Section 17553.

(a) The commission shall adopt procedures for receiving claims filed pursuant to this article and Section 17574 and for providing a hearing on those claims. The procedures shall do all of the following:

(1) Provide for presentation of evidence by the claimant, the Department of Finance, and any other affected department or agency, and any other interested person.

(2) Ensure that a statewide cost estimate is adopted within 12 months after receipt of a test claim, when a determination is made by the commission that a mandate exists. This deadline may be extended for up to six months upon the request of either the claimant or the commission.

(3) Permit the hearing of a claim to be postponed at the request of the claimant, without prejudice, until the next scheduled hearing.

(b) All test claims shall be filed on a form prescribed by the commission and shall contain at least the following elements and documents:

(1) A written narrative that identifies the specific sections of statutes or executive orders and the effective date and register number of regulations alleged to contain a mandate and shall include all of the following:

(A) A detailed description of the new activities and costs that arise from the mandate.

(B) A detailed description of existing activities and costs that are modified by the mandate.

(C) The actual increased costs incurred by the claimant during the fiscal year for which the claim was filed to implement the alleged mandate.

(D) The actual or estimated annual costs that will be incurred by the claimant to implement the alleged mandate during the fiscal year immediately following the fiscal year for which the claim was filed.

(E) A statewide cost estimate of increased costs that all local agencies or school districts will incur to implement the alleged mandate during the fiscal year immediately following the fiscal year for which the claim was filed.

(F) Identification of all of the following:

(i) Dedicated state funds appropriated for this program.

(ii) Dedicated federal funds appropriated for this program.

(iii) Other nonlocal agency funds dedicated for this program.

(iv) The local agency's general purpose funds for this program.

(v) Fee authority to offset the costs of this program.

(G) Identification of prior mandate determinations made by the Commission on State Mandates or a predecessor agency that may be related to the alleged mandate.

(H) Identification of a legislatively determined mandate pursuant to Section 17573 that is on the same statute or executive order.

(2) The written narrative shall be supported with declarations under penalty of perjury, based on the declarant's personal knowledge, information, or belief, and signed by persons who are authorized and competent to do so, as follows:

(A) Declarations of actual or estimated increased costs that will be incurred by the claimant to implement the alleged mandate.

(B) Declarations identifying all local, state, or federal funds, or fee authority that may be used to offset the increased costs that will be incurred by the claimant to implement the alleged mandate, including direct and indirect costs.

(C) Declarations describing new activities performed to implement specified provisions of the new statute or executive order alleged to impose a reimbursable state-mandated program. Specific references shall be made to chapters, articles, sections, or page numbers alleged to impose a reimbursable state-mandated program.

(D) If applicable, declarations describing the period of reimbursement and payments received for full reimbursement of costs for a legislatively determined mandate pursuant to Section 17573, and the authority to file a test claim pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 17574.

(3) (A) The written narrative shall be supported with copies of all of the following:

(i) The test claim statute that includes the bill number or executive order, alleged to impose or impact a mandate.

(ii) Relevant portions of state constitutional provisions, federal statutes, and executive orders that may impact the alleged mandate.

(iii) Administrative decisions and court decisions cited in the narrative.

(B) State mandate determinations made by the Commission on State Mandates or a predecessor agency and published court decisions on state mandate determinations made by the Commission on State Mandates are exempt from this requirement.

(4) A test claim shall be signed at the end of the document, under penalty of perjury by the claimant or its authorized representative, with the declaration that the test claim is true and complete to the best of the declarant's personal knowledge, information, or belief. The date of signing, the declarant's title, address, telephone number, facsimile machine telephone number, and electronic mail address shall be included.

(c) If a completed test claim is not received by the commission within 30 calendar days from the date that an incomplete test claim was returned by the commission, the original test claim filing date may be disallowed, and a new test claim may be accepted on the same statute or executive order.

(d) In addition, the commission shall determine whether an incorrect reduction claim is complete within 10 days after the date that the incorrect reduction claim is filed. If the commission determines that an incorrect reduction claim is not complete, the commission shall notify the local agency and school district that filed the claim stating the reasons that the claim is not complete. The local agency or school district shall have 30 days to complete the claim. The commission shall serve a copy of the complete incorrect reduction claim on the Controller. The Controller shall have no more than 90 days after the date the claim is delivered or mailed to file any rebuttal to an incorrect reduction claim. The failure of the Controller to file a rebuttal to an incorrect reduction claim shall not serve to delay the consideration of the claim by the commission.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 329, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2008.)