BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1221
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1221 (Alejo)
As Amended June 1, 2011
2/3 vote
ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 8-1APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Wieckowski, Miller, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Blumenfield, |
| |Campos, Chesbro, Davis, | |Bradford, Charles |
| |Feuer, Bonnie Lowenthal, | |Calderon, Campos, Davis, |
| |Valadao | |Gatto, Hall, Hill, Lara, |
| | | |Mitchell, Solorio |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | |Nays:|Harkey, Donnelly, |
| | | |Nielsen, Norby, Wagner |
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SUMMARY : Expands eligibility for funding from the State Water
Pollution Cleanup and Abatement Account (CAA). Specifically,
this bill :
1)Allows a not-for-profit organization serving a disadvantaged
community to receive funding from the CAA for waste clean-up.
The not-for-profit organization would be required to be either
controlled by a local public agency or, in the case of a
private corporation, have a broadly-based ownership or
membership of the people of the local community.
2)Allows California listed tribes serving a disadvantaged
community to receive funding from the CAA for waste clean-up.
EXISTING LAW establishes the CAA that is administered by the
State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and provides grants
to public agencies for the cleanup or abatement of water
pollution.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee this bill would result in the following fiscal
effects:
1)Negligible costs to SWRCB to accept and process a potentially
greater number of applications for funding from the CAA.
2)Potential significant shift in CAA funding of an unknown
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amount away from public agencies and to tribes or
not-for-profit organizations.
COMMENTS :
Need for the bill . According to the author, "there are far too
many communities throughout the state that lack access to clean
water services, including safe drinking water. The majority of
these communities are rural unincorporated disadvantaged
communities that do not have the resources to develop
infrastructural projects for the delivery of sanitary sewer and
safe drinking water. Families in these communities cannot
afford the treatment required to access clean water. As a
result, these communities are at a higher risk of adverse health
impacts. There continues to be a lack of help from public
agency's to apply for funding to help disadvantaged communities
and tribes to access water."
The CAA was created by Water Code Section 13440-13443 to provide
public agencies with grants for the cleanup or abatement of
pollution when there are no viable responsible parties available
to undertake the work. The CAA is supported by court judgments
and administrative civil liabilities assessed by the SWRCB and
the Regional Water Quality Control Boards. Only public agencies
with authority to cleanup or abate a waste are eligible to
receive funding. In 2010 approximately $9.3 million was
allocated from the CAA for public agency clean-up projects.
The not-for-profit organizations included in this bill is
designed to include housing cooperatives, or other private
entities that are not traditional non-profit organization but
are quasi-public entities like the San Jerardo Housing
Cooperative in Monterey County. This organization is currently
eligible for development funding by the United State Department
of Agriculture.
Analysis Prepared by : Bob Fredenburg / E.S. & T.M. / (916)
319-3965
FN: 0001197
AB 1221
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