BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                      



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                   SB 825|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  SB 825
          Author:   Corbett (D)
          Amended:  1/5/12
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE NATURAL RESOURCES & WATER COMM.  :  6-0, 1/10/12
          AYES:  Pavley, Evans, Kehoe, Padilla, Simitian, Wolk
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  La Malfa, Cannella, Fuller

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8


           SUBJECT  :    State parks and recreation

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill requires that revenues from 
          publication sales by the Department of Parks and Recreation 
          be deposited into the State Parks and Recreation Fund 
          instead of the General Fund.

           ANALYSIS  :    

          Existing law:

          1. Requires that all revenues received by the Department of 
             Parks and Recreation (DPR) be paid into the State 
             Treasury to the credit of the State Parks and Recreation 
             Fund to be available, upon appropriation by the 
             Legislature, for expenditure for the state parks.  

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          2. Requires that money received by the DPR from the sale of 
             publications be paid into the State Treasury to the 
             credit of the General Fund.

          This bill requires that revenues from publication sales by 
          the DPR be deposited into the State Parks and Recreation 
          Fund instead of the General Fund.

           Background  

          The DPR may issue publications giving information regarding 
          its activities, powers, duties, and functions.  Under 
          Section 512 of the Public Resources Code, all monies 
          generated from the sale of these publications must be 
          deposited into the General Fund.

          The State Parks and Recreation Fund primarily receives 
          revenues from fees charged at parks.  This Fund is used for 
          the operation of state parks.

           Comments  

          The author references the pending park closures as a result 
          of budget cuts and states, "Every park closed harms our 
          tourism industry and robs Californians of the opportunity 
          to enjoy these beautiful places.  SB 825 is a small but 
          important way to give State Parks a tool to be more 
          self-sufficient with their funding.  Shifting �deposits 
          from publication sales] will give State Parks more 
          incentive to create more revenue from publications and 
          thereby more funding for parks." 

          According to the DPR, most of the publications published by 
          the DPR are informational (maps, brochures) and are given 
          away for free.  The vast majority of the publications 
          available for purchase are published by cooperating 
          associations (e.g. Friends of �blank] State Park), who may 
          keep the revenues so long as the monies are reinvested into 
          the park.  This bill will not significantly increase the 
          balance of the State Parks and Recreation Fund; however, 
          the author's intent is to encourage DPR to be more 
          entrepreneurial by allowing them to reap the rewards of 
          creating profitable publications.








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           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes   
          Local:  No


          CTW:mw  1/18/12   Senate Floor Analyses 

                       SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  NONE RECEIVED

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