BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  SB 593
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   July 6, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                    SB 593 (Gaines) - As Amended:  April 26, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              ElectionsVote:7-0 
          (Consent)

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill amends the Political Reform Act (PRA) to:

          1)Require each California member of the Tahoe Regional Planning 
            Agency (TRPA) who represents the state in matters officially 
            coming before the agency to comply with the requirements of 
            the PRA and to file a Statement of Economic Interests (SEI) 
            with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).

          2)Prohibits a court from invalidating, and prohibits the FPPC 
            from seeking to invalidate, an action of the TRPA as a remedy 
            for a violation of the requirements of this bill by a 
            California member of the TRPA.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Minor absorbable costs to the FPPC to enforce the bill's 
          provisions.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Background  . The TRPA, established in 1969, was created as a 
            regional agency because the Lake Tahoe watershed crosses a 
            number of state and local political boundaries. The agency has 
            a 15-member governing board-seven from California, seven from 
            Nevada, and a non-voting member appointed by the President. 
            The board's mandate is to set policy and approve amendments to 
            the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan, with the goal of protecting the 
            health and quality of Lake Tahoe.

           2)Purpose  . The author believes that requiring TRPA board members 








                                                                  SB 593
                                                                  Page  2

            representing California to file SEIs with the FPPC will 
            "create an important layer of transparency and oversight for 
            this governing board." 

           Analysis Prepared by :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081