BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 957
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 25, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
AB 957 (Committee on Transportation) - As Amended: April 13,
2011
SUBJECT : Committee omnibus bill
SUMMARY : Makes various technical changes to the Public
Utilities Code, Vehicle Code and Streets and Highways Code,
related to transportation. Specifically, this bill :
1)Expands the composition of the Sacramento Regional Transit
District (District) to include the cities of Citrus Heights,
Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, and West Sacramento.
2)Deletes obsolete provisions relating to the transition from
the Sacramento Transit Authority (Authority) to the District
and establishment of the District's first board.
3)Conforms the Sacramento Regional Transit District Act with the
State Constitution by prohibiting the district from imposing
or collecting any property tax, within any city or
unincorporated area of a county, unless it is approved by a
2D3 vote of the electorate.
4)Prohibits bonds issued by the District from carrying interest
rates above 8%.
5)Authorizes the District to establish trust accounts for its
retirement system.
6)Deletes the requirement that the Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) provide quarterly seismic reports to the
transportation committees of both houses of the Legislature
until completion of the seismic retrofit of specified
state-owned toll bridges.
7)Deletes the requirement that the Caltrans provide quarterly
seismic reports to the California Transportation Commission
(CTC) for other seismic retrofit Programs.
8)Requires the release of a vehicle that is impounded from
AB 957
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operating as a taxicab or other passenger vehicle for hire in
violation of the licensing requirements adopted by a local
authority, if the vehicle is a rental car.
9)Exempts a person while driving a vehicle, when using a
voice-operated, hands-free device from being charged with an
infraction punishable by a base fine of $20 for a first
offense and $50 for each subsequent offense, when that person
is activating or deactivating a feature or function on an
electronic wireless communications device.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Describes the composition of the District to include the
Cities of Davis, Folsom, Roseville, Sacramento, and Woodland.
2)Contains provisions relating to the transition from the former
Authority to the District and requirements for establishing
the District's first board.
3)Describes Sacramento Regional Transit District Act.
4)Prohibits the District from imposing or collecting any
property tax, within any city or unincorporated area of a
county, unless it is approved by a majority vote of the
electorate.
5)Prohibits bonds issued by the District from carrying interest
rates above 7%.
6)Authorizes the District to provide a retirement system, under
specified conditions.
7)Requires Caltrans to provide quarterly seismic reports to the
transportation committees of both houses of the Legislature
until completion of the seismic retrofit of specified
state-owned toll bridges.
8)Requires Caltrans to provide quarterly seismic reports to the
CTC for other seismic retrofit programs.
9)Specifies that a vehicle being operated as a taxicab or other
passenger vehicle for hire that is in violation of the
licensing requirements adopted by a local authority may be
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impounded for a period not to exceed 30 days, as specified,
and sets requirements for the release of the impounded
vehicles.
10)Prohibits a person from driving a vehicle while using an
electronic wireless device to write, send, or read a
text-based communication, unless the person is using a
voice-operated, hands-free device.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : The Transportation Committee (Committee)
traditionally authors an annual omnibus bill, combining various
statutory modifications that are technical in nature, not
controversial, and have no opposition. This year's omnibus bill
contains measures suggested by the District (Sections 1-11), the
Committee (Section 12), Enterprise Rental Car (Section 13), and
the California Automobile Alliance (Section 14).
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Victoria Alvarez / TRANS. / (916) 319-
2093