BILL ANALYSIS
AB 224
Page 1
Date of Hearing: March 17, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Anthony Portantino, Chair
AB 224 (Portantino) - As Introduced: February 4, 2009
SUBJECT : Postsecondary education.
SUMMARY : Requires public higher education entities, as
specified, to make available on the Internet an audio broadcast
of each of its meetings that is open to the public.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the Board of Governors of the California Community
Colleges (CCC), the Board of Directors of EdFund, the Board of
Trustees of the California State University (CSU), the
California Postsecondary Education Committee (CPEC), and the
California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) to make available on
the Internet an audio broadcast of each of its meetings that
is open to the public.
2)Requires that notice of these meetings and links to the audio
broadcasts be easily accessible via each entity's Internet Web
site.
3)Requests the Regents of the University of California (UC)
comply with these provisions.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires all meetings of a state body to be open and public
and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting of a
state body except as otherwise provided in law (Government
Code Section 11123).
2)Requires every state agency to post on its homepage of its Web
site a link to all notices of public meetings and agendas and
ways in which the public may participate and publicly comment
(Government Code Section 11364).
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : Purpose of this bill : According to the author,
California's open meeting laws are intended to ensure that the
public is informed about and able to participate in its
AB 224
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governmental process. However, due to California's size and
complexity, it is unrealistic to expect the public to be able to
travel to attend these open meetings in person. Thus, alternate
means of participation should be made available to the public,
especially since these boards make decisions that directly
affect the public, including student fee increases, Cal Grant
eligibility, and enrollment restrictions.
Which public entities do this now ? The California Legislature
provides live audio and video webcasts of its open meetings,
including floor sessions and committee hearings. UC, CCC, and
CPEC also audio webcast their open meetings. CPEC has webcasted
its meetings since 2006, using in-house staff and equipment.
For the past decade, UC has webcast open meetings of the UC
Board of Regents and its committees, using an outside vendor to
provide the service because the UC Regents travel to different
locations for their meetings and also hold teleconference
meetings.
Author's amendments : The author will offer the following
clarifying amendments:
1)Page 2, line 1: The Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges, the Board of Directors of EdFund, the
Board of Trustees of the California State University, the
California Postsecondary Education Commission, and the
California Student Aid Commission , and its auxiliary
organization, shall make available on the Internet an a live
audio broadcast of each of its meetings that is open to the
public.
2)Page 2, line 7: of these meetings and links to the live audio
broadcasts shall be easily ?
Related legislation : SB 312 (Romero), pending in the Senate,
would require the State Board of Education and the State
Allocation Board to provide for live video and audio
transmission of
all meetings and hearings that are open to the public through a
technology that is accessible to as large a segment of the
public as possible.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
AB 224
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American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960