BILL ANALYSIS Ó ACR 75 Page 1 Date of Hearing: September 1, 2011 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair ACR 75 (Nielsen) - As Introduced: July 6, 2011 SUBJECT : State Route 5 SUMMARY : Designates a segment of State Route (SR) 5 as the California Highway Patrol Officer (CHP) Charles T. Smith Memorial Highway. Specifically, this bill : 1)Recounts the life and career of CHP Officer Charles Smith, who was killed in the line of duty. 2)Designates the westbound segment of SR 5 between County Road 25 and County Road 7 in Glenn County as the CHP Officer Charles T. Smith Memorial Highway. 3)Requests the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to determine the costs of erecting the appropriate signs, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing this special designation, and upon receiving donations from non-state sources covering the cost, to erect those signs. EXISTING LAW : Assigns Caltrans the responsibility of operating and maintaining state highways. This includes the installation and maintenance of highway signs. FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown COMMENTS : Charles Taylor Smith was born April 9, 1928 in Denison, Texas, and graduated from the CHP Academy in 1952 after serving two years as a military policeman with the United States Marine Corps (USMC). Upon graduation, CHP Officer Taylor was assigned to the El Centro Area, where he served his entire four year career. During a routine traffic stop for a speeding violation on September 9, 1956, Officer Smith was shot in the back three times by the speeding vehicle's passenger while frisking the driver. Both suspects were absent without leave from the USMC and engaged in a crime spree. Although mortally wounded, Officer Smith returned fire and fatally shot both suspects. ACR 75 Page 2 Officer Smith is remembered as a hard-working, dedicated officer who loved his job, as well as a proud husband and father. He is survived by his wife, daughter, siblings, and two grandchildren. REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION : Support California Association of Highway Patrolmen (sponsor) Opposition None on file Analysis Prepared by : Howard Posner / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093