SB 441

Existing law provides that the State Air Resources Board consists of 14 voting members, 12 of whom are appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Senate, one of whom is appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and one of whom is appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. Existing law specifies that voting members serve a term of 6 years. This bill would authorize any member of the state board to be removed from office by the Legislature, by concurrent resolution adopted by a majority vote of all members elected to each house, for dereliction of duty or corruption or incompetency. Existing law, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, establishes the state board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions to ensure that the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030. This bill would, for any regulation proposed by the state board that would impose costs exceeding $10,000,000 on California consumers, require the state board to submit the proposed regulation to the Legislative Analyst for an independent economic analysis, as specified. The bill would require the state board to prepare and publish on its internet website a written response to the Legislative Analyst’s report no less than 30 days before adopting the proposed regulation, as provided. The bill would require the state board to publish on its internet website all final resolutions, supporting documents, and proposed regulations in their complete and final form no less than 72 hours before any state board vote, and, once published, would prohibit any amendments, revisions, or alterations to be made to the final resolutions, supporting documents, or proposed regulations before the state board’s vote.