BILL NUMBER: AB 2293 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 10, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Cristina Garcia, Eggman, Eduardo
Garcia, and Gomez
( Principal coauthor: Senator
Leyva )
FEBRUARY 18, 2016
An act to add Section 39717 to Part 10
(commencing with Section 44480) to Division 26 of the Health
and Safety Code, relating to greenhouse gases.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2293, as amended, Cristina Garcia. Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Fund: 3-year investment plan: technical assistance program.
Green Assistance Program.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the
State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with
monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases.
The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based
compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for
fines and penalties, collected by the state board as part of a
market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse
Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation. Existing
law requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to
identify disadvantaged communities and requires the Department of
Finance, in consultation with the state board and any other relevant
state agency, to develop, as specified, a 3-year investment plan for
the moneys deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
This bill would require the state board to establish a
technical assistance program, upon an appropriation of moneys from
the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, to establish the
Green Assistance Program, to be administered by the Secretary for
Environmental Protection to, among other things, assist small
disadvantaged communities businesses, small
nonprofit organizations, and small cities in applying for
moneys from programs using moneys from the fund, as specified.
The bill would also require the department to include in the
3-year investment plan an allocation to the state board for that
technical assistance program.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares both
of the following:
(a) Small businesses, small nonprofit organizations, and small
cities often lack the technical expertise to develop grant and
financing options.
(b) For the state to meet its air quality goals, every business
and community must have the same opportunity to compete for funding
that is available to meet those air quality goals.
SECTION 1. Section 39717 is added to the Health
and Safety Code, to read:
39717. (a) For purposes of this section, "disadvantaged community"
means a community identified pursuant to Section 39711.
(b) The Department of Finance shall include in the investment plan
developed and submitted to the Legislature pursuant to Section 39716
an allocation to the state board to implement this section.
(c) Upon an appropriation of moneys from the fund, the state board
shall establish a technical assistance program to assist small
disadvantaged communities in applying for moneys from programs that
have been appropriated moneys from the fund.
(d) The program established pursuant to this section shall provide
assistance to small disadvantaged communities with any of the
following:
(1) Identifying
SEC. 2. Part 10 (commencing with Section 44480) is
added to Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code
, to read:
PART 10. Green Assistance Program
44480. For purposes of this part, the following definitions
apply:
(a) "Fund" means the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, established
pursuant to Section 16428.8 of the Government Code.
(b) "Secretary" means the Secretary for Environmental Protection.
(c) "Small city" means a city with a population of less than
500,000 as determined by the latest census.
44481. The Green Assistance Program is hereby
established and shall be administered by the secretary. The program
shall do all of the following:
(a) Provide technical assistance, including the development of
competitive project proposals, to small businesses, small nonprofit
organizations, and small cities when applying for an allocation of
moneys from the fund.
(b) Assist small cities in equitably applying for funding to help
mitigate the impacts of poor air quality and help improve the health
of the state's most disadvantaged communities.
(c) Assist small businesses in applying for funding for energy
efficiency upgrades to meet and exceed the greenhouse gas emission
reductions established pursuant to Section 38560.
(d) Assist small businesses and small cities in complying with all
applicable federal, state, and local air quality laws.
(e) Assist small cities to develop plans that would assist the
state in meeting the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit.
(f) Identify state agencies with
appropriate grant programs.
(2) Developing competitive project proposals to apply for moneys
available through state agencies or pursuant to this chapter.
(3) Coordinating
(g) Coordinate existing local
programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with new programs
receiving moneys pursuant to this chapter.
from the fund.
(4) Conducting
(h) Conduct community outreach to
residents of small disadvantaged communities
cities that the state board determines require technical
assistance on consumer programs receiving state or local moneys
pursuant to this chapter from the fund
or for other programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Those
programs may include, but are not limited to, programs that also
improve air quality, reduce residential and commercial water use, and
increase residential and commercial energy efficiency.