BILL ANALYSIS
AB 176
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 176 (Silva)
As Amended May 6, 2009
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |77-0 |(March 23, |SENATE: |36-0 |(June 15, |
| | |2009) | | |2009) |
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Original Committee Reference: JUD.
SUMMARY : Makes technical changes to the codes by recommendation
of the California Law Review Commission (CLRC). Specifically,
this bill modernizes existing statutory references to audio or
video recording and other non-substantive changes to obsolete
references that exist in various statutory provisions.
The Senate amendments provide that all bills, other than AB 1164
(Tran, Maintenance of the Codes), amending sections amended by
this bill will prevail over this bill.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill was substantially similar
to the version approved by the Senate.
FISCAL EFFECT : None
COMMENTS : The CLRC is authorized by Government Code Section
8298 to study and recommend revisions correcting technical and
minor substantive defects in California statutes. This bill
proposes the CLRC's recommendations which contain revisions to
generalize and modernize existing statutory references to audio
or video recording.
The author notes that this bill revises references in various
statutory provisions to audio or video recording that use words
such as "tape," "cassette," "audiotape," or "videotape." Those
references are outdated, as modern recording technology does not
necessarily require storage on a "tape." Instead, many modern
recording devices digitally store information on a computer chip
or disk. The bill revises these statutory references by using
generic language that is not limited to any specific recording
medium, thereby including not only existing digital recording
media, but also any recording media that may be developed in the
future. Generally, the revisions involve replacing a reference
AB 176
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to "audio tape" or "videotape" with a reference to "audio
recording" or "video recording," or a similar substitution of
terms.
The revisions are consistent with two prior reforms: 1) a bill
enacted in 2002, revising numerous references to "audiotape and
"videotape" in the Civil Discovery Act; and, 2) similar prior
revisions to a limited number of sections in the Civil Discovery
Act recommended by CLRC in 2004, and subsequently enacted into
law.
Analysis Prepared by : Cindy Fischer / JUD. / (916) 319-2334
FN: 0001426