BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 774
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REPLACE : 07/12/2011 Changes per consultant.
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 774 (Hancock)
As Amended June 23, 2011
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :29-9
HIGHER EDUCATION 6-2
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|Ayes:|Block, Achadjian, | | |
| |Brownley, Fong, Galgiani, | | |
| |Lara | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Donnelly, Miller | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Increases the maximum amount students and employees
of a California Community College (CCC) district may be charged
for parking services. Specifically, this bill :
1)Increases the statutory limits for parking fees CCC districts
may charge as follows:
a) From $40 to $50 per semester and from $20 to $25 for
intersession parking services; and,
b) From $30 to $35 per semester and $10 to $15 for
intersession carpool parking services.
2)Authorizes CCC governing boards to increase the fee limits on
parking and carpool passes annually by the same percentage
increase as the Implicit Price Deflator for State and Local
Government Purchases of Goods and Services. Specifies that
the fees may be increased annually up to the next whole dollar
increment above the existing fee limit that the calculation
produces.
3)Raises the statutory limit on parking fees charged to students
who receive Board of Governor Fee Waivers from $20 to $30 per
semester.
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EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes a CCC governing board to charge students and
employees parking service fees not to exceed the actual cost
of providing parking services, as follows: $40 per semester
and $20 per intersession for regular parking permits, $30 per
semester and $15 per intersession for carpool students, and
exempts Board of Governors' (BOG) Fee Waiver students from
paying parking fees that exceed $20 per semester (Education
Code (EC) Section 76360).
2)Authorizes a CCC governing board to charge a fee in excess of
the aforementioned limits if the number of full-time
equivalent students per parking space exceeds the statewide
average and if the price of land adjacent to the campus
exceeds the statewide average cost of land adjacent to CCCs
(EC Section 76360).
3)Requires revenues from parking fees to be expended only for
parking services or for purposes of reducing the costs to
students and employees using public transportation to and from
CCCs (EC Section 76360).
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS :
Background : AB 2812 (Higher Education Committee), Chapter 954,
Statutes of 1998, reorganized CCC parking fee provisions,
authorized all CCC governing boards to levy fees to fund parking
and facility construction and transportation services, and
established maximum fee amounts CCCs could charge for parking
and transportation services. In response to concerns that CCC
districts were bumping up against the fee ceilings in attempts
to expand transit services for students, the Legislature
approved SB 82 (Hancock), Chapter 619, Statutes of 2010, to
increase the maximum amount CCC districts could charge for
transportation fees and established an annual inflationary
adjustment to the statutory cap. This bill would similarly
increase the statutory limit for parking fees and authorize an
annual inflationary adjustment to the limit.
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Purpose of this bill : According to the author, current law that
caps parking fees at $40 per semester has been in place for over
20 years. The current cap imposes an arbitrary and outdated
ceiling on fees for parking that creates difficulty in managing
local budgets amidst preexisting budgetary constraints.
Thirty-four CCC districts reported drawing funding from their
general funds to meet parking expenses. The law does not take
into account the increased costs associated with parking
services and the need to upgrade parking facilities to ensure
adequate safety for students when going to and from class. This
bill would enable districts to maximize the funding allocated to
parking infrastructure and public safety-related improvements,
in addition to course offerings and student support programs by
safeguarding CCC districts' general fund.
State and Local Government Implicit Price Deflator : The
Implicit Price Deflator for State and Local Government Purchases
of Goods and Services is an index published by the United States
Department of Commerce. This measure of inflation is used to
calculate increases to school district revenue limits and cost
of living adjustments for CCC. It is also used by various state
agencies as an objective metric for determining an annual rate
of increase or decrease in fees. The proposal to tie the
parking fee cap to the Implicit Price Deflator is consistent
with other authorized fees for CCC, including health fees and
transportation services. This method will allow for more
gradual increases over time and enable CCC governing boards to
better ensure that funds generated from parking fees will cover
the actual costs of providing parking services to students.
Prior legislation : SB 82 (Hancock), Chapter 619, Statutes of
2010, increased and established an annual inflationary
adjustment to the statutory cap placed on CCC transportation
fees.
Analysis Prepared by : Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960
FN: 0001356
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