BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 2609
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 9, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                    AB 2609 (Hueso) - As Amended:  April 24, 2012 

          Policy Committee:                              Water, Parks and 
          Wildlife     Vote:                            8-4
                        Elections and Redistricting           5-2

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

          SUMMARY  

          This bill makes changes to the governance of the Fish and Game 
          Commission (FGC).  Specifically, this bill:

          1)Subjects members of the FGC to provisions of the Political 
            Reform Act, thereby requiring disclosure of gifts and other 
            financial interests from all sources.

          2)Establishes certain qualifications and criteria for 
            appointment to the commission.

          3)Requires the commission president and vice president to be 
            elected by three of the five commissioners, limits commission 
            governing officer's term to two consecutive years and provides 
            that the president or vice president may be removed from 
            office at any time by a vote of three commissioners. 

          4)Requires the FGC to adopt a code of conduct that requires 
            commissioners to adhere to specified principles. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Minor, absorbable costs to the commission.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale.   The author intends this bill to improve governance 
            of the commission and to ensure its members reflect the 
            diversity of the commission's responsibilities, which, the 
            author notes, have expanded greatly over the years.








                                                                  AB 2609
                                                                  Page  2


           2)Background.   The FGC is a five-member commission, appointed by 
            the governor and approved by the Senate.  Members of the FGC 
            generally serve six-year terms. The FGC powers relate to the 
            protection and propagation of fish and game. A commissioner 
            may be removed by a concurrent resolution adopted by a 
            majority of the members of each house of the Legislature. 


            Existing law requires members of the FGC to elect one of their 
            members as president and one as vice president. However, 
            existing regulations approved by the FGC require that the 
            commissioner with the most seniority serve as president.
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081