Bill Text: CA SB978 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

California Senate Bill 978

Bill Title: State government: budget: state publications: format.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-24 - In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. [SB978 Detail]

Download: California-2023-SB978-Amended.html

Amended IN Senate May 16, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 978

Introduced by Senator Seyarto

January 29, 2024

An act to amend Sections 13337 and 14901 of the Government Code, relating to state government.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 978, as amended, Seyarto. State government: budget: state publications: format.

The California Constitution requires the Governor to submit a budget for the ensuing fiscal year to the Legislature within the first 10 days of each regular session. Existing law requires that budget to contain a complete plan and itemized statement of all proposed expenditures of the state provided by existing law or recommended by the Governor, and of all estimated revenues, as specified. Existing law requires the budget to be prepared in a specified manner.

This bill would require the budget to be made available, on or before January 1, 2026, on the Department of Finance internet website in a machine readable format. The bill would require the budget for each budget year to be posted and maintained on the internet website for a period of at least 10 years following the release of that budget. Department of Finance to make available on the home page of its internet website access to the Governor’s Budget in an electronic machine readable format.

Existing law provides that it is the policy of the State of California to make freely available to its inhabitants all state publications. To effectively carry out that policy, subject to availability of the necessary resources, existing law authorizes the California State Library to create a digital repository and delivery system to maintain and preserve copies of publications in electronic format for ready access to the public. Existing law authorizes each state agency to provide digital publications to the California State Library in an appropriate electronic format as specified by the California State Library. Existing law requires the California State Library to determine the appropriate electronic format and authorizes the California State Library to consult with the State Archivist.

This bill would additionally require, at a minimum, the electronic format determined by the California State Library to be a machine readable format.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 13337 of the Government Code is amended to read:

13337.

(a) The budget required by the State Constitution to be submitted by the Governor at each regular session of the Legislature shall be submitted within the first 10 days of each regular session and shall contain a complete plan and itemized statement of all proposed expenditures of the state provided by existing law or recommended by the Governor, and all of its institutions, departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, officers, employees, and other agencies, and of all estimated revenues, for the ensuing fiscal year, together with a comparison, as to each item of revenues and expenditures, with the actual revenues and expenditures for the last completed fiscal year, the estimated revenues, and expenditures for the existing fiscal year and the budgeted revenue and expenditures for the next fiscal year.

(b) The budget shall, in accordance with Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 41200) of Part 24 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code, include a section that specifies the percentages and amounts of General Fund revenues that must be set aside and applied for the support of school districts, as defined in Section 41302.5, and community college districts, as required by subdivision (b) of Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution.

(c) The Governor, or the Department of Finance acting on the Governor’s behalf, shall make appropriate changes in the budget request to reflect any modification in the organization or functions of state government proposed under Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 12080) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 before the passage of the budget.

(d) The Governor’s Budget shall be prepared in accordance with guidelines and instructions adopted by the Department of Finance.

(e) In order to provide meaningful comparisons, the Governor’s Budget shall be prepared in such a manner that the information presented provides for such comparisons between the fiscal years.

(f) The Department of Finance shall submit to the committee in each house which considers appropriations and to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee copies of budget material submitted to it by agencies pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 13320).

(g) The Governor’s Budget shall also include a coding structure that indicates for each budget entity the categorization of expenditures and revenues.

(h) Before submitting the Governor’s Budget to the Legislature, the Department of Finance may conduct public hearings regarding any portion of any budget.

(i) The Governor, or the Department of Finance acting on the Governor’s behalf, shall, at the same time the Governor’s Budget is submitted to the Legislature, submit to the Legislature copies of the material for the purposes of subdivision (j).

(j) The Department of Finance shall develop a fiscal information system that will provide timely and uniform fiscal data needed to formulate and monitor the budget, including, but not limited to, online inquiry capacity and the ability to simulate budget expenditures and forecast revenues. This system may include, among other things, data on encumbrances and expenditures by line item, governmental unit, and fund source. The system shall also include expenditures and encumbrances by program, as required. This system shall also include a coding structure that indicates the categorization of expenditures and revenues. This system and the data shall be available to the legislative and executive branches. The system may contain separate programs accessible by only one branch, designed to provide for distinct application of the data, but the basic system data shall be available on an equal basis to the legislative and executive branches of government.

(k)On or before January 1, 2026, the Governor’s Budget shall be made available on the Department of Finance internet website in a machine readable format. The Governor’s Budget for each budget year shall be posted and maintained on the Department of Finance internet website for a period of at least 10 years following the release of that budget.
(k) The Department of Finance shall make available on the home page of its internet website access to the Governor’s Budget in an electronic machine readable format.

SEC. 2.

Section 14901 of the Government Code is amended to read:

14901.

(a) (1) To the end that the policy specified in Section 14900 may be effectively carried out, subject to availability of the necessary resources, the California State Library may create a digital repository and delivery system to maintain and preserve copies of publications in electronic format for ready access to the public. Each state agency may provide digital publications to the California State Library in an appropriate electronic format as specified by the California State Library.

(2) The California State Library shall determine the appropriate electronic format and may consult with the State Archivist. At a minimum, the electronic format shall be a machine readable format.

(b) Two copies of each state publication, in physical or electronic format, as selected by the State Archivist shall be filed with the State Archivist by the State Printer or the department, commission, or other agency concerned. The cost of printing, publishing, and distributing the copies shall be fixed and charged pursuant to Section 14866.

(c) In order to maintain maximum transparency and accessibility, complete and selective repository libraries shall maintain paper copies previously distributed through this article until these legacy paper materials can be digitized.

(d) Publications printed in physical format or that have not been submitted to the California State Library pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be printed in a sufficient number of copies of each state publication as determined by the State Librarian in accordance with this section and Sections 14903, 14904, and 14907, not to exceed 350, and forwarded to the California State Library. The cost of printing, publishing, and distributing the copies shall be fixed and charted pursuant to Section 14866.

(e) When physical printing of a publication ends, the distribution of copies to the complete and selective repository libraries shall end.