BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1455
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 1455 (DeSaulnier)
As Amended May 27, 2014
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :31-4
EDUCATION 7-0 APPROPRIATIONS 13-3
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|Ayes:|Buchanan, Olsen, Ch�vez, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra, |
| |Gonzalez, Nazarian, | |Bradford, |
| |Weber, Williams | |Ian Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Eggman, Gomez, Holden, |
| | | |Linder, Pan, Quirk, |
| | | |Ridley-Thomas, Lowenthal |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | |Nays:|Donnelly, Jones, Wagner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires the State Librarian, using existing
resources, to prepare a comprehensive assessment on the
statewide need for the construction, renovation, and
rehabilitation of public libraries, and submit a report to the
Governor, the Department of Finance, the Legislative Analyst's
Office, and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the
Legislature on or before August 15, 2015. Makes findings and
declarations regarding public libraries, the role libraries play
in the educational system and as a community's only public point
of access to resources for learning, and the growing need for
public library facilities.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, the State Librarian estimates workload costs of
approximately $43,000 (Federal Library Services and Technology
Act) to develop and administer the survey, provide webinar based
training to public library staff to complete the needs
assessment and produce a final report.
COMMENTS : Earlier versions of this bill would have placed a
general obligation (G.O.) bond on the 2016 statewide general
election for the construction and renovation of public
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libraries. This bill, an uncodified bill, requires the State
Librarian to conduct an assessment of statewide need for the
construction, renovation, and rehabilitation of public
libraries. There are currently 1,115 branches in California.
The last library bond approved by voters was the California
Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library Construction
and Renovation Bond Act of 2000 (Proposition 14) in March for
$350 million. The bond required a 35% local match and had
sufficient funding for about 25% of the projects requesting
funds (45 out of 199 projects).
Prior to Proposition 14, in 1988, the voters approved $75
million in state G.O. bonds under the California Library
Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 1988 and established a
grant fund for the acquisition, construction, remodeling, or
rehabilitation of public library facilities. These funds have
been fully expended.
The last library bond on the ballot was Proposition 81, the
California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library
Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2006, which would have
provided $600 million for the construction and rehabilitation of
public libraries. This bond failed by a 47.3% to 52.7% vote on
the June 2006 ballot.
The last needs assessment was conducted in 2007 by the
California State Library. The California Public Library
Facilities Needs Assessment surveyed California public libraries
to determine the number of building projects needed in the
following ten years and the amount of funds needed to support
those projects. Data collection was completed in April 2007
with approximately 90% of the public library jurisdictions in
California reporting. The survey identified 662 projects in
need of funding between 2007-2016, with a total cost of over $8
billion. Eighty-five percent of the funding was needed for new
library construction.
The California Library Association (CLA), the sponsor of the
bill, states, "The Needs Assessments are some of the best tools
we have to make our case for the need to provide bond funds for
library construction. Thus, it is essential that CLA and the
State Library move forward, educated with concrete numbers, so
that we can deliberate over the total statewide price tag,
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assess the bonded indebtedness commitment of the state, and
analyze issues such as raising the local match requirement to
allow the state money to go farther and fund more projects."
There is no opposition on file.
Prior Legislation: SB 1516 (Simitian) of 2008, would have
placed the California Reading and Literacy Improvement and
Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2010 on
the statewide general election in 2010. The bond would have
authorized the issuance of $4 billion in G.O. bonds for the
construction and renovation of public libraries.
SB 156 (Simitian) of 2007, proposed the California Reading and
Literacy Improvement and Public Library Construction and
Renovation Bond Act of 2008 and authorized the issuance of $4
billion in G.O. bonds for public library construction and
renovation.
SB 1161 (Alpert), Chapter 698, Statutes of 2004, established the
California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library
Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2006, and authorized the
issuance of $600 million in bonds for the purpose of financing
library construction and renovation. Proposition 81 failed
passage in the June 2006 primary election.
AB 222 (Corbett) of 2003, would have placed a $4.47 billion G.O.
bond on the 2004 direct primary election to finance a library
construction and renovation program.
SB 40 (Alpert) of 2003, would have placed a $2 billion general
obligation bond measure on the 2004 direct primary election
ballot to finance a library construction and renovation program.
SB 3 (Rainey), Chapter 726, Statutes of 1999, enacted the
California Reading and
Literacy Improvement and Public Library Construction and
Renovation Bond Act of 2000 that provided $350 million in G.O.
bonds for public library construction and renovation, approved
by voters as Proposition 14.
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
SB 1455
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FN:
0004275