BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1219
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 20, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Mike Eng, Chair
AB 1219 (Evans) - As Amended: April 22, 2009
SUBJECT : Public transportation: Solano Transportation
Authority.
SUMMARY : Authorizes the Solano Transportation Authority
(Authority) to be a claimant of local Transportation Development
Act (TDA) funds. Specifically, this bill :
1)Authorizes the Authority to directly file a claim with the
transportation planning agency (Metropolitan Transportation
Commission) for up to 2% of TDA of funds that are currently
available to the representative county and city jurisdictions
of the Authority for transit planning and coordination
relative to Solano County.
2)Authorizes the Authority to be an eligible claimant for State
Transit Assistance (STA) funds apportioned under the
population formula, to be used for public transportation
purposes, including countywide transit planning and
coordination relative to Solano County.
3)Corrects a reference to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority.
4)Authorizes the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to
allocate funds to the Authority for public transportation
purposes, including countywide transit planning and
coordination relative to Solano County.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Pursuant to the TDA, provides two major sources of funding for
public transportation: the Local Transportation Fund (LTF),
which is derived from a cent of the general sales tax
collected statewide, and the STA fund, which is derived from
the statewide sales tax on gasoline and diesel fuel. Funds
are used for the development and support of public
transportation needs that exist in California and are
allocated to areas of each county based on population, taxable
sales, and transit performance. Some counties, basically in
AB 1219
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the rural areas of the state, have the option of using LTF for
local streets and roads projects, if they can show there are
no unmet transit needs. TDA funds are administered by the
transportation planning agency having jurisdiction and
specifies the sequence of allocations to be made by that
agency to eligible claimants. The State Board of Equalization
returns the cent to each county according to the amount of
tax collected in that county.
2)Establishes the STA program as one of the transit programs
funded by the Public Transportation Account. Under the
program, available funds are apportioned by the Controller to
transportation planning agencies for allocation to transit
operators and for other related purposes within the agency's
jurisdiction. Apportionments are made under two different
formulas, one based on population and the other based on
operator revenue.
3)Created under a joint powers agreement, the Authority serves
as the Solano County's Congestion Management Agency to program
federal, state and regional transportation funds. Member
agencies include the cities of Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio
Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, Vallejo and Solano County. The
Authority is responsible for transportation planning,
coordination, and the financing of projects for its eight
member jurisdictions. Also provides countywide planning for
the development of roads, transit, rideshare, rail, bicycle
and pedestrian facilities, manages the Solano Napa Commuter
Information and Safe Routes to School programs and coordinates
four transit services.
4)Establishes the MTC as the transportation planning,
coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San
Francisco Bay Area. MTC functions as both the regional
transportation planning agency, a state designation, and, for
federal purposes, as the region's metropolitan planning
organization. As the regional transportation planning agency,
distributes TDA funds to Solano County upon application by
claimants.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : According to the Authority, this bill "will amend the
TDA statutes to specifically designate the Solano Transportation
Authority as an eligible direct claimant of the LTF and STA
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dollars already available to the county so that the Authority
can claim its portion, and only its portion, of TDA funds tbat
are otherwise now provided first to the county and cities and
transit operators within the Solano County. In Solano County,
the Authority has used the LTF and STA dollars for a wide range
of activities, including providing matching funds for the
purchase of buses, funding countywide and local transit studies,
funding transit marketing activities, covering new bus purchase
shortfalls, funding intercity transit operations on a short-term
or transitional basis, and supporting the Authority's planning
and transit efforts."
This bill will streamline the allocation of TDA funds to the
Authority by allowing it to file a claim directly with MTC, the
transportation planning agency that allocates the region's TDA
funds. Further, the bill's sponsor contends that other local
entities that are eligible for TDA funds within the county are
supportive of this change in statute.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Solano Transportation Authority (sponsor)
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Ed Imai / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093