BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



          SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING
                              Senator Jim Beall, Chair
                                2015 - 2016  Regular 

          Bill No:          SCR 139           Hearing Date:    6/21/2016
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Author:   |Gaines                                                |
          |----------+------------------------------------------------------|
          |Version:  |6/9/2016                                              |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Urgency:  |                       |Fiscal:      |Yes             |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Consultant|Randy Chinn                                           |
          |:         |                                                      |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          

          SUBJECT:  Merle Haggard Memorial Overpass


            DIGEST:  This bill designates the overpass on Interstate 5 at  
          the interchange of Interstate 5 and State Highway Route 44 as  
          the Merle Haggard Memorial Overpass.

          ANALYSIS:
          
          Existing law:
          
          The committee has adopted a policy regarding the naming of state  
          highways or structures.  Under the policy, the committee will  
          consider only those resolutions that meet all of the following  
          criteria:

          1)The person being honored must have provided extraordinary  
            public service or some exemplary contribution to the public  
            good and have a connection to the community where the highway  
            or structure is located

          2)The person being honored must be deceased

          3)The naming must be done without cost to the state.  Costs for  
            signs and plaques must be paid by local or private sources

          4)The author or co-author of the resolution must represent the  
            district in which the facility is located, and the resolution  
            must identify the specific highway segment or structure being  
            named







          SCR 139 (Gaines)                                   Page 2 of ?
          
          

          5)The segment of highway being named must not exceed five miles  
            in length

          6)The proposed designation must reflect a community consensus  
            and be without local opposition

          7)The proposed designation may not supersede an existing  
            designation unless the sponsor can document that a good faith  
            effort has uncovered no opposition to rescinding the prior  
            designation.

            This bill designates the overpass on Interstate 5 at the  
          interchange of Interstate 5 and State Highway Route 44in the  
          City of Redding as the Merle Haggard Memorial Overpass.  The  
          resolution further requests that the Department of  
          Transportation erect appropriate signs upon receiving donations  
          from non-state sources to cover the costs.

          COMMENTS:

          1)Purpose.  The resolution is intended to honor the life and  
            service of Merle Haggard.

          2)Background.  Merle Ronald Haggard was born on April 6, 1937 in  
            Oildale, north of Bakersfield, California.  In 1958 Merle  
            Haggard was sentenced to San Quentin State Prison for burglary  
            and an attempted escape from county jail.  While serving a  
            two-and-one-half year term, he played in the prison's country  
            band and took high school equivalency courses.  In 1965 he  
            formed his own band before signing with Capitol Records.   
            Their second album reached No. 1 on the country music charts  
            the following year.  

          During the remainder of the 1960's, Merle Haggard produced a  
          string of No. 1 singles.  Over his lifetime he released nearly  
          70 albums and 600 songs.  In 1977 he was elected to the  
          Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 1994 he wa inducted into the  
          Country Music Hall of Fame.  Merle Haggard died at home on his  
          ranch in Palo Cedro in Shasta County on April 6, 2016.

          At the time of his death Merle Haggard was married to Theresa  
          Lane.  He had two children with Lane and three from a prior  
          marriage.









          SCR 139 (Gaines)                                   Page 3 of ?
          
          
          FISCAL EFFECT:  Appropriation:       Fiscal Com.:  Yes    Local:  
            


            POSITIONS:  (Communicated to the committee before noon on  
          Wednesday,
                          June 15, 2016.)
          





            SUPPORT:  

          None received

          OPPOSITION:

          None received


                                      -- END --