BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 861
Page 1
( Without Reference to File )
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 861 (Budget and Fiscal Review Committee)
As Amended June 13, 2014
Majority vote. Budget Bill Appropriation Takes Effect
Immediately
SENATE VOTE :Vote not relevant
SUMMARY : Contains necessary statutory and technical changes to
implement the Budget Act of 2014 related to resources.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Establishes the Climate Resilience Account to provide
additional funding to specifically address the risk and
impacts of climate change, sea level rise, and associated
extreme events.
2)Allows the Environmental License Plate Fund to be used for
climate assessment.
3)Provides the necessary statutory authority to transfer the
drinking water program from the Department of Public Health to
the State Water Resources Control Board including merging of
loan programs.
4)Allows the Strong-Motion Instrumentation and Seismic Hazards
Mapping Fund to fund the Alquist-Priolo seismic mapping
program and increases the amount assessed on building permit
fees that provide revenues to the fund.
5)Authorizes the Oil Spill Prevention and Administration Fund to
be used for inland oil response, provides for statutory
changes to the fee structure, eliminates the fee sunset, and
expands the fee base to include all crude oil entering the
state.
6)Provides necessary statutory cleanup related to hydraulic
fracturing regulations at the State Water Resources Control
Board including specifying that regulations finalized on or
before January 1, 2015, become effective July 1, 2015, and
makes technical changes to the authority of the board related
to area-specific ground water monitoring programs.
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7)Allows the Waste Discharge Permit Fund and Department of Fish
and Wildlife civil penalty revenues to be used to pay back a
loan from the Timber Regulation and Forest Restoration Fund,
which is to be used for the enforcement of environmental
damage from marijuana activities over the next three years.
8)Clarifies that rubberized chip seal projects are eligible for
project funding, in addition to currently allowed asphalt
concrete, within the tire recycling programs.
9)Extends the revenue generation program at the Department of
Parks and Recreation for five years and re-establishes the
Parks Project Revolving Fund to allow capital outlay funds
longer encumbrance periods upon transfer to the fund.
10)Specifies that existing restoration grants be prioritized to
the Fisheries Restoration Grant Program at the Department of
Fish and Wildlife and to grant programs administered by state
conservancies.
11)Authorizes the California Coastal Commission to impose an
administrative civil penalty, by majority vote and at a duly
noticed public hearing, on a person who intentionally and
knowingly violates the public access provisions of the
California Coastal Act.
12)Codifies the Board of Equalization retailer reimbursement
regulations that were approved on September 10, 2013.
13)Diversifies the Local Conservation Corps funding under the
Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, and creates a
separate statutory section to continue the program.
14)Increases the cap on environmental justice grants distributed
by the Secretary for Environmental Protection from $20,000 to
$50,000 and authorizes up to $1.5 million for this purpose.
15)Extends the sunset date for the program by five years and
makes various technical changes and program reforms to specify
eligibility for incentives under the program limited to
distributed energy resource technologies.
16)Authorizes the California Public Utilities Commission to
order electrical corporations to continue to administer the
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New Solar Homes Partnership Program, regardless of the source
of funds for this program, until the $400 million funding
limit is reached.
COMMENTS : This bill provides the necessary statutory references
to enact the 2014-15 budget related to resources, environmental
protection, energy, and agriculture.
Analysis Prepared by : Gabrielle Meindl / BUDGET / (916)
319-2099
FN: 0003979