Walters: California Assembly speaker's oversight plan falls way short

"Robert Rivas, the speaker of the state Assembly, says he wants to make real oversight a regular practice starting next year, terming it outcomes review. Passing laws is only the first step, Rivas said in a statement as he announced the new effort. The real test is ensuring they work. Gone are the days when laws can be signed and forgotten."

"The program includes identifying specific laws to be examined, scheduling hearings and community meetings to invite public comment on how the targeted laws are working and, finally, announcing what was learned and what, if any, changes need to be made to make the laws more effective. Rivas said the new process would begin with four measures: Assembly Bill 744, passed in 2019 and carried by Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, a Davis Democrat, requires health insurers to cover medical appointments via the internet the same way as in-person treatments."

California legislators frequently pass laws without systematically assessing downside risks or measuring whether those laws deliver promised results. Oversight hearings often function as self-congratulatory events or partisan platforms rather than objective evaluations of policy efficacy. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas announced an outcomes review to make serious oversight a routine practice, emphasizing that passing laws is only the first step and that the real test is ensuring they work. The outcomes review will identify laws for examination, schedule hearings and community meetings for public comment, and report findings with recommended changes. The initial measures targeted include AB 744, AB 2011, AB 488 and AB 457.

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