Legislative Counsel: workplace conduct services.

Existing law establishes the Legislative Counsel Bureau and provides that the chief of the bureau is the Legislative Counsel. This bill would require the Legislative Counsel to establish a unit within the Legislative Counsel Bureau to provide advice and investigation services to the Legislature related to workplace misconduct. The bill would require the unit to accept and investigate reports and complaints of workplace misconduct, as authorized by the Legislature. The bill would require the Legislative Counsel to employ a director of the unit, one or more investigators, and additional staff as appropriate, and would require, notwithstanding existing law, the Legislative Counsel to be granted career executive assignments, at his or her request, to fill the positions of director and investigator. The bill would require the Legislative Counsel to retain by contract a rotating panel of experts to review investigations and make recommendations to the Legislature regarding the matters under investigation. The bill would appropriate $1,506,000 to the Legislative Counsel Bureau for costs associated with implementation of the bill. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.