21st century water laws and agencies: committee.

Existing law establishes the State Water Resources Control Board within the California Environmental Protection Agency with specified duties relating to, among other things, administering water rights, the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, and the California Safe Drinking Water Act. Existing law establishes the Department of Water Resources within the Natural Resources Agency and prescribes the jurisdiction and various general administrative authorities and duties of the department regarding, among other things, matters pertaining to water resources and dams in the state. This bill would require the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency and the Secretary for Environmental Protection to convene a committee to develop and submit, on or before December 31, 2024, to the Governor and to the Legislature a strategic vision, proposed statutes, and recommendations for a modern 21st century set of water laws and regulations and state and local water agencies for the state, as provided. The committee would consist of 5 specified heads of state agencies, 2 members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and 2 members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. The bill would require the Governor or the committee to appoint a "blue ribbon" citizen commission or taskforce, a stakeholder advisory committee, and any other group that the Governor or the committee deems necessary or desirable to assist in carrying out these provisions. The bill would require all relevant state agencies, at the request of the committee, to make available staff and resources to assist in the preparation of the strategic vision and proposed statutes. The bill would authorize the committee, its members, and state agencies represented on the committee to contract for consultants to assist in the preparation of the strategic vision and proposed statutes, as specified, and would exempt those contracts from certain public contracting requirements.