(a) At the meeting scheduled pursuant to Section 2074, the commission shall hold a public hearing on the petition and shall receive information, written or otherwise, and oral testimony. After the conclusion of oral testimony from the commission and department staff, the petitioner, or any other persons, the commission may close the public hearing and administrative record for the commission’s decision pursuant to this section.

(b) After the commission closes the public hearing, the administrative record for the commission’s decision is closed and it shall not be reopened except as provided in subdivision (c). Once the public hearing is closed, no person shall submit further information to the commission for consideration on that petition and the commission shall not accept any further information for consideration on that petition except as provided in subdivision (c).

(c) The administrative record for the commission’s decision pursuant to this section shall not be reopened once the commission closes the public hearing unless one of the following occurs prior to the commission’s decision:

(1) There is a change in state or federal law or regulation that has a direct and significant impact on the commission’s determination as to whether the petition provides sufficient information to indicate that the petitioned action may be warranted.

(2) The commission determines that it requires further information to evaluate whether the petition provides sufficient information to indicate that the petitioned action may be warranted. If the commission makes that determination during its deliberation, the commission may request, on the record at the scheduled meeting or at a continued meeting, further information on any issue relevant to making its determination as to whether the petition provides sufficient information to indicate that the petitioned action may be warranted. Any request by the commission pursuant to this paragraph shall specify a date by which the information must be submitted to the commission and shall serve to reopen the administrative record for the limited purpose of receiving further information relating to the issues specified by the commission in the request. Commission and department staff, the petitioner, or any other person may submit information in response to a request pursuant to this paragraph. If the commission reopens the record pursuant to this paragraph, it shall provide an opportunity for public comment on the submitted information prior to the issuance of its decision.

(d) In its discretion, the commission may either close the public hearing and continue the meeting on the petition for the purpose of deliberation or continue both the public hearing and the meeting on the petition to a subsequent date, which shall be no later than 90 days after the meeting scheduled pursuant to Section 2074, and subject to applicable notice and agenda requirements. If the commission closes the public hearing but continues the meeting for the purpose of deliberation, a person shall not submit, and the commission shall not receive, further information relating to the petition except as provided in subdivision (c).

(e) At the meeting scheduled pursuant to Section 2074 or at a continued meeting scheduled pursuant to subdivision (d), the commission shall consider the petition, the department’s written report, written comments received, and oral testimony provided during the public hearing, and the commission shall make and enter in its record one of the following findings:

(1) If the commission finds that the petition does not provide sufficient information to indicate that the petitioned action may be warranted, the commission shall publish a notice of finding that the petition is rejected, including the reasons why the petition is not sufficient.

(2) If the commission finds that the petition provides sufficient information to indicate that the petitioned action may be warranted, the commission shall publish a notice of finding that the petition is accepted for consideration. If the accepted petition recommends the addition of a species to either the list of endangered species or the list of threatened species, the commission shall include in the notice that the petitioned species is a candidate species. The commission shall maintain a list of species which are candidate species.

(f) The commission shall publish and distribute the findings relating to the petition pursuant to Section 2078.

(Amended (as amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 387, Sec. 3) by Stats. 2016, Ch. 201, Sec. 1. (AB 2549) Effective January 1, 2017.)