BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Session AB 1964 (Bloom) - High-occupancy vehicle lanes: vehicle exceptions ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Version: June 30, 2016 |Policy Vote: T. & H. 10 - 0 | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Hearing Date: August 11, 2016 |Consultant: Mark McKenzie | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- *********** ANALYSIS ADDENDUM - SUSPENSE FILE *********** The following information is revised to reflect amendments adopted by the committee on August 11, 2016 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 AB 1964 (Bloom) Page 1 of ? 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 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. Additional costs to limit eligibility for higher income applicants are unknown at this time. (Motor Vehicle Account) California Air Resources Board (CARB) costs of approximately $39,000 annually (Motor Vehicle Account) to review and verify "green sticker" eligible vehicles and track the market share of those vehicles for purposes of the bill. Additional costs to coordinate with DMV to establish procedures to limit eligibility for decals and rebates provided under the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program are unknown at this time. (Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund) 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) Committee Amendments: On or after January 1, 2019, prohibit DMV from issuing a decal to an applicant who has received a rebate under the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program (CVRP), unless the rebate was issued to a person with an income below $125,000 for single filers, AB 1964 (Bloom) Page 2 of ? $170,000 for head-of-household filers, or $250,000 for joint filers of tax returns. Require DMV to coordinate with CARB to establish procedures to implement this limitation, including the following actions: o Amending the applications for both the "green sticker program" and the CVRP to include a statement indicating that an applicant cannot participate in both programs unless he or she meets the specified income restrictions. The applications must require the applicant to provide a signature confirming that he or she understands this condition. o Notifying consumers of the eligibility criteria and conditions using existing education and outreach efforts. o Establishing appropriate compliance and enforcement measures. o Establishing information sharing between the department and the board to implement the requirements. -- END --