SACRAMENTO, CA—AB 1393, a bill authored by Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymember Bill Maze (R-Visalia), which would utilize the internet to make public records and documents available quickly and easily while reducing costs, passed the Assembly Floor today.
“For 39 years, the California Public Records Act (CPRA) has allowed citizens to remain informed about what their government is doing,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). “AB 1393 would simplify the process for the public to access public records, and at the same time eliminate the need to complete repetitive requests from multiple sources for the same record.”
AB 1393 was inspired by an audit by Californians Aware that found that most state agencies were not complying with the California Public Records Act in requests for public records. “Accessibility and accountability to government records in a timely manner will be greatly enhanced with the passage of this bill” said Assemblyman Bill Maze.
The bill, similar to AB 2927, a measure introduced by Assembly Leno last year, which passed both houses of the legislature unanimously, would require state agencies to have a Public Information Center portal on their website that would facilitate public requests for documents and explain the process of accessing records.
Additionally, the measure requires the Department of Justice to convene a task force of state agency representatives, public right-to-know consumer advocates, and privacy rights advocates to examine the cost/benefit value of posting particular records such as economic interest statements, employment or consulting contracts, and lawsuit settlements on state agency websites.
The measure also would enforce the CPRA by holding an agency that has been found to have acted in bad faith in failing to comply with the CPRA, financially accountable to the individual or group that requested the information.
“Access to governmental information and documents is essential to our democracy,” added Leno. “This bill utilizes computer technology and the internet to make public information available at your fingertips.”
AB 1393 will now move to the Senate Rules Committee for referral to policy committee.
For those joining in gay marriages today, the road from outlaw status to respectability was paved in the Legislature over three decades.
From decriminalizing sex between same-sex couples, to outlawing job discrimination against homosexuals, to adding gay members to the legislative roster, the government has been taking steps, measure-by-measure, that have led to gay couples joining hands in marriage ceremonies across the state.
