Sacramento, CA (December 11, 2024) - California lawmakers pass nearly 1,000 new laws each year. How do they know whether they are working?
Many new laws include a requirement for progress reports to the Legislature, but state agencies and commissions assigned to prepare those reports often fail to submit them on time, or at all, according to the Legislature’s website.
Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, the Irvine Democrat who previously chaired an Assembly administrative oversight committee, says delayed or missing information is a “huge issue, and a huge challenge.”
“We’ve got to ensure that we are making data-driven decisions and evaluating programs using real information,” she said. “I don’t think there’s enough attention and focus on the oversight and accountability piece of what we do in state government.”