BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
SB 951 (McGuire) - Transportation: Golden State Patriot Passes
Program
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|Version: April 26, 2016 |Policy Vote: T. & H. 10 - 0, |
| | E.Q. 7 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: May 9, 2016 |Consultant: Mark McKenzie |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: SB 951 would establish the Golden State Patriot Passes
Program as a pilot program and require the Department of
Transportation (Caltrans) to select three transit operators to
provide free transit services to veterans until January 1, 2022,
as specified.
Fiscal
Impact:
Annual program costs of up to $3 million from 2017-18 through
2020-21. (General Fund or unspecified special funds)
Caltrans costs of approximately $100,000 annually for one
limited-term PY of staff to develop and administer the pilot
program through 2020-21, and prepare the required report.
(State Highway Account)
SB 951 (McGuire) Page 1 of
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Background: Many transit agencies in California provide free or reduced
fare transit passes to certain riders. For example, the San
Francisco Muni offers free access to low and moderate income
youth, Sacramento Regional Transit offers students a 50%
discounted fare for monthly passes, and the Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority offers reduced fares for
both K-12 and college students, and has a partnership with the
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University
of Southern California (USC) to provide free passes for their
students.
Sonoma County established a pilot program on January 1, 2015 to
provide veterans free use of Sonoma County Transit. Under the
program, a veteran with a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) identification card or a Sonoma County Veterans
identification card can ride the bus for free, and the county
reimburses Sonoma County Transit for the lost fare revenues.
The county board of supervisors recently voted unanimously to
make the program permanent as of January 1, 2016.
Proposed Law:
SB 951 would require Caltrans to administer the Golden State
Patriot Passes Program as a pilot project to provide free access
to transit services and increase veteran mobility. Caltrans
would develop guidelines for the program and select three
transit operators by January 1, 2018 from urban, suburban, and
rural areas, respectively, to participate in the program.
Transit operators that provide free transit service to veterans
are not eligible to participate in the pilot. To qualify for
free transit service from participating operators, a veteran
must show a veterans identification card issued by a veterans
service organization, or a driver's license or identification
card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles that identifies
the holder as a veteran.
The bill specifies maximum state allocations of up to $2 million
per fiscal year for an urban transit operator, up to $900,000
per year for a suburban transit operator, and up to $100,000 per
year for a rural transit operator. Participating transit
operators must provide a 1:1 match of state funds from local
moneys available for purposes consistent with the program.
SB 951 (McGuire) Page 2 of
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SB 951 requires participating transit operators to submit a
report to Caltrans on cost, use of moneys, and ridership by
February 1, 2021, and requires Caltrans to submit a report on
the pilot program to the Legislature by August 1, 2021. The
program would sunset on January 1, 2022.
Staff
Comments: The current version of the bill does not identify a
funding source, but establishes maximum allocations totaling $3
million to the three participating transit operators. State
funds for transit purposes from the State Transit Assistance
fund are generally allocated to transit operators based on
statutory formulas. In addition, the Low Carbon Transit
Operations Program provides continuously appropriated moneys
from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to transit operators for
capital and operations expenditures that reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. SB 951 would essentially provide an operating
subsidy (in conjunction with local matching funds) to offset
reductions in farebox revenues by providing free transit to
veterans under the pilot program. Ultimately, state funding for
the program may require a General Fund budget appropriation.
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