BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 241 Page 1 Date of Hearing: July 8, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Jimmy Gomez, Chair SB 241 (Bates) - As Amended April 21, 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Transportation |Vote:|16 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill: SB 241 Page 2 1)Extends, from January 1, 2017, to January 1, 2022, the date by which Orange County may establish a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) transportation plan for the Ranch Plan Planned Community, and extends reporting deadlines accordingly. 2)Increases the allowable speed under the plan for Class III NEV routes (those allowing shared use by NEVs and conventional vehicles) from 25 mph to 35 mph. FISCAL EFFECT: 1)Minor costs, if any, for Caltrans, to review and approve any component of the proposed NEV transportation plan for Ranch Plan, adopted within the extended timeframe, that allows use of any state highway or any crossing of the highway. (State Highway Account) 2)Minor costs, if any, for the CHP to review and comment on the proposed NEV plan to determine any impacts on traffic law enforcement. (Motor Vehicle Account) COMMENTS: Background and Purpose. Existing law defines a low-speed vehicle as a motor vehicle that is four- wheeled, can attain a speed in one mile of more than 20 mph on a paved, level surface, and has a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 3,000 pounds. Low-speed vehicles are also known as NEVs. Current law prohibits NEVs from being operated on any roadway with a speed limit in excess of 35 mph, unless a designated area has been granted a statutory exemption. SB 241 Page 3 SB 956 (Correa), Chapter 442, Statutes of 2007, authorized development of an NEV transportation plan for Ranch Plan Planned Community in Orange County. Due to the decline in the real estate market, however, the project was delayed, thus SB 290 (Correa), Chapter 150, Statutes of 2011, extended this authorization to January 1, 2017. According to the author, construction for the Ranch Plan Planned Community is now well underway. Despite the fact that more homes are constructed and occupied, the author reports that, to date, Orange County has not adopted the NEV Plan. Additionally, the author reports that there only a handful of NEV's in use in the community. For these reasons, the author has introduced SB 241 which would extend the authorization for the NEV plan and the reporting deadline for another five years. Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081 SB 241 Page 4