BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1065
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 8, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
SB 1065 (Kehoe) - As Amended: August 6, 2012
Policy Committee:
AppropriationsVote:
Urgency: Yes State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill, one of two annual bills sponsored by the California
Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board (board) and
carried by the Appropriations Committee chairs, appropriates
$624,672 to pay 117 claims against the state as approved by the
board.
FISCAL EFFECT
Appropriates $624,672 ($602,621 GF; $22,051 special funds) to
the board for payment of claims, 115 of which are stale-dated
warrants - state checks that were lost or expired and never
cashed.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale. The Government Code requires the board to take all
necessary steps to ensure that all approved claims, for which
there exists no legally available appropriation, are submitted
for legislative approval at least twice each calendar year.
2)Support . This bill, supported by the board, the Department of
Finance, and the administration, has no opposition.
3)All but two of the 117 claims are for stale-dated warrants
(expired checks) , ranging from $55 to $381,000. The four
stale-dated warrants over $10,000 account for $438,300, or 72%
of the costs of the 115 stale-dated warrants in this bill. The
remaining 111 average $1,516. For stale-dated warrant claims,
the Controller must confirm the check was not cashed, that at
least three years have passed since the check was issued, and
SB 1065
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that the funds have reverted to the GF.
4)The two claims that are not stale-dated warrants are a DMV
refund of overpaid Vehicle License Fees ($2,570) and an FTB
refund of funds taken from an escrow account as a result of a
tax lien, that was subsequently determined to be an
overpayment of taxes ($39,082.) For these two claims only,
there is a 15% surcharge charged to the affected departments
(FTB and DMV) for board costs that amounts to $6,300.
5)Related Legislation. AB 1531 (Fuentes), Statutes of 2012,
which passed with no dissenting votes, appropriates $859,738
from the General Fund ($789,202.20) and various special funds
for the payment of 273 claims (all stale-dated warrants)
approved by the board.
Analysis Prepared by : Geoff Long / APPR. / (916) 319-2081