BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 50|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
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CONSENT
Bill No: SB 50
Author: Correa (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 27
SENATE ELEC. & CONST. AMENDMENTS COMMITTEE : 4-0, 4/5/11
AYES: Correa, La Malfa, De Le�n, Gaines
NO VOTE RECORDED: Lieu
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : Conflicts of interest: disqualification
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill adds members of the High Speed Rail
Authority to specified offices who must publicly identify a
financial interest giving use to a conflict of interest or
potential conflict of interest.
ANALYSIS : Existing provisions of the Political Reform
Act of 1974 prohibit a public official at any level of
state or local government from making, participating in
making, or attempting to use his/her official position to
influence a governmental decision in which he or she knows
or has reason to know that he/she has a financial interest,
as defined. Existing law also requires specified elected
and appointed officers at the state and local level of
government to disclose specified financial interests by
filing periodic statements of economic interests. Existing
CONTINUED
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law further requires public officials who hold specified
offices and who have a financial interest in a decision
within the meaning of the Political Reform Act of 1974 to
publicly identify the financial interest giving rise to the
conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest,
recuse themselves from discussing and voting on the matter,
and leave the room until after the discussion, vote, and
other disposition of the matter is concluded, except as
specified.
This bill adds members of the High Speed Rail Authority
(HSRA) to the list of 87200 filers thereby requiring them
to publicly identify the financial interest that gives rise
to a potential conflict of interest, to recuse
himself/herself from discussing or voting on the matter,
and to leave the room until after the discussion, vote, and
any other disposition of the matter is concluded. Expands
the amount of information that a member of the HSRA must
disclose on a statement of economic interests.
Specifically, this bill adds members of the HSRA to a
statutorily-designated list of high-ranking public
officials who are subject to the most expansive disclosure
requirements under the Political Reform Act.
These 87200 filers include elected state officers, judges,
members of the Public Utilities Commission, members of the
Fair Political Practices Commission, members of the
California Coastal Commission, members of county boards of
supervisors, district attorneys, mayors, and members of
city councils, among others.
Related Legislation
This bill is identical to AB 41 (Hill), is now pending in
the Senate Rules Committee.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
this bill requires the members of the HSRA to publicly
disclose a financial interest which would give rise to a
conflict of interest and require them to recuse themselves
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from participation in any such matter before the HSRA.
DLW:do 5/3/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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