BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �






                                                       Bill No:  AB  
          1711
          
                 SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
                           Senator Lou Correa, Chair
                           2013-2014 Regular Session
                                 Staff Analysis



          AB 1711  Author:  Cooley
          As Amended:  April 3, 2014
          Hearing Date:  June 10, 2014
          Consultant:  Paul Donahue


                                     SUBJECT  

           Administrative Procedures Act: Economic impact assessment

                                   DESCRIPTION
           

          This bill requires an Economic Impact Assessment (EIA) to  
          be included in the Initial Statement of Reasons (ISOR) that  
          a state agency submits to the Office of Administrative Law  
          (OAL) when adopting, amending, or repealing a non-major  
          regulation. Specifically,  this bill  : 

          1)Requires a state agency to include an EIA in the ISOR  
            that is submitted to OAL when adopting, amending, or  
            repealing a non-major regulation.

          2)Directs the Department of Finance (DOF) to adopt and  
            update, as necessary, instructions prescribing the  
            methods that an agency must use in preparing the EIA, and  
            include those instructions in the State Administrative  
            Manual.

                                   EXISTING LAW
           
          1)The Administrative Procedure Act governs the procedures  
            for the adoption, amendment, or repeal of regulations by  
            state agencies and for the review of those regulatory  
            actions by OAL. 





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          2)Requires each state agency to prepare a standardized  
            regulatory impact analysis, as specified, with respect to  
            the adoption, amendment, or repeal of a major regulation,  
            as defined, that is proposed on or after November 1,  
            2013.

          3)Defines a "major regulation" to mean any proposed  
            adoption, amendment, or repeal of a regulation that will  
            have an economic impact on California business  
            enterprises and individuals in an amount exceeding $50  
            million, as estimated by the agency.

          4)Requires DOF and OAL to periodically review the  
            standardized regulatory impact analyses for adherence to  
            regulations adopted by DOF. 

                                    BACKGROUND
           
           Purpose  : According to the author, a state agency that  
          proposes a rulemaking action affecting only non-major  
          regulations (less than $50 million impact) is required to  
          prepare an economic impact assessment (EIA) for purposes of  
          assessing the potential adverse economic impact of the  
          proposed regulations. Currently the Administrative  
          Procedure Act does not establish when the economic impact  
          assessment for non-major regulations is to be prepared and  
          made available to the public for comment. AB 1711 resolves  
          this issue by ensuring that the EIA for non-major  
          regulations is included in the initial regulatory notice  
          document, thereby making the statement available to the  
          public for comment at the onset of the rulemaking process  
          when it can be most useful.

                            PRIOR/RELATED LEGISLATION
           
          AB 12 (Cooley), 2013-2014 Session. Would have required DOF  
          and OAL to review annually the standardized regulatory  
          impact analyses for adherence to the regulations adopted by  
          a state agency, and report back to the Legislature.   
          (Vetoed)

          SB 617 (Calderon), Chapter 496, Statutes of 2011. Requires  
          all state agencies that create, modify, or repeal a major  
          regulation with an economic impact of $50 million or more  
          to issue a standardized economic impact report, and enacts  
          requirements for a regulatory impact report to be completed  




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          by Finance and OAL.

           SUPPORT:   

          Office of Administrative Law

           OPPOSE:   

          None on file

           DUAL REFERRAL:   Senate Environmental Quality Committee
           
          FISCAL COMMITTEE:   Senate Appropriations Committee



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