SB 3, as introduced, Vidak. Transportation bonds: highway, street, and road projects.
Existing law, the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, approved by the voters as Proposition 1A at the November 4, 2008, general election, provides for the issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $9 billion for high-speed rail purposes and $950 million for other related rail purposes. Article XVI of the California Constitution requires measures authorizing general obligation bonds to specify the single object or work to be funded by the bonds and further requires a bond act to be approved by a 2⁄3 vote of each house of the Legislature and a majority of the voters.
This bill would provide that no further bonds shall be sold for high-speed rail purposes pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, except as specifically provided with respect to an existing appropriation for high-speed rail purposes for early improvement projects in the Phase 1 blended system. The bill, subject to the above exception, would require redirection of the unspent proceeds from outstanding bonds issued and sold for other high-speed rail purposes prior to the effective date of these provisions, upon appropriation, for use in retiring the debt incurred from the issuance and sale of those outstanding bonds. The bill, subject to the above exception, would also require the net proceeds of bonds subsequently issued and sold under the high-speed rail portion of the bond act, upon appropriation, to be made available to the Department of Transportation for repair and new construction projects on state highways and freeways, and for repair and new construction projects on local streets and roads, as specified. The bill would make no changes to the authorization under the bond act for the issuance of $950 million in bonds for rail purposes other than high-speed rail. These provisions would become effective only upon approval by the voters at the June 7, 2016, statewide primary election.
Vote: 2⁄3. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 2704.096 is added to the Streets and
2Highways Code, to read:
(a) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this
4chapter, and except as provided in paragraph (2), no further bonds
5shall be issued and sold for purposes of Section 2704.06 on and
6after the effective date of this section.
7(2) This section shall not apply to bonds issued and sold for
8purposes of Section 2704.06 with respect to the appropriation in
9Item 2665-104-6043 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2012,
10as added by Section 3 of Chapter 152 of the Statutes of 2012.
11(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, and
12except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a),
13the unspent proceeds from outstanding bonds issued and sold
14
pursuant to Section 2704.06 prior to the effective date of this
15section shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be redirected
16from high-speed rail purposes for use in retiring the debt incurred
17from the issuance and sale of those outstanding bonds.
18(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the
19remaining unissued bonds, as of the effective date of this section,
20that were previously authorized pursuant to Section 2704.06, except
21as otherwise provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), are
22hereby authorized to be issued and sold, and 50 percent of the net
23proceeds, upon appropriation by the Legislature, shall be made
24available to the Department of Transportation to fund repair and
P3 1new construction projects on state highways and freeways, and
2the remaining 50 percent of the net proceeds, upon appropriation
3by the Legislature, shall be made available to the Department of
4Transportation to create a program to fund repair and
new
5construction projects on local streets and roads, with each county
6to receive a base amount of the local street and road funding, and
7any additional funding to be allocated based on a county’s
8population.
Section 1 of this act would modify the single object
10or work of a general obligation bond act previously submitted to
11the voters by the Legislature pursuant to Section 1 of Article XVI
12of the California Constitution, and subsequently approved by the
13voters as Proposition 1A at the November 4, 2008, statewide
14general election. Accordingly, Section 1 of this act shall become
15effective only upon approval by the voters. The Secretary of State
16shall submit Section 1 of this act to the voters on the ballot of the
17June 7, 2016, statewide primary election.
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