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AB-972 Local Assistance and Grant Program Streamlining Workgroup.(2023-2024)

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Date Published: 06/30/2023 04:00 AM
AB972:v96#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Senate  June 29, 2023
Amended  IN  Assembly  May 18, 2023
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 23, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 972

Introduced by Assembly Member Maienschein

February 14, 2023

An act to add Section 65040.16 to the Government Code, relating to local government.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 972, as amended, Maienschein. Local Assistance and Grant Program Streamlining Workgroup.
Existing law establishes the Office of Planning and Research in the Governor’s office for the purpose of serving the Governor and the Governor’s cabinet as staff for long-range planning and research and constituting the comprehensive state planning agency.
This bill would require the Office of Planning and Research, in consultation with the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties, and the California Special Districts Association, to convene a statewide, cross-agency Local Assistance and Grant Program Streamlining Workgroup, no later than January 1, 2025, to centralize local assistance and develop a coordinated system to manage available state and federal funding to deliver the maximum number of projects as efficiently as possible. The bill would require the Office of Planning and Research to appoint the workgroup members, as specified. The bill would require the workgroup to develop a report that includes the workgroup’s findings, plans, and recommendations for short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals, as specified, no later than June 30, 2026. The bill would require the report to be posted on the Office of Planning and Research’s internet website and require the workgroup to provide the report to the Department of Finance and relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature. Subject to appropriation by the Legislature, the bill would require the Office of Planning and Research and any other relevant state entities to implement the workgroup’s recommendations pursuant to the specified deadlines. The bill would prohibit the implementation of the recommendations without an appropriation by the Legislature.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 (a) Local government assistance is a critical tool for advancing equity and shared state and local policy goals by increasing access to state funding programs and other opportunities for the state’s most underresourced and historically underinvested communities. As such, it becomes increasingly necessary to coordinate and align local assistance resources to ensure that every community has the same opportunity to compete for the funding that is available to meet those goals.
(b) Local municipalities often lack the resources, staff capacity, implementation experience, and technical expertise to apply for and secure competitive statewide targeted grant funding. Additionally, like other sectors, California cities local governments are facing staffing shortages, a wave of early retirement, and other workforce stressors on existing municipal staff. In order for cities local governments to effectively access state funding opportunities, streamlined application processes and robust, uniform local assistance from the state is crucial.

SEC. 2.

 Section 65040.16 is added to the Government Code, to read:

65040.16.
 (a) To confront the effects of fragmented, decentralized state funding opportunities and in recognition of the importance of state and local partnerships, the Office of Planning and Research shall, in consultation with the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties, and the California Special Districts Association, convene a statewide, cross-agency Local Assistance and Grant Program Streamlining Workgroup, no later than January 1, 2025, to centralize local assistance and develop a coordinated system to manage available state and federal funding to deliver the maximum number of projects as efficiently as possible.
(b) The workgroup shall prioritize the unique needs of underresourced and disadvantaged communities and shall take into consideration achieving more equitable distribution of funding.
(c) The workgroup members shall be appointed by the Office of Planning and Research and serve without compensation.
(1) The workgroup members shall include, but are not limited to, representatives from the following entities and stakeholders:
(A) The Office of Planning and Research.
(B) The California Environmental Protection Agency and, as necessary and appropriate as deemed by the workgroup chair, representatives of its boards, departments, and offices.
(C) The Natural Resources Agency and, as necessary and appropriate as deemed by the workgroup chair, its departments, representatives of its conservancies, and commissions.
(D) The Department of Finance.
(E) The Department of Technology.
(F) A city with a population of fewer than 50,000.
(G) A city with a population between 50,000 and 149,999.
(H) A city with a population between 150,000 and 249,999.
(I) A city with a population of more than 250,000.
(J) A rural city.
(K) A suburban city.
(L) An urban city.
(M) The League of California Cities.
(N) A county with a population of fewer than 75,000.
(O) A county with a population between 75,000 and 249,999.
(P) A county with a population between 250,000 and 749,999.
(Q) A county with a population of more than 750,000.
(R) A rural county.
(S) A suburban county.
(T) An urban county.
(U) The California State Association of Counties.
(V) The California Special Districts Association.
(2) The workgroup members may include, but are not limited to, other partners or representatives of entities involved in grant application development, project management, implementation, and monitoring, as needed.
(3) The workgroup shall be chaired by the representative from the Office of Planning and Research.
(d) The workgroup shall meet as often as is necessary to develop robust, informed plans and recommendations and is disbanded as of June 30, 2026.
(e) The workgroup shall consider, but is not limited to, developing plans and recommendations that accomplish any of the following:
(1) Creation, coordination, and implementation of an integrated, statewide, centralized program for assistance and training to local governments in grant application development, project management, implementation, and monitoring.
(2) Identify substantially similar state climate resiliency and other environmental or natural resources programs to enable the state to implement a single application, with aligned scoring criteria and deadlines, for making coordinated awards under all programs, pursuant to the timeline included in subdivision (f).
(3) Identify information technology solutions to improve processes, support uniform applications, and manage data.
(f) The workgroup shall develop a report that includes the workgroup’s findings, plans, and recommendations no later than June 30, 2026. The report shall include all of the following:
(1) Short-term solutions that can be accomplished by January 31, 2027.
(2) Medium-term solutions that can be accomplished by July 1, 2027.
(3) Long-term solutions that can be accomplished by July 1, 2028.
(g) The workgroup shall post the report on the Office of Planning and Research’s internet website and provide the report to the Department of Finance and relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature.
(h) Subject to appropriation by the Legislature, the Office of Planning and Research and any other relevant state entities shall implement the workgroup’s recommendations pursuant to the deadlines included in subdivision (f). The workgroup’s recommendations pursuant to the report described in subdivision (f) shall not be implemented without an appropriation by the Legislature.