Amended in Senate July 6, 2015

Amended in Assembly March 19, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1250

Introduced by Assembly Member Bloom

February 27, 2015

An act to amend Section 35554 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1250, as amended, Bloom. Vehicles: buses: begin delete gross end delete axle weight.

Existing law, operative January 1, 2016, provides that the gross weight on any one axle of a bus shall not exceed 20,500 pounds. Existing law exempts from this limitation a transit bus procured through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was issued before January 1, 2013. A violation of this provision is a crime.

This bill would exempt from the weight limitation transit buses procured through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was issued before January 1, 2016. begin insert This bill would also establish certain weight limitations for transit buses procured through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was issued at a specified time. The bill would provide that these provisions do not authorize the operation of a transit bus on a bridge if the gross weight of the bus exceeds the single vehicle maximum weight limit to which that bridge was designed, except as specified. Because a violation of these provisions would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. end insert

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The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

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This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

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Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . State-mandated local program:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert .

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 35554 of the Vehicle Code, as amended
by Section 2 of Chapter 263 of the Statutes of 2014, is amended
to read:

35554.  

(a) (1) Notwithstanding Section 35550, the maximum
gross weight on any one axle of a bus shall not exceed 20,500
pounds.

(2) This subdivision does not apply to a transit bus procured
through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was
issued before January 1, 2016.

(b) A transit bus is not subject to Section 35550.

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(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the following provisions
shall apply to a transit bus:

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(1) The unladen weight on any one axle of a transit bus procured
through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was
issued between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, shall
not exceed 25,000 pounds.

end insert begin insert

(2) The unladen weight on any one axle of a transit bus procured
through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was
issued between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019, shall
not exceed 24,000 pounds.

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(3) The unladen weight on any one axle of a transit bus procured
through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was
issued between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, shall
not exceed 23,000 pounds.

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(4) The unladen weight on any one axle of a transit bus procured
through a solicitation process pursuant to which a solicitation was
issued on or after January 1, 2022, shall not exceed 22,000 pounds.

end insert begin insert

(d) Nothing in this article shall be construed to authorize the
operation of a transit bus on a bridge if the gross weight of the
transit bus exceeds the single vehicle maximum weight limit to
which that bridge was designed, unless the agency owning and
operating the transit bus has obtained a permit from the agency
owning the bridge to operate such a transit bus on that bridge.

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begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

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No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.

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