BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 862
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 4, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

              AB 862 (Silva and Jeffries) - As Amended:  April 12, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              Human 
          ServicesVote:6 - 0 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires regional centers (RC) under contract with the 
          Department of Developmental Services (DDS) make specific 
          information available on their websites. Specifically, this bill 
          requires the posting of the following information: 

          1)Actual rates paid to each vendor.

          2)Any public funds provided to a nonprofit housing organization 
            outside of the regular request for proposal process.

          3)Conflict of interest disclosures.

          4)Legal settlements.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          GF costs likely in excess of $200,000 for 21 Regional Centers 
          (RCs), combined, to gather and report the information required, 
          particularly the actual rates paid to vendors. This bill 
          establishes statewide requirements on the 21 RCs which are 
          non-profit, nonpublic entities, serving 225,000 consumers via 
          approximately 65,000 providers, including parents of consumers. 

           COMMENTS  

          1)Purpose  . The author's intent is to require the 21 regional 
            centers in California disclose additional information on their 
            websites in order to increase transparency in the DDS system. 
            Each of the 21 centers operates independently under a 
            non-profit status and is funded entirely with state money. The 








                                                                  AB 862
                                                                  Page  2

            author contends that the RCs use their non-profit status to 
            deny requestors information that would typically be covered 
            under the California Public Records Act. 

           2)Budget Trailer Bill  :  To promote transparency, the recently 
            chaptered 2011-12 Budget Trailer Bill pertaining to DDS and 
            the regional centers, SB 74 (Committee on Budget & Fiscal 
            Review; Chapter 9, Statutes of 2011), requires each RC to 
            adopt, maintain, and post on its Internet Web site a 
            board-approved policy regarding transparency and access to 
            public information.  In addition, each RC would be required to 
            post certain information, including fiscal audits, annual 
            reports, contract awards, names and addresses of all vendors, 
            and board meeting agendas.

           3)Related Legislation  . AB 2220 (Silva), 2010, added Regional 
            Centers to the list of public entities bound by the 
            requirements of the California Public Records Act. That bill 
            was held on this committee's suspense file. 



           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916) 
          319-2081