BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1878
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 20, 2010

              ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS, PROFESSIONS AND CONSUMER  
                                     PROTECTION
                                 Mary Hayashi, Chair
                     AB 1878 (Lieu) - As Amended:  April 12, 2010
           
          SUBJECT  :   Statewide Forms Management Program.

           SUMMARY  :   Requires the Director of General Services (DGS), in  
          the usual course of reviewing and revising all public-use forms  
          that collect demographic data, include appropriate voluntary  
          self-identification information in the forms related to sexual  
          orientation, domestic partnership status, and gender identity,  
          including an identification of both the current gender identity  
          and the gender assigned at birth and makes legislative findings  
          and declarations.

           EXISTING LAW  :

          1)Requires DGS to establish and staff the forms management  
            center for the orderly design, implementation, and maintenance  
            of a statewide forms management program.

          2)Requires that appropriate references to state-registered  
            domestic partner, parent, or state-registered domestic  
            partnership be included when revising all public-use forms, as  
            specified.

          3)Requires that domestic partners, former domestic partners, and  
            surviving domestic partners have the same rights, protections,  
            and benefits, and shall be subject to the same  
            responsibilities, obligations, and duties under law as are  
            granted to and imposed upon spouses, former spouses and widows  
            or widowers in a civil marriage.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :   Unknown

           COMMENTS  :

           Purpose of this bill  .  According to the author's office,  
          "Currently, there is an absence of demographic information about  
          California's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population.  
           This information deficit is largely due to the limited avenues  
          for state agencies to collect data from this community.   








                                                                  AB 1878
                                                                  Page  2

          California already collects demographic information from various  
          minority groups."

           Background  .  It is noted that although this bill requires DGS to  
          include demographic data related to sexual orientation, domestic  
          partnership status, and gender identity in all public-use forms,  
          the bill makes it explicit that providing the information is  
          strictly voluntary.

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support 
           
          Equality California (sponsor)
          Asian Americans for Civil Rights & Equality
          California Communities United Institute
          California Teachers Association
          National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter

           Opposition 
           
          None on file.
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Marina Wiant / B.,P. & C.P. / (916)  
          319-3301