BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                           
           AB 2199
                                                                  Page  1

          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 2199 (Bonnie Lowenthal)
          As Amended  August 18, 2010
          Majority vote
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |70-1 |(April 26,      |SENATE: |36-0 |(August 23,    |
          |           |     |2010)           |        |     |2010)          |
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           Original Committee Reference:    PUB. S.  

           SUMMARY  :   Repeals a provision of law requiring the Department  
          of Mental Health (DMH), acting through the superintendent of the  
          Langly Porter Clinic, to plan, conduct, and cause to be  
          conducted scientific research into the causes and cures of  
          sexual deviation, including deviations conducive to sex crimes  
          against children, and the causes and cures of homosexuality, and  
          into methods of identifying potential sex offenders.

           The Senate amendments  specify that the DMH shall research sex  
          crimes against children and methods of identifying those who  
          commit sexual, in lieu of prevention methods.

           EXISTING LAW  states that DMH, acting through the superintendent  
          of the Langley Porter Clinic, shall plan, conduct, and cause to  
          be conducted scientific research into the causes and cures of  
          sexual deviation, including deviations conducive to sex crimes  
          against children, and the causes and cures of homosexuality, and  
          into methods of identifying potential sex offenders.  

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY  , this bill was substantially similar  
          to the version passed by the Senate.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Senate Appropriations  
          Committee: 

                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

          Major Provisions         2010-11      2011-12       2012-13     Fund
          
          Sex crimes research No cost        General

           COMMENTS  :  According to the author, "Our codes are constantly  








                                                                           
           AB 2199
                                                                  Page  2

          updated, and the fact that this language has survived this long  
          is pretty amazing. The closest analogy to this code are race  
          restrictions on property deeds. It is not enough that we do not  
          enforce them, we need to blot them out to make it clear that  
          we're moving forward as a society, not backward.  The code  
          section this bill seeks to repeal not only reflects misguided  
          and out-of-date science, it enshrines bigotry and false  
          stereotypes in law." 

          Please see the policy committee for a full discussion of this  
          bill.
           

          Analysis Prepared by  :    Gabriel Caswell / PUB. S. / (916)  
          319-3744 


          FN: 0006336