BILL ANALYSIS
AB 894
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 894 (Furutani)
As Amended September 2, 2009
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |77-0 |(May 21, 2009) |SENATE: |35-0 |(September 9, |
| | | | | |2009) |
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Original Committee Reference: E. & R.
SUMMARY : Requires the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO), when
preparing the required fiscal analysis for initiative measures, to
provide specified information. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the LAO to include in his or her analysis of a state
ballot measure the measure's estimated impact on the state and an
estimated percentage of the General Fund that would be expended
due to the measure's passage, if it is estimated that a measure
will result in increased costs to the state. Allows for the use
of visual aids for the estimated impact and the percentage of GF
expended.
2)Requires that any estimate of increased cost to state or local
governments be set out in boldface print in the ballot pamphlet.
3)Requires the LAO, in preparing the fiscal impact summary for a
measure on the ballot, to use a uniform method in each analysis to
describe the estimated increase or decrease in revenue or costs of
a measure, to allow average voters to draw comparisons among the
fiscal impacts of measures.
The Senate amendments :
1)Add double-jointing language to avoid chaptering problems with AB
753 (Adams).
2)Require the Attorney General's condensed statement of the fiscal
impact to contain the uniform estimate of increase or decrease in
revenue or cost of the measure prepared by the LAO.
3)Make other technical and clarifying changes.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill was similar to the version
AB 894
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passed by the Senate.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations Committee,
pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.
COMMENTS: According to the author, "the state faces an ongoing
budget shortfall of tens of billions of dollars. This crisis is
made far more difficult to solve with the increasing passage of
ballot measures and initiatives that set aside state resources,
commit future tax revenues, or in some cases do not even identify a
funding source, for various projects. Voters are not sufficiently
aware of the cost pressures certain ballot measures and initiatives
create. Voters need to understand the fiscal impact of new ballot
proposals in the context of the state's budget and General Fund.
This bill would put the fiscal analysis of ballot measures and
initiatives in context for voters tasked with making complicated
decisions that impact state funds."
Analysis Prepared by : Qiana Charles / E. & R. / (916) 319-2094
FN: 0002889