BILL NUMBER: AB 1203	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Ma
   (Coauthor: Assembly Member Ruskin)
   (Coauthors: Senators DeSaulnier and Yee)

                        FEBRUARY 27, 2009

   An act to amend Section 8879.59 of the Government Code, relating
to transportation.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1203, as introduced, Ma. Transportation bond funds: transit
system safety.
   Existing law, the Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality,
and Port Security Bond Act of 2006, authorizes the issuance of
$19.925 billion of general obligation bonds for specified purposes.
Existing law requires the deposit of $1 billion of the bond proceeds
in the Transit System Safety, Security, and Disaster Response Account
to be used, upon appropriation, for capital projects that provide
increased protection against a security and safety threat, and for
capital expenditures to increase the capacity of transit operators to
develop disaster response transportation systems that can move
people, goods, and emergency personnel and equipment in the aftermath
of a disaster impairing that movement. Existing law requires the
allocation of 25% of these funds for capital expenditures to regional
public waterborne transit agencies authorized to operate a regional
public water transit system, as specified, and requires the
California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) to administer a
grant application and award program for transit agencies eligible to
receive the funds. Existing law requires Cal EMA to select eligible
projects to receive those grants by February 1 of each fiscal year in
which funds are appropriated for that purpose.
   This bill would additionally require Cal EMA, by February 1 of
each fiscal year, in which funds are appropriated for that purpose to
provide the Controller with a list of projects and the sponsoring
agencies eligible to receive an allocation. The bill would require
the Controller, upon receipt of this information, to commence any
necessary actions to allocate funds to those agencies, as specified.

   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 8879.59 of the Government Code is amended to
read:
   8879.59.  (a) For funds appropriated from the Transit System
Safety, Security, and Disaster Response Account for allocation to
transit agencies eligible to receive funds pursuant to subdivision
(b) of Section 8879.57, the  Office of Emergency Services
(OES)   California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA)
 shall administer a grant application and award program for
those transit agencies.
   (b) Funds awarded to transit agencies pursuant to this section
shall be for eligible capital expenditures as described in
subdivision (b) of Section 8879.57.
   (c) Prior to allocating funds to projects pursuant to this
section,  OES   Cal EMA  shall adopt
guidelines to establish the criteria and process for the distribution
of funds described in this section. Prior to adopting the
guidelines,  OES   Cal EMA  shall hold a
public hearing on the proposed guidelines.
   (d) For each fiscal year in which funds are appropriated for the
purposes of this section,  OES   Cal EMA 
shall issue a notice of funding availability no later than October 1.

   (e) No later than December 1 of each fiscal year in which the
notice in subdivision (d) is issued, eligible transit agencies may
submit project nominations for funding to  OES  
Cal EMA  for its review and consideration. Project nominations
shall include all of the following:
   (1) A description of the project, which shall illustrate the
physical components of the project and the security or emergency
response benefit to be achieved by the completion of the project.
   (2) Identification of all nonbond sources of funding committed to
the project.
   (3) An estimate of the project's full cost and the proposed
schedule for the project's completion.
   (f) No later than February 1,  OES   Cal EMA
 shall select eligible projects to receive grants under this
section  a   nd shall provide the Controller with a list
of the projects and the sponsoring agencies eligible to receive an
allocation from the account. Upon receipt of this information, the
Controller's office shall commence any necessary actions to allocate
funds to those agencies, including, but not limited to, seeking the
issuance of bonds for that purpose  . Grants awarded to eligible
transit agencies pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 8879.57
shall be for eligible capital expenditures, as described in paragraph
(2) of subdivision (b) of that section.