BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                            Senator Kevin de Le�n, Chair


          AB 1547 (Gomez) - Domestic Violence Advisory Council.
          
          Amended: As Introduced          Policy Vote: Public Safety 6-0
          Urgency: No                     Mandate: No
          Hearing Date: June 23, 2014                             
          Consultant: Jolie Onodera       
          
          This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the  
          Suspense File.
          
          
          Bill Summary: AB 1547 would delete the January 1, 2015, sunset  
          date for the Domestic Violence Advisory Council (DVAC), allowing  
          the DVAC to remain in effect indefinitely.

          Fiscal Impact: Annual costs to the Office of Emergency Services  
          (Cal OES) to continue operation of the DVAC of less than $10,000  
          (General Fund).

          Funding for the Comprehensive Statewide Domestic Violence  
          Program is a combination of General Fund and federal funds.  
          Total funding for the program, including federal grants from  
          prior years, is about $37 million, including about $21 million  
          General Fund.

          Background: Existing law establishes the Comprehensive Statewide  
          Domestic Violence Program, administered by the Cal OES, to  
          provide financial and technical assistance to local domestic  
          violence service providers, and requires the Cal OES to  
          collaboratively administer the program with an advisory council  
          to implement the program. The DVAC comprises specified experts  
          in the field of providing services to DV victims and their  
          children, including DV victims' advocates, battered women  
          service providers, a representative of service providers serving  
          the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in  
          connection with DV, and representatives of women's organizations  
          and law enforcement.

          The DVAC is to have no more than 13 voting members and two  
          non-voting ex officio members who shall be appointed, as  
          follows: seven members appointed by the Governor, three members  
          appointed by the Assembly Speaker, three members appointed by  
          the Senate Committee on Rules, and two non-voting members are to  
          be Members of the Legislature, as specified.






          AB 1547 (Gomez)
          Page 1



          The Cal OES is required to collaborate closely with the DVAC in  
          developing funding priorities, framing the request for  
          proposals, and soliciting proposals. Existing law provides that  
          the provisions of law related to the DVAC shall remain in effect  
          only until January 1, 2015, and as of that date is repealed,  
          unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January  
          1, 2015, deletes or extends that date.

          Proposed Law: This bill deletes the January 1, 2015, sunset date  
          for the DVAC, thereby allowing the DVAC to remain in effect  
          indefinitely. 

          Staff Comments: The Cal OES has indicated minor ongoing costs of  
          less than $10,000 annually to continue operation of the DVAC for  
          costs related to travel reimbursement.