BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 441
Author: Monning (D), et al.
Amended: 6/4/12 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMM. : 6-2, 6/12/12
AYES: DeSaulnier, Kehoe, Lowenthal, Pavley, Rubio,
Simitian
NOES: Gaines, Harman
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 50-23, 1/26/12 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Transportation planning
SOURCE : California Pan Ethnic Health Network
DIGEST : This bill requires the California Transportation
Commission (CTC) to attach to its guidelines for preparing
regional transportation plans a summary of policies,
practices, or projects that promote health that
metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) can use in
regional transportation plans (RTP).
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires the CTC to adopt
guidelines to govern the RTPs that the state-designated
regional transportation planning agencies (RTPA) and the
federally-designated MPOs prepare. In addition, the CTC,
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in consultation with the Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) and the California Air Resources Board, is
required to maintain guidelines for travel demand models
used in the development of the RTPs. The CTC guidelines
also provide a framework to ensure that the RTPs address
regional planning requirements, including the sustainable
community's strategy, an element of SB 375 (Steinberg),
Chapter 728, Statutes of 2008. The CTC is also authorized
to prescribe study areas for analysis and evaluation for
the MPOs and the RTPAs to include in their RTPs. The RTPs
are important because under state and federal law
transportation projects cannot be funded unless they are
included in the RTP.
This bill requires the CTC to include a summary of the
policies, practices, or projects that MPOs have employed to
promote health and health equity in regional plans as an
attachment to its regional transportation planning
guidelines. The summary may reference The Safe Routes to
Schools program, multiuse recreational trails, and
pedestrian and bicycle pathways.
Background .
The assumption underlying this bill is that there is a link
between the "built environment," such as streets, patterns
of both residential and commercial development, transit
systems, location of parks, and other features of human
habitation, and health issues such as obesity, diabetes,
asthma, and traffic fatalities. Because of this linkage,
it is necessary, in the opinion of the sponsors, to widen
the scope of health planning. To this end, the RTP
guidelines provide a means to bring these concerns to the
attention of the transportation planning community by
appending examples of transportation programs and projects
that rely less on auto transportation and more on walking,
bicycling, and using public transit.
The proponents argue that the emphasis in SB 375 to reduce
vehicle miles traveled creates an opportunity in the
regional transportation planning process to address the
strong connection between the built environment and a
myriad of health outcomes. There has been a very strong
focus on local community designs and city general plans
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that are now leading to new plans, projects, and policies
to improve health and safety.
An emerging awareness . Some RTPAs/MPO's, notably SANDAG in
California, are taking steps to incorporate walking,
bicycling, Safe Streets to School, and other related
activities that reduce auto dependency and encourage
walking and related forms of mobility into their RTP.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/25/12)
California Pan Ethnic Health Network (source)
John Chiang, State Controller
American Heart Association
California Black Health Network
California Center for Public Health Advocacy
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers
Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program
Children Now
Health Officers Association of California
Regional Asthma Management and Prevention
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
South Coast Air Quality Management District
Transform
OPPOSITION : (Verified 6/25/12)
Placer County Transportation Planning Agency
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
decisions about land use and transportation have enormous
influence on our health. The Institute of Medicine argue
that improving health in the 21st century will require new
approaches, including strategies to deal with unhealthy
buildings, urban congestion, poor housing, poor nutrition,
and environmentally-related stress. Research shows that
transportation and neighborhood design can directly impact
the likelihood of developing certain preventable health
conditions such as asthma, diabetes, obesity, depression,
unintended injuries, and some cancers. Transportation
policy is directly linked to our health through its effects
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on physical activity, air quality, and the risk of injury.
Recent studies have found that when public transportation
is accessible, people tend to walk or ride a bike to and
from train stations and bus stops, which increases their
physical activity. Additionally for every hour walked each
day, a person's risk of obesity decreases by five percent.
The author believes that current RTP guidelines do not
adequately address how land use and transportation policies
impact the health of our state's residents.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : The Placer County
Transportation Planning Agency states in opposition, "While
the Board understands that improving public health is an
important issue, the Placer County Transportation Planning
Agency feels that the goals of AB 441 are already addressed
in the method in which transit and transportation projects
are currently processed and therefore has taken a position
of oppose to AB 441.
"This bill's intention of improving public health by adding
voluntary guidelines to include health considerations in
Regional Transportation Plans are redundant and
unnecessary, and divert precious resources away from
actually implementing those improvements, such as bicycle
and pedestrian facilities, that would assist citizens in
improving their health."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 50-23, 1/26/12
AYES: Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Block,
Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan,
Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, Carter, Cedillo,
Chesbro, Dickinson, Eng, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani,
Gatto, Gordon, Hall, Hayashi, Roger Hernández, Hill,
Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Lara, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma,
Mendoza, Mitchell, Monning, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel Pérez,
Portantino, Skinner, Solorio, Swanson, Torres,
Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez
NOES: Achadjian, Bill Berryhill, Conway, Cook, Donnelly,
Fletcher, Beth Gaines, Garrick, Grove, Hagman, Jeffries,
Jones, Knight, Logue, Mansoor, Miller, Morrell, Nestande,
Nielsen, Olsen, Silva, Valadao, Wagner
NO VOTE RECORDED: Davis, Galgiani, Gorell, Halderman,
Harkey, Norby, Smyth
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JJA:n 6/26/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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