BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 617|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 617
Author: Perea (D)
Amended: 8/31/15 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE: 9-0, 7/14/15
AYES: Pavley, Stone, Allen, Hertzberg, Hueso, Jackson,
Monning, Vidak, Wolk
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 8/27/15
AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza, Nielsen
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-1, 6/2/15 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: Groundwater
SOURCE: Valley Ag Water Coalition
DIGEST: This bill makes both substantive and technical and
clarifying amendments to the Sustainable Groundwater Management
Act (SGMA) and related sections of the Water Code.
ANALYSIS: Existing law establishes the SGMA. Among other
things, SGMA requires that each high- and medium-priority
groundwater basins be managed pursuant to a groundwater
sustainability plan (GSP), with the goal of achieving
sustainability within 20 years.
This bill:
AB 617
Page 2
1)States any action to regulate groundwater extractions taken as
a means of implementing a GSP could not be used as evidence
of, or to establish or defend against, any claim of
prescription.
2)Authorizes a groundwater sustainability agency that finds that
a state entity is not working cooperatively regarding
implementation of a GSP, to file notice with the board
regarding its finding.
3)Makes numerous technical and clarifying changes to SGMA.
Comments
Needs Chaptering Language. This bill includes amendments to
sections that conflict with the recently passed SB 13 (Pavley).
Amendments are needed to prevent inadvertent chaptering out
problems.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Unknown costs, likely in the mid-tens of thousands of dollars
per notice, to the Water Rights Fund (special) to the SWRCB to
investigate notices that a state entity is not cooperating in
the implementation of a groundwater sustainability plan.
SUPPORT: (Verified8/20/15)
Valley Ag Water Coalition (source)
City of Visalia
Kings River Conservation District
Kings River Water Association
Modesto Irrigation District
Tulare Irrigation District
AB 617
Page 3
Turlock Irrigation District
Western Growers
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/20/15)
Sierra Club California
The Nature Conservancy
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: Supporters appreciate the author's
attempt to clarify language and terms contained in SGMA, as well
as to harmonize key provisions in the Act. A number also state
that they are committed to the successful implementation of
SGMA, and see the provisions of this bill as only helping in
their efforts.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION: The Sierra Club objects to this
bill's proposed changes regarding claims of prescriptive rights
[Section 2]. They assert that it would lead to a "race to the
bottom" for groundwater extractions.
The Nature Conservancy objected to a section that was just
amended out of this bill.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-1, 6/2/15
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang,
Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd,
Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia,
Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray,
Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones,
Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low,
Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin,
Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Perea,
Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago,
Steinorth, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk,
Williams, Wood, Atkins
NOES: Mark Stone
AB 617
Page 4
NO VOTE RECORDED: Chávez, Grove
Prepared by:Dennis O'Connor / N.R. & W. / (916) 651-4116
8/31/15 8:54:43
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