(a) The commission shall adopt procedures for receiving claims pursuant to this article and for providing a hearing on those claims. The hearing procedure shall provide for presentation of evidence by the claimant, the Department of Finance and any other affected department or agency, and any other interested person. The procedures shall 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. Hearing of a claim may be postponed at the request of the claimant, without prejudice, until the next scheduled hearing.
(b) The procedures adopted by the commission pursuant to subdivision (a) shall include the following:
(1) Provisions for acceptance of more than one claim on the same statute or executive order relating to the same statute or executive order filed with the commission, and, absent agreement by the test claimants to the contrary, to designate the first to file as the lead test claimant.
(2) Provisions for consolidating test claims relating to the same statute or executive order filed with the commission with time limits that do not exceed 90 days from the initial filing for consolidating the test claims and for claimants to designate a single contact for information regarding the test claim.
(3) Provisions for claimants to designate a single claimant for a test claim relating to the same statute or executive order filed with the commission, with time limits that do not exceed 90 days from the initial filing for making that designation.
(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. 1999, Ch. 643, Sec. 3.)