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8A Page 23 AB 2176 addresses California's portion of the state funding and would establish a mechanism through which funds received by the state would then be passed on to cities and counties. H.R. 6 mandates that 60 percent of the state portion must go to cities and counties that are not eligible to receive funding out of the local government pot (those not eligible would be cities under 35,000 in population). Crucial Vote Pending on Public Works Contracting Legislation Opposition Letters Requested for AB 983 A crucial vote on the Senate Floor is pending for AS 983 (Ma). The League opposes this bill because of the negative consequences it would create for any local agency entering into a public works contract. City officials are urged to request that AB 983 be referred back to the Senate Local Government and Appropriations committees before it is voted upon by the full Senate. Reasons AB 983 Should be Referred This bill was dramatically amended after it already passed through the Assembly and was never heard by the appropriate policy and fiscal committees in the Senate. Because of the major implications for cities, public infrastructure, and taxpayers, AB 983 should first be reviewed and voted upon in committee hearings before the full Senate votes on it. Background AB 983 would require local agencies to provide full, complete and accurate plans and specifications, including cost estimates, for public works projects before entering into any contract. This would essentially absolve a contractor from any responsibility for reviewing plans before submitting a bid on a public works project. The League opposes AS 983 because under the proposed contracting Jaw revision, a contractor would have no desire or incentive to report any omissions to a public agency prior to submitting a bid, resulting in expensive change orders to the benefit of the contractor and the detriment of the city. Public contracting is a collaborative process through which a public agency and contractor work together to identify omissions or changes to provided plans and specifications. In fact, public agencies often rely on the expertise of contractors, who are professionals in their field and are in the best position to notify a public agency if project plans may be incomplete or inaccurate. AS 983 is awaiting action on the Senate Floor, and could be voted on as early as Tuesday, June 3. Please fax your letters as soon as possible to help defeat this legislation. Take Action! A sample letter is available for your city to fax to your senator and other key contacts at www.cacities.orQ/billsearch. Plug in AB 983 to the bill search function to access the sample letter of opposition, along with faxing instructions. Registration Now Open for 2008 Annual Conference Conference and housing registration is now open for the League of California Cities 2008 Annual Conference and Exposition. The event will take place September 24 - 27 at the Long Beach Convention Center. 2008 Annual Conference at a Glance Attendees may register for the optional pre-conference workshop, "California Public Officials Emergency Preparedness." Registration opens on September 24 at noon, and a "first-timers" orientation will be offered at 2:30 p.m. before the expected 2,000 attendees gather at 4 p.m. for the Opening General Session, featuring keynote speaker Neal Petersen, who will present "No Barriers - Only Solutions: Peterson will tell of his 27,000 mile, nine-month adventure at sea in a home-built boat and what can 5