BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 581 Page 1 ASSEMBLY THIRD READING AB 581 (Gomez) As Amended January 4, 2016 Majority vote ------------------------------------------------------------------ |Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------| |Water |13-0 |Levine, Bigelow, | | | | |Dahle, Dodd, Eggman, | | | | |Beth Gaines, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Cristina Garcia, | | | | |Gomez, Lopez, Mathis, | | | | |Medina, Salas, | | | | |Williams | | | | | | | |----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------| |Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | | | | |Bloom, Bonilla, | | | | |Bonta, Calderon, | | | | |Chang, Daly, Eggman, | | | | |Gallagher, Eduardo | | | | |Garcia, Holden, | | | | |Jones, Quirk, Wagner, | | | | |Weber, Wood | | | | | | | AB 581 Page 2 | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------ SUMMARY: Requires all river, lake, stream, coastal water, and watershed protection and restoration projects that receive state funds from the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014 (Proposition 1) to post signs acknowledging state support of the project. EXISTING LAW: 1)Requires all projects receiving funding from Proposition 12, the Safe Neighborhood Parks, Clean Water, Clean Air, and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2000, to post signs, in accordance with guidelines established by the California Natural Resources Agency Secretary, acknowledging those funds. 2)Requires, to the extent practicable, all projects receiving funding from Proposition 1 to include signage informing the public that the project is supported by Proposition 1 funding. FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, no additional state costs. COMMENTS: This bill requires those projects receiving state funding through Proposition 1 for watershed protection and restoration to post signs acknowledging state support of the project. This bill further requires the Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency to establish guidelines for the posting of the signs and within those guidelines requires the state to be listed first if the state is the source of 50% or more of the total project cost. AB 581 Page 3 The author states that it is important for Californians to know where their river, lake, stream, coastal water, and watershed protection and restoration project taxpayer dollars are being spent. While Proposition 1 references signage it does not require or establish guidelines for signage. This bill remedies that deficiency and applies only to Chapter 6 of the Bond relative to river, lake, stream, coastal water, and watershed protection and restoration projects. The Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014 made nearly $1.5 billion available for competitive grants for multi-benefit ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration projects. While there is a general assertion in Proposition 1 that all projects receiving Proposition 1 support acknowledge the state as a source of funds there are no requirements or guidelines on how to do so. A similar bill introduced last year, AB 1169 (Gomez), proposed to require the Strategic Growth Council to develop guidelines to require all recipients of state funding for projects in public places to post signs acknowledging the source of funds. AB 1169 is currently on the Senate inactive file. Analysis Prepared by: Diane Colborn / W., P., & W. / (916) 319-2096 FN: 0002571 AB 581 Page 4