Source: ABC 10
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Assembly on Tuesday announced a new initiative aimed at increasing oversight and accountability by requiring lawmakers to review whether their own legislation is achieving its intended goals.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said the effort -- the Outcomes Review project -- has been in development since the early days of his speakership and is designed to shift the Legislature’s focus beyond passing bills to evaluating their real-world impact.
Under the initiative, 14 Assembly members have volunteered to reexamine bills they authored that have already been signed into law, assessing whether the policies are delivering promised results and identifying potential changes.
“Passing a law is not the finish line,” Rivas said. He added that lawmakers will consider a range of options if a policy is not working as intended, including amendments, budget adjustments or eliminating programs altogether.
Democratic Assemblymember Liz Ortega of San Leandro said she is reviewing legislation she authored to combat wage theft, focusing on whether state agencies are effectively recovering stolen wages for workers.
“We pass a lot of different laws here, and so now it’s an opportunity to see what’s working and, if it’s not working, how do we fix it?” Ortega said. “We have a department that’s supposed to be collecting money stolen from workers, and currently it’s not working. A lot of the wages are being left on the table.”
Lawmakers plan to hold hearings on each bill in relevant legislative committees and to conduct community meetings as part of the review process. The effort may also include question-and-answer sessions with state departments and agencies responsible for implementing the laws.
At the end of the year, participating legislators will present their findings and propose policy or budget changes aimed at improving the effectiveness of the laws under review.