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17500

GOVERNMENT CODE
SECTION 17500

17500.  The Legislature finds and declares that the existing system
for reimbursing local agencies and school districts for the costs of
state-mandated local programs has not provided for the effective
determination of the state's responsibilities under Section 6 of
Article XIII B of the California Constitution. The Legislature finds
and declares that the failure of the existing process to adequately
and consistently resolve the complex legal questions involved in the
determination of state-mandated costs has led to an increasing
reliance by local agencies and school districts on the judiciary and,
therefore, in order to relieve unnecessary congestion of the
judicial system, it is necessary to create a mechanism which is
capable of rendering sound quasi-judicial decisions and providing an
effective means of resolving disputes over the existence of
state-mandated local programs.
   It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this part to
provide for the implementation of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the
California Constitution. Further, the Legislature intends that the
Commission on State Mandates, as a quasi-judicial body, will act in a
deliberative manner in accordance with the requirements of Section 6
of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.