(a) The agency, and the offices, boards, and departments within the agency, shall institute quality government programs to achieve increased levels of environmental protection and the public’s satisfaction through improving the quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of the state programs that implement and enforce state and federal environmental protection statutes. These programs shall be designed to increase the level of environmental protection while expediting decisionmaking and producing cost savings. The secretary shall create an advisory group comprised of state and local government, business, environmental, and consumer representatives experienced in quality management to provide guidance in that effort. The secretary shall develop a model quality management program that local agencies charged with implementing air quality, water quality, toxics, solid waste, and hazardous waste laws and regulations may use at their discretion.

(b) The agency, and each board, department, and office within the agency, shall submit a biennial report to the Governor and Legislature, no later than December 1 with respect to the previous two fiscal years, reporting on the extent to which these state agencies have attained their performance objectives, and on their continuous quality improvement efforts.

(c) Nothing in this section abrogates any collective bargaining agreement or interferes with any established employee rights.

(d) For purposes of this section, “quality government program” means all of the following:

(1) A process for obtaining the views of employees, the regulated community, the public, environmental organizations, and governmental officials with regard to the performance, vision, and needs of the agency implementing the quality government program.

(2) A process for developing measurable performance objectiveness using the views of the persons and organizations specified in paragraph (1).

(3) Processes for continually improving quality and for training agency personnel, using the information obtained from implementing paragraphs (1) and (2).

(Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 644, Sec. 24. Effective January 1, 2005.)