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: 9/4/15 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.
Senate Floor Amendments of 9/4/15 delete controversial
provisions regarding establishing a basis for a prescriptive
right, and add a requirement that the Public Utilities Agency be
notified of formation of a groundwater sustainability agency if
the proposed service area includes investor owned water
utilities.
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, with the goal of achieving sustainability
within 20 years.
AB 617
Page 2
This bill:
1)Requires that the Public Utilities Agency be notified of
formation of a groundwater sustainability agency if the
proposed service area of that groundwater sustainability
agency includes investor owned water utilities.
2)Authorizes a groundwater sustainability agency that finds that
a state entity is not working cooperatively regarding
implementation of a groundwater sustainability plan, to file
notice with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
regarding its finding.
3)Makes numerous technical and clarifying changes to SGMA.
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: (Verified9/4/15)
Valley Ag Water Coalition (source)
City of Visalia
Kings River Conservation District
Kings River Water Association
Modesto Irrigation District
Tulare Irrigation District
Turlock Irrigation District
Western Growers
OPPOSITION: (Verified 9/4/15)
None received
AB 617
Page 3
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 SGMA. 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.
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
NO VOTE RECORDED: Chávez, Grove
Prepared by:Dennis O'Connor / N.R. & W. / (916) 651-4116
9/9/15 9:30:29
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