The 2022-23 Budget: Vote by Mail Ballots: Prepaid Postage

May 13, 2022 - LAO Comments Since Enactment of Chapter   120, State Law Now Requires Elections Officials to Mail VBM Ballot to All Registered Voters … A subsequent state law, Chapter 312 of 2021 (AB 37, Berman), now requires elections officials to send every registered voter a VBM ballot, rather than only upon the request of a voter.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4596

The 2021-22 Budget: Funding for Debt Collector Licensing and Regulation

Feb 17, 2021 - For example, the legislation allows DFPI to promulgate regulations to require entities providing financial products or services to California consumers to register with the department. These providers are known as “new covered persons ” (NCPs).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4376

The 2022-23 Budget: Secretary of State Request to Waive Business Filing Fees

Feb 7, 2022 - In this post we analyze the Governor ’s proposal to waive the filing fee paid when a new limited partnership (LP), limited liability company (LLC), or corporation is registered with the Secretary of State (SOS) for the fiscal year of 2022 ‑23.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4516

The 2025-26 Budget: The California State Payroll System IT Project

Mar 7, 2025 - Also, the project ’s risk register —a tool to identify potential risks to the completion of a project —cites upcoming collective bargaining in 2026 as a potential risk to the project schedule. A majority of state bargaining units must renegotiate new agreements that year, which is a significant amount of work for both CalHR and the unions representing bargaining units.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5011

Improving Legislative Oversight of Emergency Authorities

Apr 10, 2025 - At the federal level, the National Emergencies Act (NEA) was enacted in 1976 to rein in presidential emergency powers and provides that a national emergency will end automatically after one year unless the President publishes a notice of renewal in the Federal Register.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5029

The 2023-24 Budget: Department of Consumer Affairs Organizational Improvement Office

Feb 24, 2023 - For example, OIO reported that it worked with the Board of Registered Nursing to reduce certain application processing times by 64  percent in two years. However, OIO has not quantified how, if at all, examples like these have translated into measurable net benefits or net cost savings.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4704

Nonreporting Entities' Information Security Compliance

Mar 30, 2023 - The POAM and risk register identify areas of IS noncompliance or weaknesses, assets that are at risk, the entity ’s response to the risk as reflected in controls or plans of action, and any barriers or constraints on mitigation of the risk.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4756