BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 957 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 4, 2011 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Felipe Fuentes, Chair AB 957 (Committee on Transportation) - As Amended: April 13, 2011 Policy Committee: TransportationVote:12-0 (Consent) Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: No SUMMARY This omnibus committee bill contains various transportation-related provisions, including: 1)Deleting requirements that Caltrans provide quarterly reports on bridge seismic retrofit projects. 2)Requiring release of a vehicle impounded from 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. 3)Exempting a person while driving a vehicle, when using a voice-operated, hands-free device, from being charged with an infraction when that person is activating or deactivating a feature or function on an electronic wireless communications device. 4)Several provisions requested by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. FISCAL EFFECT Negligible fiscal impact. COMMENTS Purpose . This is the Assembly Transportation Committee's annual omnibus bill, combining various technical changes to current law that are not controversial and have no opposition. AB 957 Page 2 Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081