The Hertzberg-Polanco Crime Laboratories Construction Bond Act of 1999.
	Analysis by the Legislative Analyst

Background

After a crime has been committed, law enforcement officials usually send the collected evidence (such as fingerprints and blood samples) to laboratories which are responsible for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting this evidence. These laboratories are known as "forensic crime laboratories." Services provided by these laboratories range from fingerprint examination and drug analyses to more complicated tasks such as DNA testing. California's cities and counties operate 19 local crime laboratories that provide services to cities and counties representing almost 80 percent of the state's population. The remaining cities and counties generally receive services from crime laboratories operated by the state Department of Justice. Cities and counties pay to support their own crime laboratories. Funding is supplemented by fees and fines collected from persons convicted of certain drug and alcohol offenses.

Proposal

This measure allows the state to sell $220 million in general obligation bonds for local crime laboratories. The money raised from the bond sales would be used for the construction, renovation, and infrastructure costs of these laboratories. General obligation bonds are backed by the state, meaning that the state is required to pay the principal and interest costs on these bonds. General Fund revenues would be used to pay these costs. These revenues come primarily from the state personal and corporate income taxes and sales tax. A new seven-member Forensic Laboratories Authority created by the measure, would consider applications and award the bond monies to local governments for the construction of new laboratories and the renovation of existing laboratories. The measure specifies that members of the authority include the Attorney General, the director of the state's laboratories, and five members appointed by the Governor. In order to receive bond monies, a local government must provide 10 percent of total project costs (this provision could be modified or waived by the Legislature). The governing body of the local government (such as the city council or the county board of supervisors) must also agree to pay the ongoing operating costs of the laboratory. In addition, the project would have to comply with state or local contract and bidding requirements.

Fiscal Effect

State Bond Costs.

For these bonds, the state would make principal and interest payments from the state's General Fund over a period of about 25 years. If the bonds are sold at an interest rate of 5.5 percent (the current rate for this type of bond), the cost would be about $377 million to pay off both the principal ($220 million) and the interest ($157 million). The average payment would be about $15 million per year.

Cost to Local Governments.

The measure could result in additional costs to local governments that receive bond funds. First, the measure could result in one-time costs to these local governments for the 10 percent share of the costs of a construction or renovation project. These one-time costs would be in the range of about $20 million on a statewide basis. Second, to the extent that local governments construct new or expanded crime laboratories as a result of the measure, they could also incur additional ongoing costs to operate the facilities. The magnitude of these additional costs is unknown, but is potentially in the millions of dollars annually on a statewide basis. Proposition 15 | Vote 2000 Home | Next - Prop 16 | Secretary of State Home |