BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó






           SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE       BILL NO: sb 1312
          SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN              AUTHOR:  Steinberg
                                                         VERSION: 2/21/14
          Analysis by:  Erin Riches                      FISCAL:  no
          Hearing date:  April 22, 2014



          SUBJECT:

          California Transportation Commission:  annual report

          DESCRIPTION:

          This bill eliminates an outdated reporting requirement for the  
          California Transportation Commission (CTC).

          ANALYSIS:

          The Legislature established the CTC in 1978 to help achieve a  
          single, unified state transportation policy.  The commission  
          programs and allocates funds for highway, passenger rail, and  
          transit construction and improvement projects throughout the  
          state.  The CTC also advises the Legislature and the secretary  
          of the Transportation Agency on transportation policy and  
          programs.  The governor appoints nine members to the CTC and the  
          Senate Rules Committee and Assembly Speaker each appoint two  
          members.  In addition to these nine voting members, two ex  
          officio, non-voting members sit on the CTC; typically these  
          individuals are the chairs of the respective policy committees  
          in each house of the Legislature.

          Existing law requires the CTC to adopt and submit to the  
          Legislature, by December 15th of each year, an annual report  
          summarizing the commission's prior-year decisions in allocating  
          transportation capital outlay appropriations, and identifying  
          timely and relevant transportation issues facing the state.  The  
          report must include an explanation and summary of major policies  
          and decisions adopted by the CTC during the prior fiscal year,  
          and may include a discussion of any significant upcoming  
          transportation issues the CTC anticipates may be of concern to  
          the public and the Legislature.  

          Existing law, enacted as part of the 2001-02 budget agreement,  
          authorizes the state Department of Transportation (Caltrans),  
          until June 30, 2008, to make short-term loans and transfers  




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          among specified funds in order to ensure adequate cash for  
          projects.  Subsequent legislation extended this authority to  
          June 30, 2011.  Existing law also requires CTC to include in its  
          annual reports for 2001 to 2008 a summary and discussion of  
          these loans and transfers, as well as their impact on cash flow  
          and project delivery, and a summary of any guidance provided by  
          CTC to Caltrans related to these loans and transfers.

           This bill  deletes from statute the requirements specifically  
          relating to the 2001-2008 CTC annual reports.
          


          COMMENTS:

           1.Purpose  .  The author's office states that this bill cleans up  
            unnecessary language from existing law by eliminating a  
            reporting mandate on the CTC which is no longer relevant.   
            This bill does not otherwise affect the statutory requirement  
            for the CTC to submit an annual report to the Legislature.

           2.Previous legislation  .  AB 268 (Assembly Budget Committee),  
            Chapter 756, Statutes of 2008, extended the authority for  
            cash-flow borrowing among transportation special funds, as  
            well as the accompanying reporting requirements, from June 30,  
            2008 to June 30, 2011.  Subsequently, SB 854 (Budget and  
            Fiscal Review Committee) and AB 1614 (Assembly Budget  
            Committee), both of 2010, each would have extended the  
            authority for cash-flow borrowing among transportation special  
            funds, as well as the accompanying reporting requirements,  
            from June 30, 2011 to June 30, 2014.  SB 854 died in  
            conference committee and AB 1614 died on the Assembly Floor.

          POSITIONS:  (Communicated to the committee before noon on  
          Wednesday,                                             April 16,  
          2014.)

               SUPPORT:  None received.

               OPPOSED:  None received.










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