When the state mandates that a local government provide a new program or higher level of service, the California constitution often—but not always—requires the state to reimburse the local government. Determining which state requirements must be reimbursed—and which local governments must pay for on their own—is not always easy. To help explore these issues, in 2006 we prepared two narrated presentations. What's a Mandate—An Overview provides a broad overview of the reimbursement requirement. What's a Mandate—Learning Through Examples explores different types of state laws and regulations and helps you walk through the steps to sort out whether or not they might be state-reimbursable mandates.
