Bill Text: CA SB234 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Wildlife management areas: payments.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 19-8)
Status: (Failed) 2016-02-01 - Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [SB234 Detail]
Download: California-2015-SB234-Introduced.html
BILL NUMBER: SB 234 INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senators Wolk and Nielsen (Principal coauthors: Senators Berryhill, Cannella, and McGuire) (Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Alejo, Dodd, and Frazier) (Coauthors: Senators Gaines, Galgiani, Morrell, Stone, and Vidak) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Bigelow, Chávez, Dahle, Gallagher, Gray, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Melendez, Olsen, Patterson, Steinorth, and Waldron) FEBRUARY 13, 2015 An act relating to fish and wildlife, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 234, as introduced, Wolk. Wildlife management areas: payments. Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife, when income is derived directly from real property acquired and operated by the state as a wildlife management area, as defined, to pay annually to the county in which the property is located an amount equal to the county taxes levied upon the property at the time title to the property was transferred to the state, and any assessments levied upon the property by any irrigation, drainage, or reclamation district. This bill would appropriate $19,000,000 from the General Fund to the department to make payments to counties for unpaid amounts under these provisions. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Section 1504 of the Fish and Game Code requires that payments be made to counties equal to the property taxes previously levied on property held by the Department of Fish and Wildlife pursuant to that section. (b) No payments have been made to counties pursuant to Section 1504 of the Fish and Game Code since the 2001-02 fiscal year when a partial payment was made. (c) Counties are now owed approximately nineteen million dollars ($19,000,000) for the unpaid payments. (d) If this property were owned by a private party, a county could sell the property to recoup unpaid property taxes. (e) Because the sale of this state-owned property is not an option for a county, the state should fulfill its statutory obligation and pay the current and unpaid amounts. (f) To that end, an appropriation is needed to meet the obligations of the Department of Fish and Wildlife incurred pursuant to Section 1504 of the Fish and Game Code since the 2001-02 fiscal year. SEC. 2. The sum of nineteen million dollars ($19,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, to make payments to counties for unpaid amounts incurred pursuant to Section 1504 of the Fish and Game Code. SEC. 3. This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are: In order for the fiscal arrangements made by this act to be operative at the commencement of the 2015-16 fiscal year, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.