BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 1291
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          Date of Hearing:   May 27, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                     AB 1291 (Davis) - As Amended:  May 18, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              
          TransportationVote:13-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill allows the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to 
          pursue the use and development of existing or emerging 
          technologies for the purpose of maximizing the efficient 
          delivery of vehicle registration services and achieving cost 
          savings for business partners, service providers, or other 
          customer groups.  More specifically, this bill:

          1)This bill requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to 
            use solutions-based procurement, which is to include a 
            requirement that a vendor pay for the costs of vehicle 
            registration and titling services and other services provided 
            by the vendor.

          2)Authorizes the department to use a savings-based compensation 
            model.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Unknown, but potentially significant cost to DMV.  The 
          department reports difficulty interpreting the requirement that 
          vendors pay for all costs of the services provided, which may 
          result in reluctance or refusal on the part of vendors with 
          which DMV seeks to contract for registration and titling 
          services, which would result in significant cost pressures to 
          DMV to complete such activities itself.  (Motor Vehicle 
          Account.)   The author indicates this 
           
           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale.   The author intends this bill to allow DMV to work 








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            with private-sector technology firms to develop more-efficient 
            and cost-effective vehicle registration and titling processes.

           2)Background  --  DMV's Business Partner Program.   Statute 
            authorizes DMV to enter into contracts with qualified private 
            industry partners for the purpose of processing vehicle 
            registration and titling transactions. In response, DMV 
            established the Business Partner Automation (BPA) Program. 
            Statute requires the department to establish regulations 
            necessary to support the BPA Program, in which business 
            partners are authorized to process and issue validated 
            registration cards, full year registration stickers and 
            automobile and commercial vehicle license plates.

           3)Solutions-based Procurement, Savings-based Compensation  .  The 
            bill requires use of solutions-based procurement and 
            savings-based compensation.  However, the bill defines neither 
            term; nor does it describe the terms in intent language.  Bill 
            proponents provided a document from the Franchise Tax Board 
            (Enterprise Data to Revenue Project Update, March 2011) that 
            describes the solution-based procurement model as having the 
            following primary elements:

             a)   Requirements are limited to those that are business 
               related. 

             b)   The state provides business problems and a high-level 
               vision for a solution, rather than a detailed solution.

             c)   Bidders provide solutions. 

           4)Related Legislation.   SB 1453 (Price, 2010) would have allowed 
            DMV to contract with a private vendor to explore the use of 
            electronic vehicle license plates  The bill passed the Senate 
            25-0 but was held by this committee.  The Appropriations 
            Committee analysis of SB 1453 identified potential costs 
            possibly in excess of $150,000 and noted:  there is nothing in 
            existing law prohibiting DMV from studying new technologies 
            and products that would help the state achieve efficiencies 
            and cost-savings.

           5)Support  .  This bill is supported by Smart Plate Mobil, a maker 
            of digital license plates.

           6)There is no formal opposition registered to this bill.  








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           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081