BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                           1659 (Huber)
          
          Hearing Date:  8/2/2010         Amended: 7/15/2010
          Consultant:  Bob Franzoia       Policy Vote: B,P&ED 6-0
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          BILL SUMMARY: AB 1659 would create the Joint Sunset Review  
          Committee to identify and eliminate waste, duplication, and  
          inefficiency in government agencies and to conduct a  
          comprehensive analysis of every eligible agency to determine if  
          the agency is still necessary and cost effective.  This bill  
          would define an eligible agency as an entity of state  
          government, however denominated, for which a date for repeal has  
          been established by statute on or after January 1, 2011.  This  
          bill would require each eligible agency scheduled for repeal to  
          submit a report to the committee containing specified  
          information.  This bill would require the committee to take  
          public testimony and evaluate the eligible agency prior to the  
          date the agency is scheduled to be repealed, and would require  
          that an eligible agency be eliminated unless the Legislature  
          enacts a law to extend, consolidate, or reorganize the agency.   
          This bill would specify the composition of the committee and  
          certain aspects of its operating procedure.
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                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2010-11      2011-12       2012-13     Fund
           New Joint Sunset ReviewU to $150  Up to $300  Up to $300General*
          Committee                                               

          * Senate and Assembly Contingent Funds
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          STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the  
          Suspense File.

          This bill would define an eligible agency as an entity of state  
          government, however denominated, for which a date for repeal has  
          been established by statute on or after January 1, 2011.  Each  
          eligible agency scheduled for repeal shall submit to the  
          committee a report including, but not limited to, the following:











          - The purpose and necessity of the agency.
          - A description of the budget, priorities, and job descriptions  
          of employees of the agency.
          - Any programs and projects under the direction of the agency.
          - Measures of the success or failures of the agency and  
          justifications for the metrics used to evaluate successes and  
          failures.
          - Any recommendations of the agency for changes or  
          reorganization in order to better fulfill its purposes.

          The purpose of the committee, which would consist of five  
          members of the Senate and five members of the Assembly, is to  
          conduct a comprehensive analysis over 15 years, and on a  
          periodic basis thereafter, of every eligible agency to determine  
          if the agency is still necessary and cost effective.  The  
          committee's workload is estimated to require two to four staff  
          ongoing.