BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 987
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Date of Hearing: June 17, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS AND WILDLIFE
Anthony Rendon, Chair
SB 987 (Monning) - As Amended: May 12, 2014
SENATE VOTE : 27-9
SUBJECT : California Sea Otter Fund: Department of Fish and
Wildlife: Coastal Conservancy
SUMMARY : Authorizes the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW)
and the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) to use a portion of the
funds these entities receive from the California Sea Otter Fund
from tax check-off contributions to publicize information about
the Fund. Specifically, this bill :
1)Authorizes the portion of the funds received by DFW from the
California Sea Otter Fund from tax check-off contributions to
be used for sea otter conservation, including but not limited
to, for increased investigation, prevention and enforcement
actions related to sea otter mortality.
2)Authorizes DFW to use a portion of the funds received for
public outreach activities that encourage taxpayers to make
contributions by voluntary check-off on a tax return to the
California Sea Otter Fund. Similarly authorizes the SCC to
use a portion of the funds it receives from the California Sea
Otter Fund for public outreach activities that encourage
taxpayers to make contributions by voluntary check-off on a
tax return to the Fund.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes a taxpayer to designate on their state tax return
that a contribution in excess of tax liability, if any, be
made to the California Sea Otter Fund, as a voluntary
check-off.
2)Creates the California Sea Otter Fund to receive contributions
made by taxpayers to the Fund through voluntary check-off on
tax returns.
3)Requires that 50% of the revenues received from voluntary
contributions to the Fund, after reimbursement of the
SB 987
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Franchise Tax Board (FTB) and State Controller's costs, be
allocated to the DFW for the purposes of establishing a sea
otter fund to be used within DFW's indexed coding system for
increased investigation, prevention and enforcement actions.
4)Requires the other 50%, after reimbursement of the FTB and
Controller's costs, be allocated to the SCC for competitive
grants and contracts to public agencies and nonprofit
organizations for research, science, protection, projects, or
programs related to the federal Sea Otter Recovery Plan, or
for improving the near-shore ocean ecosystem, including, but
not limited to, program activities to reduce sea otter
mortality, and projects to address pathogens and water and
wastewater treatment technologies.
5)Provides that these provisions shall sunset effective January
1, 2016.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee analysis, cost pressures of approximately $20,000
annually to the California Sea Otter Fund (special fund) and
potentially to other special funds and the General Fund to DFW
and SCC to conduct public outreach activities to encourage
participation in the sea otter tax check-off.
COMMENTS : The California Sea Otter Fund was created in 2006
and is funded through a voluntary taxpayer check-off on state
tax returns. Between 2007 and 2013, more than $2 million was
contributed by California taxpayers through the tax return
check-off. In 2013, taxpayers contributed $307,544 to the Fund.
To date the Fund has supported the advancement of a long-term
study on sea otter health, including chemical and pathogen
pollution, and has supported other projects benefitting sea
otter conservation.
The author indicates this bill is needed to make it explicitly
clear that the DFW and SCC can use a portion of the moneys they
receive from the California Sea Otter Fund to publicize the Fund
and encourage taxpayers to make voluntary contributions to the
Fund through a tax check-off. This bill also clarifies that
DFW's expenditures from the fund must be related to sea otter
conservation and sea otter mortality.
Sea otters are listed as a threatened species under the federal
endangered species act, and are a fully protected species under
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the California Fish and Game Code. Populations of sea otters
significantly declined in the early 1900's due to hunting.
Today there are less than 3,000 sea otters along the state's
coastline and the population continues to decline. Scientists
at the DFW indicate that fifty to sixty percent of southern sea
otter deaths are the result of diseases, parasites and
toxicants. Many of these have land-sea connections and can be
seen as forms of, or the result of, pollution. The specific
causes of sea otter mortality have links to terrestrial sources
and are forms of pollution and habitat degradation. Most are the
result of non-point source pollution, but some point sources are
being discovered. One known source is a parasitic disease
carried in the feces of cats. All sea otters that die in
California are examined at the DFW Marine Wildlife Center in
Santa Cruz, a DFW Office of Spill Prevention and Response
facility. This work is supported variously by the Sea Otter tax
check-off, SCC, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other
funding sources.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Defenders of Wildlife
Friends of the Sea Otter
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Ocean Conservancy
Sierra Club
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Diane Colborn / W., P. & W. / (916)
319-2096