BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
1052 (Caballero)
Hearing Date: 08/24/2009 Amended: 08/20/2009
Consultant: Brendan McCarthy Policy Vote: NR&W 9-1
AB 1052 (Caballero)
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BILL SUMMARY: This bill makes a variety of changes to the
Department of Fish and Game's procedures for spending funds
derived from Bay-Delta Sport Fishing Enhancement Stamp fees.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Fund
Fish and Game Absorbable within existing
resourcesSpecial *
implementation
* Fish and Game Preservation Fund.
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STAFF COMMENTS:
Current law requires any person fishing in waters of the San
Francisco Bay Delta and the waters of the main stem of the
Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers to hold a valid fishing
license with a Bay-Delta Sport Fishing Enhancement Stamp
(Bay-Delta Stamp). Currently, the Bay-Delta Stamp costs anglers
$6.30 per year. In 2007-08, Bay-Delta Stamp revenues were about
$1.6 million. Proceeds from the sale of the Bay-Delta Stamp are
deposited in the Sport Fish Enhancement Stamp Account (Account)
of the Fish and Game Preservation Fund and are to be used for
projects and activities that will provide a benefit to the
primary Bay-Delta sport fisheries, including salmon, surf perch,
steelhead trout, striped bass, sturgeon, and black bass. Current
law establishes an Advisory Committee, consisting of nine
members of the public selected by the Director of Fish and Game
from a list of candidates selected by anglers. The Advisory
Committee is charged with recommending projects to the
Department, to be funded with Bay-Delta Stamp proceeds. The
Bay-Delta Stamp is set to sunset on January 1, 2010.
In 2008, the Bureau of State Audits found that the Department
had been slow in spending funds from the Bay-Delta Stamp. As a
result, the Account had built up a fund balance of about $7
million. (The Bay-Delta Stamp generates about $1.6 million per
year in revenues. The Department has about $2.5 million in
AB 1052 (Caballero)
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spending authority in the current year. At the end of 2009-10,
the Department estimates the fund balance will be about $5
million.) In addition, the audit found that the Department's
accounting of funds in the Account was inadequate and
inaccurate. The audit made a series of recommendations to
improve accountability for use of the funds in the Account.
This bill sets out revised procedures for the Department and the
Advisory Committee to oversee the use of funds in the Account.
Specifically, the bill requires the Department, in consultation
with the Advisory Committee, to develop a spending plan for
funds in the Account. The bill directs the Department, in
consultation with the Advisory Committee, to determine priority
areas for funding and requires the Department to share specific
information on grant applications and grant funding with the
Advisory Committee. The bill requires the Department to make
information available to the Advisory Committee and the public
on the uses of funds from the Account. The bill also sets out
procedures for the Department to better track the use of funds
in the Account. Many of these changes reflect recommendations
made by the Bureau of State Audits.
The Department indicates that the costs to comply with the new
procedures in the bill can be accomplished within existing
resources. Because the current balance in the Account is derived
from fishing license fees, those funds can not be used for
non-fish and game purposes. Even if the current Bay-Delta Stamp
program is allowed to sunset, the Department would still be
obligated to use the remaining fund balance for sport fishing
related expenditures. Therefore there is no additional cost to
continue funding sport fishing related projects from the
existing fund balance.