BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                     SB 255


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          Date of Hearing:  July 1, 2015


           ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW


                                  Rudy Salas, Chair


          SB  
          255 (Liu) - As Amended June 25, 2015


          SENATE VOTE:  36-0


          SUBJECT:  State government:  Commission on the Status of Women  
          and Girls


          SUMMARY:  Authorizes the Commission on the Status of Women and  
          Girls (Commission) to conduct fundraising activities that charge  
          an admission price; exempts Commission meetings conducted solely  
          for fundraising purposes from the Bagley Keene Open Meeting Act  
          (Bagley Keene Act); and, makes a clarifying change to the  
          composition of the Commission.   Specifically, this bill:  


          1)Authorizes the Commission to conduct fundraising activities  
            that may require a payment or purchase to attend.


          2)Exempts any Commission meetings conducted solely for  
            fundraising purposes and where no other business within the  
            purview of the Commission is discussed, deliberated, or taken  
            action upon, from the Bagley Keene Act.


          3)Specifies that the Labor Commissioner is a member of the  








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            Commission, instead of the Chief of the Division of Industrial  
            Welfare, which is an obsolete position.


          EXISTING LAW:


          1)Creates the Commission in state government consisting of 17  
            appointed members.


          2)Vests the Commission with the powers and authority necessary  
            to carry out its duties, including, but not limited to,  
            accepting federal funds, gifts, donations, grants or bequests  
            to further its purposes.


          3)Establishes the Women and Girls Fund in the State Treasury in  
            support of the Commission.  Requires the Department of Finance  
            to approve all gifts, bequests or donations collected or  
            received by the Commission for deposit into the fund.   
            Appropriations from the fund require legislative approval. 


          4)Requires all meetings of the commission to be open and public  
            and all persons to be permitted to attend any meetings of the  
            commission.


          5)Establishes the Bagley-Keene Act, set forth in Government Code  
            Sections 11120-11132, which generally requires all state  
            bodies to publicly notice their meetings, prepare agendas,  
            accept public testimony and conduct their meetings in public,  
            absent a specific reason to meet in closed session.


          FISCAL EFFECT:  Unknown

          








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          COMMENTS:  The Commission was established in 1965 to protect and  
          improve opportunities for California women and girls.  As an  
          independent, nonpartisan state agency, it provides a statewide  
          perspective to the Legislature and other policymakers on issues  
          affecting women and girls, such as gender in the workplace;  
          gender equity in the media; educational needs of women and  
          girls; health and safety of women; and women in the military.

          SB 1038 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review), Chapter 46,  
          Statutes of 2012, restructured the mission of the Commission and  
          directed it to seek funding from private entities to reduce its  
          reliance on state funding.  Proceeds from non-state sources are  
          deposited in the Women and Girls Fund in the State Treasury to  
          be used to support the work of the Commission.  The final  
          2015-16 State Budget includes a $500,000 General Fund  
          appropriation to the Commission and $374,000 in the special  
          Women and Girls Fund. 

          According to the author, during California's recession, the  
          budget for the Commission was substantially reduced and,  
          pursuant to SB 1038, it was charged with raising private money  
          to fund its operation.  The author contends this task has proven  
          particularly difficult for the Commission because, as a state  
          body, it is also required to comply with the Bagley-Keene Act, a  
          set of regulations not designed for entities that must also  
          raise private funds for operation.  This bill clarifies that  
          meetings and activities conducted solely for the purpose of  
          fundraising do not fall under the scope of Bagley-Keene and  
          reiterates that no commission business may be discussed,  
          deliberated, or acted upon at a meeting convened for the sole  
          purpose of fundraising.  The author states that these necessary  
          changes will enable the Commission to focus its business  
          meetings on the pressing issues facing California's women and  
          girls and help stabilize funding to carry out its work.

          Lastly, this bill corrects the membership of the Commission to  
          identify the Labor Commissioner, who is the acting Chief of the  
          Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in the Department of  
          Industrial Relations, as a member, instead of the Chief of the  








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          Division of Industrial Welfare, a position that no longer  
          exists. 

          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:


          Support


          California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls




          Opposition


          None on file




          Analysis Prepared by:Cassie Royce / A. & A.R. / (916)  
          319-3600