BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                AB 752
                                                                       

                      SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
                        Senator S. Joseph Simitian, Chairman
                              2009-2010 Regular Session
                                           
           BILL NO:    AB 752
           AUTHOR:     Arambula
           AMENDED:    June 8, 2009
           FISCAL:     Yes               HEARING DATE:     June 22, 2009
           URGENCY:    No                CONSULTANT:       Rachel Machi  
           Wagoner
            
           SUBJECT  :    STATE WATER POLLUTION CONTROL REVOLVING 
                       FUND:  SEVERELY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES

            SUMMARY  :    
           
            Existing law  :

           1)Existing law establishes the State Water Pollution Control  
             Revolving Fund Small Community Grant Fund in the State  
             Treasury.  Money in the fund may be expended for grants for  
             projects that serve small communities, as defined, with  
             priority given to projects that serve severely disadvantaged  
             communities. 

           2)Existing law defines "severely disadvantaged community" for  
             purposes of the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and  
             Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act  
             of 2006 as a community with a median household income of  
             less than 60% of the statewide average.

            This bill  would define "a severely disadvantaged community" as  
           a community with a median household income of less than 60% of  
           the statewide median household income for purposes of the  
           provisions governing expenditure of moneys in the State Water  
           Pollution Control Revolving Fund Small Community Grant Fund.

            COMMENTS  :

            1) Purpose of Bill  .  According to the author, this bill  
              provides technical clean up to AB 2356 (Arambula) Chapter  
              609, statutes of 2008, by adopting the same definition of  
              "severely disadvantaged communities" for the State Water  









                                                                AB 752
                                                                 Page 2

              Pollution Control Revolving Fund Small Community Grant Fund  
              as is provided in the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality  
              and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection  
              Bond Act of 2006.  

            2) Background.   AB 2356 (Arambula) Chapter 609, Statutes of  
              2008 created the Small Community Grant Fund from which the  
              State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is to make  
              grants for small community wastewater projects.  The  
              statute specifies that, in awarding the grants, SWRCB is to  
              give preference to projects that serve "severely  
              disadvantaged communities."   
            
               AB 2356 did not define such communities, however, leaving  
              it to the SWRCB to interpret the term's meaning in awarding  
              grants.

            SOURCE  :        Assemblymember Arambula  

           SUPPORT :       American Federation of State, County and  
                          Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
                          Association of California Water Agencies
                          Friant Water Authority
            
           OPPOSITION  :    None on file