HB 158 amends the Accountability in Government Act to require state agencies to prepare an accountability and evaluation plan for each program or project funded through the Government Results and Opportunity Program Fund. The plan must identify the program’s goals, objectives, expected outputs and outcomes; describe the activities that will be used to achieve those outcomes; and state whether the program is evidence-based, research-based, promising, or lacks rigorous research on effectiveness. It must also include performance measures, a monitoring plan, an evaluation plan to assess causal impact, and a schedule for releasing results to the state budget division, the Legislative Finance Committee director, and the public.
The bill also establishes a timeline for review. Agencies must be notified by May 1 each year, submit plans by July 1 of the appropriation year, and, if requested, submit a revised plan by September 1. In the final year of an appropriation, the state budget division director and the Legislative Finance Committee director must review the evaluation and make recommendations about whether the program should be included in the agency’s budget for the next fiscal year. The measure is aimed at improving oversight, transparency, and evidence-based decision-making for programs supported by this fund.
Impact
HB 158 adds a new accountability and evaluation requirement to state law for programs and projects financed by appropriations from the Government Results and Opportunity Program Fund. It affects state agencies receiving those funds, as well as the Department of Finance and Administration’s budget division and the Legislative Finance Committee, by formalizing a review process tied to future budget recommendations. The bill does not create a new funding source or program; instead, it changes how funded programs must document goals, measure performance, and justify continued appropriations.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House and Senate unanimously, with final passage votes of 62-0 in the House and 35-0 in the Senate, and it was signed by the governor. The lack of recorded opposition suggests general agreement with the bill’s emphasis on accountability, evaluation, and public reporting for state-funded programs.
Contention
No significant points of contention are reflected in the available voting history or committee materials. The main policy choice in the bill is administrative: requiring agencies to produce more detailed evaluation plans and subjecting funded programs to review before they are recommended for future budgets. Any potential concerns would likely center on the added reporting and evaluation burden for agencies, but no opposition is documented in the provided record.
An act to amend Sections 24801, 24826, 24827, 24830, 24862, and 24908 of, to repeal Section 24861 of, and to repeal and add Section 24863 of, the Public Utilities Code, relating to transportation.