Plain English Breakdown
The official source confirms the exemption applies to 'program guidelines and selection criteria' but does not explicitly define what constitutes a 'competitive grant program,' though it implies this context for entities receiving funding under the act.
Exempting Bond Program Guidelines from Standard Rule-Making Rules
This law lets state agencies skip standard rule-making steps when creating guidelines for spending $10 billion in voter-approved bond money, but it requires them to share drafts with lawmakers and hold public meetings.
What This Bill Does
- Exempts program guidelines and selection criteria needed for Proposition 4 projects from the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act.
- Requires state entities running competitive grant programs under this exemption to develop draft project solicitation and evaluation guidelines.
- Mandates that agencies send copies of these drafts to the fiscal committees and appropriate policy committees of the Legislature.
- Orders agencies to hold a noticed public meeting on the draft guidelines before finalizing them.
- Requires state entities to submit final guidelines to the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, who must post an electronic version on the agency's website.
Who It Names or Affects
- State entities that receive funding to administer competitive grant programs under Proposition 4 using this exemption.
- The Legislature's fiscal and policy committees, which must review draft guidelines.
- The Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, who is responsible for posting final documents online.
Terms To Know
- Administrative Procedure Act
- A law that sets standard rules for how state agencies create and change regulations.
- Proposition 4
- The voter-approved measure from November 5, 2024, authorizing $10 billion in bonds for environmental projects like safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, drought preparedness, and clean air.
- Competitive grant program
- A system where applicants compete to receive funding based on specific rules and criteria developed by the state entity.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law authorizes the use of certain previously developed guidelines but does not specify exactly which ones qualify.
- While the bill declares it takes effect immediately as an urgency statute, no specific calendar date is listed in the provided text.