BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2283
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Date of Hearing: May 9, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 2283 (Portantino) - As Amended: April 9, 2012
Policy Committee: Water, Parks and
Wildlife Vote: 8-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill changes the name of the Department of Fish and Game
(DFG) to the Department of Fish and Wildlife and nicknames the
department "CAL WILD." The bill specifies that no existing
supplies are to be changed or destroyed as a result of this bill
and that such supplies are to be used by the department until
exhausted or unserviceable.
FISCAL EFFECT
Despite the bill's call for the department to continue to use
existing supplies until gone or unusable, DFG reports costs in
the hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to DFG, these
costs result from thousands of hours needed to revise website
and domain name data, modify information technology (IT)
infrastructure and redesign templates. DFG estimates the cost
of these efforts to range from $300,000 to $400,000.
This committee's analysis agrees that DFG likely will incur
costs to change its name, despite the bill's efforts to contain
those costs. However, DFG's cost estimates seem high. Costs
are more likely to range in the tens of thousands of dollars,
possibly exceeding $150,000, based on the experience of other
departments that have implemented name changes.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale. The author contends the name, Department of Fish
and Wildlife, better reflects the responsibilities of the
department, as well as the priorities of Californians, than
does the department's current name, which refers to hunted
AB 2283
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animals.
2)Background. California Department of Fish and Game reflects
the historical origins of the department as an organization
primarily concerned with managing hunting and fishing. Over
the many decades since the department's inception, its role
has dramatically expanded to include a variety of purposes
beyond management of hunting and fishing, such as oil spill
prevention and habitat and species conservation.
The Blue Ribbon Citizen's Commission, formed as part of the
strategic visioning process initiated by the passage of AB
2376 (Huffman) in 2010, recommended changing the department's
name to better represent the department's broad
responsibilities.
3)Related Legislation. AB 2402 (Huffman), pending before this
committee, would also change DFG's name to the Department of
Fish and Wildlife.
4)Support. This bill is supported by PAW PAC and the Public
Interest Coalition, who contend the proposed name change
better reflects DFG's broad responsibilities and the
priorities of Californians.
5)Opposition. Theis bill is opposed by groups that advocate for
hunters and hunting interests, who assert the name change may
lead the department to deemphasize hunting and fishing, which
may lead to reduction of these activities and harm the
economic interest of businesses that support hunting and
fishing.
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081