BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                     AB 1624


Date of Hearing:  May 24, 1993


                       ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES

                            John Burton, Chair


                AB 1624 (Bowen) - As Amended: May 18, 1993




                                SUBJECT

Legislature: legislative information: access by computer modem.


DIGEST

Existing law explicitly requires the Legislature to provide notice of 
šmeetings and to open proceedings to the public.  The Legislative Open 
šRecords Act (Govt. Code Sec. 9070, et seq.) and the Open Meetings Act of 
š1989 (Govt. Code Sec. 9027, et seq.) both serve to provide the public with 
šextensive knowledge of the process. 

Currently, the public has access to all bills and legislative documents 
šthrough the Capitol bill room.  Bill texts, amendments, analyses and 
šrelated information are also available for a fee through several computer 
šinformation services, various law book companies, and newspapers.

This bill:

1.  Requires the Legislative Counsel, with the advice of the Joint Rules 
š     Committee, to make available to the public specified legislative data 
    in electronic form.

2.  Reserves to the Legislative Counsel the right to charge a fee to any 
š    user who subsequently sells the data.

3.  Appropriates to the Legislative Counsel any moneys/funds received from 
š    the above fees.

FISCAL EFFECT

The costs of creating the information are primarily borne by the 
šLegislative Counsel Bureau.  Cost of preparing the data for release to 
špublic electronic networks will involve acquisition of gateways and servers 
šplus some software 



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creation.  Legislative Counsel estimates costs at approximately $50,000.




COMMENTS

The Legislature presently makes hard copies of all documents available to 
šall libraries and colleges that request these documents (currently, 98 
šlibraries and 61 colleges and universities statewide).  Additionally, 1,718 
šsubscribers receive various levels of bill service ranging from $140 for 
šthe Index to $2,545 for the full service (pick-up).

A large body of potential users of legislative information in electronic 
šform exist.  The appropriate format needed to serve the greatest number of 
šusers and the actual number of users is currently unknown.  Without this 
šinformation, the difficulty of identifying a general format is greatly 
šincreased.

The proposal to have volunteer programmers write access systems may have 
šthe effect of limiting the usefulness of the data since no central 
šinformation retrieval plan would prevail. 

The Internet (a worldwide network) is one of many systems which could 
šreceive the raw data.  A format which enables Internet users to receive the 
šdata may exclude users of other networks.

A study of the potential user groups and the most useful, efficient data 
šdistribution mode would clarify many of the ambiguities present in the bill 
šas drafted.

RECOMMENDATION

Request the Assembly Office of Research to undertake a two-month study 
šdesigned to identify the user groups and a format most likely to satisfy 
špublic information needs. 

In the absence of a study to provide insights into the public's computer 
šneeds and abilities, it is not known what format will best serve the 
špublic.  Before this information is distributed, a means must be devised to 
šorganize it in a useful manner.  Further, the legislature must ensure that 
šsubstantive changes to the information derived from the data do not occur. 











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