BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 1964 (Bloom) - High-occupancy vehicle lanes: vehicle
exceptions
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|Version: June 30, 2016 |Policy Vote: T. & H. 10 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes |
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|Hearing Date: August 1, 2016 |Consultant: Mark McKenzie |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: AB 1964 would extend the authority to operate certain
plug-in hybrid clean air vehicles in HOV lanes, regardless of
occupancy levels, under the "green sticker program" and make
revisions to the program, as specified.
Fiscal
Impact:
The Department of Transportation (Caltrans) would incur
ongoing administrative costs of approximately $125,000 for the
duration of the extended operative date of the "green sticker
program." Costs are attributable to continuing analysis and
reporting activities required under federal law. (State
Highway Account)
Unknown Caltrans costs, in the range of $400,000 to $1 million
related to provisions that allow a regional transportation
AB 1964 (Bloom) Page 1 of
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planning agency to request the removal of a clean air vehicle
exemption in HOV lanes (State Highway Account). Actual costs
would be informed by the number of requests and the complexity
of each impacted region. Costs include data collection and
analysis to determine the merit of a request, sign replacement
costs, and educational campaigns in affected regions.
Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) costs to revise the "green
sticker program" would be minor and absorbable, and any costs
would be offset by decal fees. (Motor Vehicle Account)
California Air Resources Board (CARB) costs of approximately
$39,000 annually to review and verify "green sticker" eligible
vehicles and track the market share of those vehicles for
purposes of the bill. (Motor Vehicle Account)
Minor and absorbable costs to the California Highway Patrol
(CHP). Staff notes that the rolling expiration dates of the
revised "green sticker program" will complicate enforcement
efforts because CHP would need to verify eligibility for HOV
access by running a plate rather than simple visual
verification that a vehicle has a decal. (Motor Vehicle
Account)
Background: Existing federal law authorizes states to allow certain
low-emission vehicles with a single occupant to use
high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes until September 30, 2019, and
allows states to allow certain alternative fuel vehicles and new
qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles to use those
lanes until September 30, 2025. If the vehicles cause a
degradation of HOV lane operations, the state must limit or
discontinue clean air vehicle use of the lanes. Existing law
authorizes Caltrans to ban clean air vehicles from HOV lanes if
unacceptable congestion levels can be attributed to those
vehicles.
Existing law exempts certain clean air and alternative fuel
vehicles from HOV lane occupancy requirements until January 1,
2019 if it displays a specified decal issued by DMV. The "white
sticker program" authorizes pure battery electric vehicles,
dedicated compressed natural gas or liquid petroleum gas
vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to access HOV lanes,
regardless of occupancy. There are no statutory limits on the
number of while stickers that may be issued, and as of June of
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this year, DMV had issued 106,706 identifying decals. The
"green sticker program" authorizes plug-in hybrid vehicles to
access HOV lanes, regardless of occupancy. Existing law limits
the number of green stickers to 85,000, and the limit was
reached in December of 2015.
Proposed Law:
AB 1964 would make the following changes to the "green sticker
program:"
Remove the current 85,000 limit on the number of decals that
may be issued by DMV under the "green sticker program."
Establish a January 1, 2019 sunset date for all current clean
air sticker programs, consistent with current law.
Specify that green stickers issued prior to January 1, 2018,
will sunset on January 1, 2019, pursuant to existing law, but
provides that green stickers issued between January 1, 2018
and January 1, 2019, are valid until January 1, 2021.
Specify that green stickers issued on or after January 1,
2019, under the revised program requirements specified in this
bill, are valid until January 1st of the fourth year after the
year of issuance. These decals must be distinguishable from
prior stickers.
Prohibit DMV from issuing stickers under the new program if
the sale of eligible vehicles reaches at least 9.2% of the
total new car market share for two consecutive years, upon
notification by CARB. Regardless of whether sales fall below
that point, the bill prohibits the DMV from reinstating the
program.
Specify that if the new program becomes inoperative due to
expiration of federal authorization, the driver of a vehicle
with an otherwise valid sticker shall not be cited for a
violation within the first 60 days of the program becoming
inoperative
Require Caltrans to remove individual HOV lanes from access by
green sticker vehicles upon request of, and with the
concurrence of, the relevant regional transportation planning
agency if the operation of those vehicles in the HOV lane
significantly contributes to congestion in those lanes within
the next 12 months, and increased enforcement efforts or
increasing vehicle occupancy that would alleviate that
congestion is either infeasible or would increase overall
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corridor congestion.
Related
Legislation: SB 838 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review),
the Senate version of the 2016-17 Budget transportation trailer
bill which is currently on the Senate Floor, includes provisions
that would retain the current January 2019 expiration date of
the "green sticker program" while deleting the current 85,000
cap on the number of decals. The Assembly version
transportation trailer bill (AB 1610), which is currently on the
Assembly Floor, does not include provisions related to the
"green sticker program."
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