Amended in Assembly April 12, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 29, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 2564


Introduced by Assembly Member Cooper

February 19, 2016


An act tobegin delete amend Section 44258.4 ofend deletebegin insert add Section 44274.3 toend insert the Health and Safety Code, relating to vehicular air pollution.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2564, as amended, Cooper. begin deleteClean Vehicle Rebate Project: income eligibility. end deletebegin insertAir Quality Improvement Program: Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.end insert

Existing law establishes the Air Quality Improvement Program that is administered by the State Air Resources Board for the purposes of funding projects related to, among other things, the reduction of criteria air pollutants and improvement of air quality. Pursuant to its existing statutory authority, the state board has established the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, as a part of the Air Quality Improvement Program, to promote the production and use of zero-emission vehicles by providing rebates for the purchase of new zero-emission vehicles.

The Charge Ahead California Initiative requires the state board to adopt, no later than June 30, 2015, revisions to the criteria and other requirements for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project to, among other things, limit eligibility based on income.

This billbegin delete would, for all eligible vehicle types except fuel cell electric vehicles,end deletebegin insert would require the state board to adopt regulations for the purposes of the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project that wouldend insert establish the maximum gross annual income atbegin delete unspecifiedend deletebegin insert specifiedend insert levels for a person to be eligible for abegin delete rebate under the project.end deletebegin insert rebate; increase rebate payments by $500 for applicants with household incomes less than or equal to 300% of the federal poverty level; include outreach to disadvantaged communities, as specified, to increase consumer awareness; and prioritize rebate payments for low-income applicants.end insert

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

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

P2    1begin insert

begin insertSECTION 1.end insert  

end insert

begin insertSection 44274.3 is added to the end insertbegin insertHealth and Safety
2Code
end insert
begin insert, to read:end insert

begin insert
3

begin insert44274.3.end insert  

The state board, in consultation with the State Energy
4Resources Conservation and Development Commission, districts,
5and the public, shall adopt regulations for the purposes of the
6Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, established as part of the Air Quality
7Improvement Program, that do all of the following:

8
(a) Limit eligibility based on income by providing that, for all
9eligible vehicle types except fuel cell electric vehicles, the gross
10annual income, as reported on Line 22 of the Internal Revenue
11Service Form 1040, Line 15 of the Internal Revenue Service Form
121040A, or Line 4 of the Internal Revenue Service Form 1040EZ,
13for a person to be eligible for a rebate payment shall not exceed
14the following:

15
(1) One hundred twenty-five thousand dollars ($125,000) for
16single filers.

17
(2) One hundred seventy thousand dollars ($170,000) for
18head-of-household filers.

19
(3) Two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) for joint
20filers.

21
(b) For an applicant with a household income less than or equal
22to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, increase the rebate
23payment by five hundred dollars ($500) for all eligible vehicle
24types.

25
(c) Include outreach to disadvantaged communities, as identified
26pursuant to Section 39711, to increase consumer awareness.

27
(d) Prioritize rebate payments for low-income applicants.

end insert
begin delete
28

SECTION 1.  

Section 44258.4 of the Health and Safety Code
29 is amended to read:

P3    1

44258.4.  

(a) Any moneys utilized by this act from the
2Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, established pursuant to Section
316428.8 of the Government Code, shall be consistent with the
4appropriations processes and criteria established by the Greenhouse
5Gas Reduction Fund Investment Plan and Communities
6Revitalization Act (Chapter 4.1 (commencing with Section 39710)
7of Part 2).

8(b) The Charge Ahead California Initiative is hereby established
9and shall be administered by the state board. The goals of this
10initiative are to place in service at least 1,000,000 zero-emission
11and near-zero-emission vehicles by January 1, 2023, to establish
12a self-sustaining California market for zero-emission and
13near-zero-emission vehicles in which zero-emission and
14near-zero-emission vehicles are a viable mainstream option for
15individual vehicle purchasers, businesses, and public fleets, to
16increase access for disadvantaged, low-income, and
17moderate-income communities and consumers to zero-emission
18and near-zero-emission vehicles, and to increase the placement of
19those vehicles in those communities and with those consumers to
20enhance the air quality, lower greenhouse gases, and promote
21overall benefits for those communities and consumers.

22(c) The state board, in consultation with the State Energy
23Resources Conservation and Development Commission, districts,
24and the public, shall do all of the following:

25(1) (A) Include, commencing with the Air Quality Improvement
26Program funding plan for the 2016-17 fiscal year, a funding plan
27that includes the immediate fiscal year and a forecast of estimated
28funding needs for the subsequent two fiscal years commensurate
29with meeting the goals of this chapter. Funding needs may be
30described as a range that identifies the projected high and low
31funding levels needed for the two-year forecast period to contribute
32to technology advancement, market readiness, and consumer
33acceptance of zero- and near-zero-emission vehicle technologies.
34The funding plan shall include a market and technology assessment
35for each funded zero- and near-zero-emission vehicle technology
36to inform the appropriate funding level, incentive type, and
37incentive amount. The forecast shall include an assessment of
38when a self-sustaining market is expected and how existing
39incentives may be modified to recognize expected changes in future
40market conditions.

P4    1(B) Projects included in the forecast may include, but are not
2limited to, any of the following:

3(i) The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, established pursuant to
4 Section 44274.

5(ii) Light-duty zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicle
6deployment projects eligible under the Alternative and Renewable
7Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, established pursuant to
8Article 2 (commencing with Section 44272) of Chapter 8.9.

9(iii) Programs adopted pursuant to paragraph (4).

10(2) Update the plan required pursuant to paragraph (1) at least
11every three years through January 1, 2023.

12(3) No later than June 30, 2015, adopt revisions to the criteria
13and other requirements for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project,
14established pursuant to Section 44274, to ensure the following:

15(A) Rebate levels can be phased down in increments based on
16cumulative sales levels as determined by the state board.

17(B) (i) Eligibility is limited based on income.

18(ii) For all eligible vehicle types except fuel cell electric
19vehicles, the gross annual income, as reported on Line 22 of the
20Internal Revenue Service Form 1040, Line 15 of the Internal
21Revenue Service Form 1040A, or Line 4 of the Internal Revenue
22 Service Form 1040EZ, for a person to be eligible for a rebate under
23the project shall not exceed the following:

24(I) ____ dollars ($____) for single filers.

25(II) ____ dollars ($____) for head-of-household filers.

26(III) ____ dollars ($____) of joint filers.

27(C) Consideration of the conversion to prequalification and
28point-of-sale rebates or other methods to increase participation
29rates.

30(4) (A) Establish programs that further increase access to and
31direct benefits for disadvantaged, low-income, and
32moderate-income communities and consumers from electric
33transportation, including, but not limited to, any of the following:

34(i) Financing mechanisms, including, but not limited to, a loan
35or loan-loss reserve credit enhancement program to increase
36consumer access to zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicle
37financing and leasing options that can help lower expenditures on
38transportation and prequalification or point-of-sale rebates or other
39methods to increase participation rates among low- and
40moderate-income consumers.

P5    1(ii) Car sharing programs that serve disadvantaged communities
2and utilize zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicles.

3(iii) Deployment of charging infrastructure in multiunit
4dwellings in disadvantaged communities to remove barriers to
5zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicle adoption by those
6who do not live in detached homes. This clause does not preclude
7the Public Utilities Commission from acting within the scope of
8its jurisdiction.

9(iv) Additional incentives for zero-emission, near-zero-emission,
10or high-efficiency replacement vehicles or a mobility option
11available to participants in the enhanced fleet modernization
12program, established pursuant to Article 11 (commencing with
13Section 44125) of Chapter 5.

14(B) Programs implemented pursuant to this paragraph shall
15provide adequate outreach to disadvantaged, low-income, and
16moderate-income communities and consumers, including partnering
17with community-based organizations.

end delete


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