Bill would give State Parks up to 10 working days to deposit receipts when daily takings exceed $10,000

Assemblyman Ken Gray on behalf of the Legislative Committee for the Review and Oversight of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency told the Senate Committee on Government Affairs that Assembly Bill 8 would give the Division of State Parks the same deposit timetable the Department of Wildlife currently has for large daily receipts.

"Under existing law, all public money received by any state officer, department, or commission must be deposited by the following Thursday," Gray said. "However, if at any time the amount collected reaches $10,000 or more, it must be deposited no later than the next working day. Assembly Bill 8 seeks to extend the same exemption to the division of state parks...if the division accumulates $10,000 or more in a single day, it would have up to 10 working days to make the deposit rather than being required to do so the next working day."

Supporters and the bill sponsor said the change is intended to reduce manpower strain during summer weekends at high-traffic sites such as Sand Harbor, where staff cannot always reach a bank the next business day. "This change will help relieve manpower strain, especially in the summer months, providing much needed flexibility to staff and management," Gray said. He added the measure also aims to make deposit schedules less predictable as a security measure.

Senator Lisonbee asked whether the 10-working-day window would create an unnecessary delay given banks typically process state or federal checks in two to three days. Gray and other committee members responded that the language mirrors the Department of Wildlife exemption and was drafted to match the existing 10-working-day provision; Division of State Parks staff told the oversight committee they had been unable to comply with the next-business-day rule during some weekend operations.

No members of the public testified in support, opposition, or neutral positions during the committee's phone and in-person opportunity for comment; committee staff closed the hearing without a recorded committee vote.

Assembly Bill 8 remains at the hearing stage pending further committee action.