Bill Text: CA SB1428 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Legislative meetings: recording and transcription.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-03-22 - Referred to Com. on RLS. [SB1428 Detail]
Download: California-2011-SB1428-Introduced.html
BILL NUMBER: SB 1428 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Senator Blakeslee
FEBRUARY 24, 2012
An act to amend Section 10248 of, and to add Section 9027.5 to,
the Government Code, relating to the Legislature.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1428, as introduced, Blakeslee. Legislative meetings: recording
and transcription.
Existing law requires, except as specified, all meetings of a
house of the Legislature or a committee thereof to be open and
public. Existing law, the Legislative Open Records Act, provides that
legislative records are open to inspection and any person has a
right to inspect any legislative record, except as specified.
Existing law requires the Legislative Counsel to make certain
information available to the public in electronic form regarding each
bill in each current legislative session, including, among other
things, the bill history and status, all bill analyses prepared by
legislative committees, and all vote information.
This bill would require each house of the Legislature to make an
audio, or audio and video, recording of every open and public meeting
of a house of the Legislature or a committee thereof, and would
require those recordings to be transcribed. The bill would specify
that the transcriptions shall be legislative records for purposes of
the Legislative Open Records Act and require that the Legislative
Counsel make the transcriptions available to the public in electronic
form. The bill would require each house of the Legislature to make
the transcriptions in a manner that utilizes the best available
technology in audio transcription software in order to minimize
costs.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 9027.5 is added to the Government Code, to
read:
9027.5. (a) Each house of the Legislature shall make an audio, or
audio and video, recording of every meeting of that house or a
committee thereof that is required by this article to be open and
public.
(b) Each house of the Legislature shall cause every recording made
pursuant to subdivision (a) to be transcribed.
(c) A transcription made pursuant to subdivision (b) is a
legislative record for purposes of the Legislative Open Records Act
(Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 9070).
(d) Each house of the Legislature shall implement subdivision (a)
in a manner that utilizes the best available technology in audio
transcription software in order to minimize costs.
SEC. 2. Section 10248 of the Government Code is amended to read:
10248. (a) The Legislative Counsel shall, with the advice of the
Assembly Committee on Rules and the Senate Committee on Rules, make
all of the following information available to the public in
electronic form:
(1) The legislative calendar, the schedule of legislative
committee hearings, a list of matters pending on the floors of both
houses of the Legislature, and a list of the committees of the
Legislature and their members.
(2) The text of each bill introduced in each current legislative
session, including each amended, enrolled, and chaptered form of each
bill.
(3) The bill history of each bill introduced and amended in each
current legislative session.
(4) The bill status of each bill introduced and amended in each
current legislative session.
(5) All bill analyses prepared by legislative committees in
connection with each bill in each current legislative session.
(6) All vote information concerning each bill in each current
legislative session.
(7) Any veto message concerning a bill in each current legislative
session.
(8) The California Codes.
(9) The California Constitution.
(10) All statutes enacted on or after January 1, 1993.
(11) Each transcription made pursuant to subdivision (b) of
Section 9027.5.
(b) The information identified in subdivision (a) shall be made
available to the public by means of access by way of the largest
nonproprietary, nonprofit cooperative public computer network. The
information shall be made available in one or more formats and by one
or more means in order to provide the greatest feasible access to
the general public in this state. Any person who accesses the
information may access all or any part of the information. The
information may also be made available by any other means of access
that would facilitate public access to the information. The
information that is maintained in the legislative information system
that is operated and maintained by the Legislative Counsel shall be
made available in the shortest feasible time after the information is
available in the information system. The information that is not
maintained in the information system shall be made available in the
shortest feasible time after it is available to the Legislative
Counsel.
(c) Any documentation that describes the electronic digital
formats of the information identified in subdivision (a) and is
available to the public shall be made available by means of access by
way of the computer network specified in subdivision (b).
(d) Personal information concerning a person who accesses the
information may be maintained only for the purpose of providing
service to the person.
(e) No fee or other charge may be imposed by the Legislative
Counsel as a condition of accessing the information that is
accessible by way of the computer network specified in subdivision
(b).
(f) The electronic public access provided by way of the computer
network specified in subdivision (b) shall be in addition to other
electronic or print distribution of the information.
(g) No action taken pursuant to this section shall be deemed to
alter or relinquish any copyright or other proprietary interest or
entitlement of the State of California relating to any of the
information made available pursuant to this section.
