Sacramento, CA – Senate Bill 984, joint-authored by Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark), Sen. President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), and Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) has been introduced.

SB 984 would require a lead agency to simultaneously and electronically prepare a record of proceedings and certification of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Additionally, SB 984 would require these records be available online, to provide immediate access to anyone interested in the administrative record and environmental studies. This bill would speed up the record-keeping process that usually takes months to compile after an EIR has been completed.

“I’m proud to be a joint-author on this bipartisan piece of legislation that will help streamline economic development projects,” Sen. Strickland said. “All too often, new projects get caught up in the lengthy CEQA process and sometimes never see the light of day. These projects have a potential to create jobs for hardworking Californians, so during these tough economic times, we should be doing all we can to help them succeed.”

“We have the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation and companies continue to flee California because of our regulatory policies,” Sen. Strickland added. “Right now, our number one priority should be job creation. The Legislature worked together in a bipartisan manner last year, passing a similar bill which will bring jobs to Southern California through the Farmers Field project, so I’m confident we can work together on SB 984 this year.”

SB 984 now heads to the Senate Rules Committee for assignment.

Sen. Strickland is available to the media for an interview or comments.

Tony Strickland is Vice Chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and represents California Senate District 19, which includes portions of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties.