.

          2)Development of a uniform public records act site link for all  
            agency home-pages could cost up to $25,000 for up-front  
            development and each agency's personalization of the  
            information.

          3)Unknown, probably insignificant, costs due to an increase in  
            the number of public records act requests received by agencies  
            now that those requests could be made online.

           COMMENTS  









                                                                  AB 2927
                                                                  Page  2

           Rationale  . A recently released report by CalAWARE, a nonprofit  
          organization advocating for open government ideals and  
          encouraging citizen participation in all levels of government,  
          found that despite the California Public Records Act of 1968 and  
          2004's Proposition 59, which increased the public's right to  
          government information, state agencies are still making it  
          difficult for members of the public to request public records.  
          This legislation is designed to improve access to that  
          information.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081