BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 1203|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 1203
          Author:   Ma (D), et al
          Amended:  As introduced
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMM.  :  10-0, 7/7/09
          AYES:  Lowenthal, Huff, Ashburn, DeSaulnier, Harman,  
            Hollingsworth, Kehoe, Pavley, Simitian, Wolk
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Oropeza

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8 

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  80-0, 5/28/09 - See last page for vote


          SUBJECT  :    Transportation bond funds:  transit system  
          safety

           SOURCE  :     San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority


           DIGEST  :   This bill requires the California Emergency  
          Management Agency, by February 1 of each fiscal year, to  
          select eligible applicants for transit system safety  
          projects from the Transit System Safety, Security, and  
          Disaster Response Account established by the Highway  
          Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security  
          Bond Act of 2006, Proposition 1B, and provide the  
          Controller with a list of the projects and sponsoring  
          agencies eligible to receive an allocation.

           ANALYSIS  :    Proposition 1B authorized $19.925 billion in  
                                                           CONTINUED





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          bonds for various transportation programs, including $1  
          billion for the Transit System Safety, Security, and  
          Disaster Response Account 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. 

          Existing law:

          1.Requires the allocation of 25 percent of the funds in the  
            account for capital expenditures to regional public  
            waterborne transit agencies authorized to operate a  
            regional public water transit system. 

          2.Requires the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal  
            EMA), to administer a grant application and award program  
            for transit agencies eligible to receive the funds. 



          3.Existing law authorizes the Controller to make payments  
            of funds from the account to a regional public waterborne  
            transit agency on a reimbursable basis only.

          4.Authorizes 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 requires the Controller, upon receiving a list of  
          eligible projects from Cal EMA, to allocate funds to the  
          regional water borne public transit agency directly and not  
          on a reimbursement basis.

           Comments
           
          Typically, the state makes bond funds made available to  
          recipient agencies on a reimbursable basis.  The San  
          Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority, the bill's  
          sponsor, is a new agency without a sufficient cashflow to  
          "front end" the cost of projects and then wait for  
          reimbursement from Proposition 1B funds.  The bill provides  







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          clarifying language that allows the San Francisco Bay Area  
          Water Transit Authority to proceed with its bond funded  
          projects and receive funding directly, rather than on a  
          reimbursement basis.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  7/21/09)

          San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority (source) 
          California Conference Board of the Amalgamated Transit  
          Union
          California Conference of Machinists
          California Labor Federation
          California Teamsters Public Affairs Council
          International Longshore and Warehouse Union
          San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
          San Mateo County Transportation Authority


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill  
            Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,  
            Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,  
            Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,  
            DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher,  
            Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani,  
            Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi,  
            Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight,  
            Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza,  
            Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, John A.  
            Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas,  
            Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra  
            Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,  
            Villines, Yamada, Bass


          JA:nl  7/22/09   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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