Bill Text: CA SB638 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Regulatory boards: operations.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-02-01 - Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [SB638 Detail]
Download: California-2009-SB638-Introduced.html
BILL NUMBER: SB 638 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Senator Negrete McLeod
FEBRUARY 27, 2009
An act to amend Sections 22, 473.1, 473.15, 473.2, 473.3, 473.4,
473.6, and 9882 of, to add Sections 473.12 and 473.7 to, to repeal
Sections 473.16 and 473.5 of, and to repeal and add Sections 101.1
and 473 of, the Business and Professions Code, relating to regulatory
boards.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 638, as introduced, Negrete McLeod. Regulatory boards:
operations.
Existing law creates various regulatory boards, as defined, within
the Department of Consumer Affairs, with board members serving
specified terms of office. Existing law generally makes the
regulatory boards inoperative and repealed on specified dates, unless
those dates are deleted or extended by subsequent legislation, and
subjects these boards that are scheduled to become inoperative and
repealed as well as other boards in state government, as specified,
to review by the Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer
Protection. Under existing law, that committee, following a
specified procedure, recommends whether the board should be continued
or its functions modified. Existing law requires the State Board of
Chiropractic Examiners and the Osteopathic Medical Board of
California to submit certain analyses and reports to the committee on
specified dates and requires the committee to review those boards
and hold hearings as specified, and to make certain evaluations and
findings.
This bill would abolish the Joint Committee on Boards,
Commissions, and Consumer Protection and would authorize the
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature to carry out its
duties. The bill would terminate the terms of office of each board
member or bureau chief within the department on unspecified dates and
would authorize successor board members and bureau chiefs to be
appointed, as specified. The bill would also subject interior design
organizations, the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the
Osteopathic Medical Board of California, and the Tax Education
Council to review on unspecified dates. The bill would authorize the
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature to review the
boards, bureaus, or entities that are scheduled to have their board
membership or bureau chief so terminated or reviewed, as specified,
and would authorize the appropriate policy committees of the
Legislature to investigate their operations and to hold specified
public hearings. The bill would require a board, bureau, or entity,
if their annual report contains certain information, to post it on
its Internet Web site. The bill would make other conforming changes.
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 22 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
22. (a) "Board," as used in
any provision of this code, refers to the board in which the
administration of the provision is vested, and unless otherwise
expressly provided, shall include "bureau," "commission," "committee,"
"department," "division," "examining committee," "program," and
"agency."
(b) Whenever the regulatory program of a board that is subject to
review by the Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer
Protection, as provided for in Division 1.2 (commencing with Section
473), is taken over by the department, that program shall be
designated as a "bureau."
SEC. 2. Section 101.1 of the Business and Professions Code is
repealed.
101.1. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that all existing
and proposed consumer-related boards or categories of licensed
professionals be subject to a review every four years to evaluate and
determine whether each board has demonstrated a public need for the
continued existence of that board in accordance with enumerated
factors and standards as set forth in Division 1.2 (commencing with
Section 473).
(b) (1) In the event that any board, as defined in Section 477,
becomes inoperative or is repealed in accordance with the act that
added this section, or by subsequent acts, the Department of Consumer
Affairs shall succeed to and is vested with all the duties, powers,
purposes, responsibilities and jurisdiction not otherwise repealed or
made inoperative of that board and its executive officer.
(2) Any provision of existing law that provides for the
appointment of board members and specifies the qualifications and
tenure of board members shall not be implemented and shall have no
force or effect while that board is inoperative or repealed. Every
reference to the inoperative or repealed board, as defined in Section
477, shall be deemed to be a reference to the department.
(3) Notwithstanding Section 107, any provision of law authorizing
the appointment of an executive officer by a board subject to the
review described in Division 1.2 (commencing with Section 473), or
prescribing his or her duties, shall not be implemented and shall
have no force or effect while the applicable board is inoperative or
repealed. Any reference to the executive officer of an inoperative or
repealed board shall be deemed to be a reference to the director or
his or her designee.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that subsequent
legislation to extend or repeal the inoperative date for any board
shall be a separate bill for that purpose.
SEC. 3. Section 101.1 is added to the Business and Professions
Code, to read:
101.1. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the
terms of office of the members of a board are terminated in
accordance with the act that added this section or by subsequent
acts, successor members shall be appointed that shall succeed to, and
be vested with, all the duties, powers, purposes, responsibilities,
and jurisdiction not otherwise repealed or made inoperative of the
members that they are succeeding. The successor members shall be
appointed by the same appointing authorities, for the remainder of
the previous members' terms, and shall be subject to the same
membership requirements as the members they are succeeding.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the term of
office for a bureau chief is terminated in accordance with the act
that added this section or by subsequent acts, a successor bureau
chief shall be appointed who shall succeed to, and be vested with,
all the duties, powers, purposes, responsibilities, and jurisdiction
not otherwise repealed or made inoperative of the bureau chief that
he or she is succeeding. The successor bureau chief shall be
appointed by the same appointing authorities, for the remainder of
the previous bureau chief's term, and shall be subject to the same
requirements as the bureau chief he or she is succeeding.
SEC. 4. Section 473 of the Business and Professions Code is
repealed.
473. (a) There is hereby established the Joint Committee on
Boards, Commissions, and Consumer Protection.
(b) The Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer
Protection shall consist of three members appointed by the Senate
Committee on Rules and three members appointed by the Speaker of the
Assembly. No more than two of the three members appointed from either
the Senate or the Assembly shall be from the same party. The Joint
Rules Committee shall appoint the chairperson of the committee.
(c) The Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer
Protection shall have and exercise all of the rights, duties, and
powers conferred upon investigating committees and their members by
the Joint Rules of the Senate and Assembly as they are adopted and
amended from time to time, which provisions are incorporated herein
and made applicable to this committee and its members.
(d) The Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate Committee on Rules
may designate staff for the Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions,
and Consumer Protection.
(e) The Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer
Protection is authorized to act until January 1, 2012, at which time
the committee's existence shall terminate.
SEC. 5. Section 473 is added to the Business and Professions Code,
to read:
473. Whenever the provisions of this code refer to the Joint
Committee on Boards, Commissions and Consumer Protection, the
reference shall be construed to be a reference to the appropriate
policy committees of the Legislature.
SEC. 6. Section 473.1 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
473.1. This chapter shall apply to all of the following:
(a) Every board, as defined in Section 22, that is scheduled to
become inoperative and to be repealed have
its membership reconstituted on a specified date as provided by
the specific act relating to the board
subdivision (a) of Section 473.12 .
(b) The Bureau for Postsecondary and Vocational Education.
For purposes of this chapter, "board" includes the bureau
Every bureau that is named in subdivision (b) of
Section 473.12 .
(c) The Cemetery and Funeral Bureau Every
entity that is named in subdivision (c) of Section 473.12 .
SEC. 7. Section 473.12 is added to the Business and Professions
Code, to read:
473.12. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the term
of office of each member of the following boards in the department
shall terminate on the date listed, unless a later enacted statute,
that is enacted before the date listed for that board, deletes or
extends that date:
(1) The Dental Board of California: January 1, ____.
(2) The Medical Board of California: January 1, ____.
(3) The State Board of Optometry: January 1, ____.
(4) The California State Board of Pharmacy: January 1, ____.
(5) The Veterinary Medical Board: January 1, ____.
(6) The California Board of Accountancy: January 1, ____.
(7) The California Architects Board: January 1, ____.
(8) The State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology: January 1, ____.
(9) The Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors:
January 1, ____.
(10) The Contractors' State License Board: January 1, ____.
(11) The Structural Pest Control Board: January 1, ____.
(12) The Board of Registered Nursing: January 1, ____.
(13) The Board of Behavioral Sciences: January 1, ____.
(14) The State Athletic Commission: January 1, ____.
(15) The State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind: January 1, ____.
(16) The Court Reporters Board of California: January 1, ____.
(17) The Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians:
January 1, ____.
(18) The Landscape Architects Technical Committee: January 1,
____.
(19) The Board for Geologists and Geophysicists: January 1, ____.
(20) The Respiratory Care Board of California: January 1, ____.
(21) The Acupuncture Board: January 1, ____.
(22) The Board of Psychology: January 1, ____.
(23) The California Board of Podiatric Medicine: January 1, ____.
(24) The Physical Therapy Board of California: January 1, ____.
(25) The Physician Assistant Committee, Medical Board of
California: January 1, ____.
(26) The Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board: January 1,
____.
(27) The California Board of Occupational Therapy: January 1,
____.
(28) The Dental Hygiene Committee of California: January 1, ____.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the term of office
for the bureau chief of each of the following bureaus shall
terminate on the date listed, unless a later enacted statute, that is
enacted before the date listed for that bureau, deletes or extends
that date:
(1) Arbitration Review Program: January 1, ____.
(2) Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education: January 1, ____.
(3) Bureau of Automotive Repair: January 1, ____.
(4) Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair: January 1, ____.
(5) Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation: January 1,
____.
(6) Bureau of Naturopathic Medicine: January 1, ____.
(7) Bureau of Security and Investigative Services: January 1,
____.
(8) Cemetery and Funeral Bureau: January 1, ____.
(9) Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau: January 1, ____.
(10) Professional Fiduciaries Bureau: January 1, ____.
(11) Telephone Medical Advice Services Bureau: January 1, ____.
(12) Division of Investigation: January 1, ____.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the following
shall be subject to review under this chapter on the following dates:
(1) Interior design certification organizations: January 1, ____.
(2) State Board of Chiropractic Examiners pursuant to Section
473.15: January 1, ____.
(3) Osteopathic Medical Board of California pursuant to Section
473.15: January 1, ____.
(4) California Tax Education Council: January 1, ____.
(d) Nothing in this section or in Section 101.1 shall be construed
to preclude, prohibit, or in any manner alter the requirement of
Senate confirmation of a board member, chief officer, or other
appointee that is subject to confirmation by the Senate as otherwise
required by law.
(e) It is not the intent of the Legislature in enacting this
section to amend the initiative measure that established the State
Board of Chiropractic Examiners or the Osteopathic Medical Board of
California.
SEC. 8. Section 473.15 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
473.15. (a) The Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions,
and Consumer Protection established pursuant to Section 473
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature shall
review the following boards established by initiative measures, as
provided in this section:
(1) The State Board of Chiropractic Examiners established by an
initiative measure approved by electors November 7, 1922.
(2) The Osteopathic Medical Board of California established by an
initiative measure approved June 2, 1913, and acts amendatory thereto
approved by electors November 7, 1922.
(b) The Osteopathic Medical Board of California shall prepare an
analysis and submit a report as described in subdivisions (a) to (e),
inclusive, of Section 473.2, to the Joint Committee on
Boards, Commissions, and Consumer Protection
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature on or before
September 1, 2010.
(c) The State Board of Chiropractic Examiners shall prepare an
analysis and submit a report as described in subdivisions (a) to (e),
inclusive, of Section 473.2, to the Joint Committee on
Boards, Commissions, and Consumer Protection
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature on or before
September 1, 2011.
(d) The Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and
Consumer Protection appropriate policy committees of
the Legislature shall, during the interim recess of
2004 2011 for the Osteopathic Medical Board of
California, and during the interim recess of 2011 for the State Board
of Chiropractic Examiners, hold public hearings to receive testimony
from the Director of Consumer Affairs, the board involved, the
public, and the regulated industry. In that hearing, each board shall
be prepared to demonstrate a compelling public need for the
continued existence of the board or regulatory program, and that its
licensing function is the least restrictive regulation consistent
with the public health, safety, and welfare.
(e) The Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and
Consumer Protection appropriate policy committees of
the Legislature shall evaluate and make determinations pursuant
to Section 473.4 and shall report its findings and
recommendations to the department as provided in Section 473.5
.
(f) In the exercise of its inherent power to make investigations
and ascertain facts to formulate public policy and determine the
necessity and expediency of contemplated legislation for the
protection of the public health, safety, and welfare, it is the
intent of the Legislature that the State Board of Chiropractic
Examiners and the Osteopathic Medical Board of California be reviewed
pursuant to this section.
(g) It is not the intent of the Legislature in requiring
a review under enacting this section to amend
the initiative measures that established the State Board of
Chiropractic Examiners or the Osteopathic Medical Board of
California.
SEC. 9. Section 473.16 of the Business and Professions Code is
repealed.
473.16. The Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer
Protection shall examine the composition of the Medical Board of
California and its initial and biennial fees and report to the
Governor and the Legislature its findings no later than July 1, 2008.
SEC. 10. Section 473.2 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
473.2. (a) All boards to which
this chapter applies or bureaus listed in Section
473.12 shall, with the assistance of the Department of Consumer
Affairs, prepare an analysis and submit a report to the
Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer Protection
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature
no later than 22 months before that board
board's membership or the bureau chief's term shall
become inoperative be terminated pursuant to Section
473.12 . The analysis and report shall include, at a minimum,
all of the following:
(a) A comprehensive statement of the board's mission, goals,
objectives and legal jurisdiction in protecting the health, safety,
and welfare of the public.
(b) The board's enforcement priorities, complaint and enforcement
data, budget expenditures with average- and median-costs per case,
and case aging data specific to post and preaccusation cases at the
Attorney General's office.
(c) The board's
(1) The number of complaints it received per year, the number of
complaints per year that proceeded to investigation, the number of
accusations filed per year, and the number and kind of disciplinary
actions taken, including, but not limited to, interim suspension
orders, revocations, probations, and suspensions.
(2) The average amount of time per year that elapsed between
receipt of a complaint and the complaint being closed or referred to
investigation; the average amount of time per year elapsed between
the commencement of an investigation and the complaint either being
closed or an accusation being filed; the average amount of time
elapsed per year between the filing of an accusation and a final
decision, including appeals; and the average and median costs per
case.
(3) The average amount of time per year between final disposition
of a complaint and notice to the complainant.
(4) A copy of the enforcement priorities including criteria for
seeking an interim suspension order.
(5) A brief description of the board's
or bureau's fund conditions, sources of revenues, and
expenditure categories for the last four fiscal years by program
component.
(d) The board's description of its licensing process including the
time and costs
(6) A brief description of the cost per
year required to implement and administer its licensing
examination, ownership of the license examination, the last
assessment of the relevancy and validity of the licensing
examination, and the passage rate
for each of the last four years, and areas of examination.
(e) The board's initiation of legislative efforts, budget change
proposals, and other initiatives it has taken to improve its
legislative mandate.
(7) A copy of sponsored legislation and a description of its
budget change proposals.
(8) A brief assessment of its licensing fees as to whether they
are sufficient, too high, or too low.
(9) A brief statement detailing how the board or bureau over the
prior four years has improved its enforcement, public disclosure,
accessibility to the public, including, but not limited to, Web casts
of its proceedings, and fiscal condition.
(b) If an annual report contains information that is required by
this section, a board or bureau may submit the annual report to the
committees and it shall post it on the board's or bureau's Internet
Web site.
SEC. 11. Section 473.3 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
473.3. (a) Prior to the
termination , continuation, or reestablishment
of the terms of office of the membership of any
board or any of the board's functions, the Joint Committee
on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer Protection shall
the chief of any bureau described in Section 473.12, the appropriate
policy committees of the Legislature , during the interim
recess preceding the date upon which a board becomes
inoperative board member's or bureau chief's term of
office is to be terminated, may hold public hearings to receive
and consider testimony from the Director of Consumer
Affairs, the board or bureau involved, and
the Attorney General, members of the
public , and representatives of the regulated
industry . In that hearing, each board shall have the burden
of demonstrating a compelling public need for the continued
existence of the board or regulatory program, and that its licensing
function is the least restrictive regulation consistent with the
public health, safety, and welfare regarding whether
the board's or bureau's policies and practices, including
enforcement, disclosure, licensing exam, and fee structure, are
sufficient to protect consumers and are fair to licensees and
prospective licensees, whether licensure of the profession is
required to protect the public, and whether an enforcement monitor
may be necessary to obtain further information on operations .
(b) In addition to subdivision (a), in 2002 and every four years
thereafter, the committee, in cooperation with the California
Postsecondary Education Commission, shall hold a public hearing to
receive testimony from the Director of Consumer Affairs, the Bureau
for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education, private
postsecondary educational institutions regulated by the bureau, and
students of those institutions. In those hearings, the bureau shall
have the burden of demonstrating a compelling public need for the
continued existence of the bureau and its regulatory program, and
that its function is the least restrictive regulation consistent with
the public health, safety, and welfare.
(c) The committee, in cooperation with the California
Postsecondary Education Commission, shall evaluate and review the
effectiveness and efficiency of the Bureau for Private Postsecondary
and Vocational Education, based on factors and minimum standards of
performance that are specified in Section 473.4. The committee shall
report its findings and recommendations as specified in Section
473.5. The bureau shall prepare an analysis and submit a report to
the committee as specified in Section 473.2.
(d) In addition to subdivision (a), in 2003 and every four years
thereafter, the committee shall hold a public hearing to receive
testimony from the Director of Consumer Affairs and the Bureau of
Automotive Repair. In those hearings, the bureau shall have the
burden of demonstrating a compelling public need for the continued
existence of the bureau and its regulatory program, and that its
function is the least restrictive regulation consistent with the
public health, safety, and welfare.
(e) The committee shall evaluate and review the effectiveness and
efficiency of the Bureau of Automotive Repair based on factors and
minimum standards of performance that are specified in Section 473.4.
The committee shall report its findings and recommendations as
specified in Section 473.5. The bureau shall prepare an analysis and
submit a report to the committee as specified in Section 473.2.
SEC. 12. Section 473.4 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
473.4. (a) The Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions,
and Consumer Protection shall appropriate policy
committees of the Legislature may evaluate and determine
whether a board or regulatory program has demonstrated a public need
for the continued existence of the board or
regulatory program and for the degree of regulation the board or
regulatory program implements based on the following factors and
minimum standards of performance:
(1) Whether regulation by the board is necessary to protect the
public health, safety, and welfare.
(2) Whether the basis or facts that necessitated the initial
licensing or regulation of a practice or profession have changed.
(3) Whether other conditions have arisen that would warrant
increased, decreased, or the same degree of regulation.
(4) If regulation of the profession or practice is necessary,
whether existing statutes and regulations establish the least
restrictive form of regulation consistent with the public interest,
considering other available regulatory mechanisms, and whether the
board rules enhance the public interest and are within the scope of
legislative intent.
(5) Whether the board operates and enforces its regulatory
responsibilities in the public interest and whether its regulatory
mission is impeded or enhanced by existing statutes, regulations,
policies, practices, or any other circumstances, including budgetary,
resource, and personnel matters.
(6) Whether an analysis of board operations indicates that the
board performs its statutory duties efficiently and effectively.
(7) Whether the composition of the board adequately represents the
public interest and whether the board encourages public
participation in its decisions rather than participation only by the
industry and individuals it regulates.
(8) Whether the board and its laws or regulations stimulate or
restrict competition, and the extent of the economic impact the board'
s regulatory practices have on the state's business and technological
growth.
(9) Whether complaint, investigation, powers to intervene, and
disciplinary procedures adequately protect the public and whether
final dispositions of complaints, investigations, restraining orders,
and disciplinary actions are in the public interest; or if it is,
instead, self-serving to the profession, industry or individuals
being regulated by the board.
(10) Whether the scope of practice of the regulated profession or
occupation contributes to the highest utilization of personnel and
whether entry requirements encourage affirmative action.
(11) Whether administrative and statutory changes are necessary to
improve board operations to enhance the public interest.
(b) The Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer
Protection shall consider alternatives to placing responsibilities
and jurisdiction of the board under the Department of Consumer
Affairs.
(c)
(b) Nothing in this section precludes any board from
submitting other appropriate information to the Joint
Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer Protection.
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature.
SEC. 13. Section 473.5 of the Business and Professions Code is
repealed.
473.5. The Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer
Protection shall report its findings and preliminary recommendations
to the department for its review, and, within 90 days of receiving
the report, the department shall report its findings and
recommendations to the Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions, and
Consumer Protection during the next year of the regular session that
follows the hearings described in Section 473.3. The committee shall
then meet to vote on final recommendations. A final report shall be
completed by the committee and made available to the public and the
Legislature. The report shall include final recommendations of the
department and the committee and whether each board or function
scheduled for repeal shall be terminated, continued, or
reestablished, and
whether its functions should be revised. If the committee or the
department deems it advisable, the report may include proposed bills
to carry out its recommendations.
SEC. 14. Section 473.6 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
473.6. The chairpersons of the appropriate policy committees of
the Legislature may refer to the Joint Committee on Boards,
Commissions, and Consumer Protection for interim study
review of any legislative issues or proposals to create new
licensure or regulatory categories, change licensing requirements,
modify scope of practice, or create a new licensing board under the
provisions of this code or pursuant to Chapter 1.5 (commencing with
Section 9148) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Government
Code.
SEC. 15. Section 473.7 is added to the Business and Professions
Code, to read:
473.7. The appropriate policy committees of the Legislature may,
through their oversight function, investigate the operations of any
entity to which this chapter applies and hold public hearings on any
matter subject to public hearing under Section 473.3.
SEC. 16. Section 9882 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
9882. (a) There is in the Department of Consumer Affairs a Bureau
of Automotive Repair under the supervision and control of the
director. The duty of enforcing and administering this chapter is
vested in the chief who is responsible to the director. The director
may adopt and enforce those rules and regulations that he or she
determines are reasonably necessary to carry out the purposes of this
chapter and declaring the policy of the bureau, including a system
for the issuance of citations for violations of this chapter as
specified in Section 125.9. These rules and regulations shall be
adopted pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of
Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(b) In 2003 and every four years thereafter, the Joint
Committee on Boards, Commissions, and Consumer Protection
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature shall
hold a public hearing to receive and consider testimony
from the Director of Consumer Affairs and ,
the bureau . In those hearings, the bureau shall have
the burden of demonstrating a compelling public need for the
continued existence of the bureau and its regulatory program, and
that its function is the least restrictive regulation consistent with
the public health, safety, and welfare , the Attorney
General, members of the public, and representatives of this
industry regarding the bureau's policies and practices as
specified in Section 473.3 . The committee shall
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature may
evaluate and review the effectiveness and efficiency of the
bureau based on factors and minimum standards of performance that are
specified in Section 473.4. The committee shall report its
findings and recommendations as specified in Section 473.5.
The bureau shall prepare an analysis and submit a report to the
committee appropriate policy committees of
the Legislature as specified in Section 473.2.
