California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 1813


Introduced by Assembly Member Frazier

February 8, 2016


An act to amend Sections 185020 and 185022 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to high-speed rail.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1813, as introduced, Frazier. High-Speed Rail Authority: membership.

Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers and duties relative to development and implementation of a high-speed train system. The authority is composed of 9 members, including 5 members appointed by the Governor, and 2 members each appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly.

This bill would additionally provide for appointment of one Member of the Senate by the Senate Committee on Rules and one Member of the Assembly by the Speaker of the Assembly to serve as ex officio members of the authority. The bill would provide that the ex officio members shall participate in the activities of the authority to the extent that participation is not incompatible with their positions as Members of the Legislature.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

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

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 185020 of the Public Utilities Code is
2amended to read:

3

185020.  

(a) There is in the Transportation Agency a
4High-Speed Rail Authority.

5(b) (1) The authority is composed ofbegin delete nineend deletebegin insert 11end insert members as
6follows:

7(A) Five members appointed by the Governor.

8(B) Two members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.

9(C) Two members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.

begin insert

10(D) One Member of the Senate appointed by the Senate
11Committee on Rules and one Member of the Assembly appointed
12by the Speaker of the Assembly shall be ex officio members without
13vote and shall participate in the activities of the authority to the
14extent that participation is not incompatible with their positions
15as Members of the Legislature.

end insert

16(2) For the purposes of making appointments to thebegin delete authority,end delete
17begin insert authority pursuant to subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of paragraph
18(1),end insert
the Governor, the Senate Committee on Rules, and the Speaker
19of the Assembly shall take into consideration geographical diversity
20to ensure that all regions of the state are adequately represented.

21(c) Except as provided in subdivision (d), and until their
22successors are appointed, members of thebegin delete authorityend deletebegin insert authority, other
23than ex officio members,end insert
shall hold office for terms of four years.
24A vacancy shall be filled by the appointing power making the
25original appointment, by appointing a member to serve the
26remainder of the term.

27(d) (1) On and after January 1, 2001, the terms of all persons
28who are then members of the authority shall expire, but those
29members may continue to serve until they are reappointed or until
30their successors are appointed. In order to provide for evenly
31staggered terms, persons appointed or reappointed to the authority
32after January 1, 2001, shall be appointed to initial terms to expire
33as follows:

34(A) Of the five persons appointed by the Governor, one shall
35be appointed to a term which expires on December 31, 2002, one
36shall be appointed to a term which expires on December 31, 2003,
37one shall be appointed to a term which expires on December 31,
P3    12004, and two shall be appointed to terms which expires on
2December 31, 2005.

3(B) Of the two persons appointed by the Senate Committee on
4Rules, one shall be appointed to a term which expires on December
531, 2002, and one shall be appointed to a term which expires on
6December 31, 2004.

7(C) Of the two persons appointed by the Speaker of the
8Assembly, one shall be appointed to a term which expires on
9December 31, 2003, and one shall be appointed to a term which
10expires on December 31, 2005.

11(2) Following expiration of each of the initial terms provided
12for in this subdivision, the term shall expire every four years
13thereafter on December 31.

14(e) Members of the authority are subject to the Political Reform
15Act of 1974 (Title 9 (commencing with Section 81000)).

16(f) From among itsbegin insert votingend insert members, the authority shall elect a
17chairperson, who shall preside at all meetings of the authority, and
18a vice chairperson to preside in the absence of the chairperson.
19The chairperson shall serve a term of one year.

20(g) Fivebegin insert votingend insert members of the authority constitute a quorum
21for taking any action by the authority.

22

SEC. 2.  

Section 185022 of the Public Utilities Code is amended
23to read:

24

185022.  

(a) Eachbegin insert votingend insert member of the authority shall receive
25compensation of one hundred dollars ($100) for each day that the
26member is attending to the business of the authority, but shall not
27receive more than five hundred dollars ($500) in any calendar
28month.

29(b) begin deleteMembers end deletebegin insertVoting members end insertof the authority shall be
30reimbursed for their actual travel expenses incurred in attending
31to the business of the authority.



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