BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
1614 (Budget Com.)
Hearing Date: 10/07/2010 Amended: 10/07/2010
Consultant: Mark McKenzie Policy Vote: N/A
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BILL SUMMARY: AB 1614, an urgency measure, would make numerous
statutory changes that are necessary to implement the
Transportation-related provisions of the Budget Bill.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Fund
Cumulative impact Unknown net revenue impact. Various
Potentially significant special fund
revenue
gains if federal approval is granted to
authorize
advertising on changeable message signs.
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STAFF COMMENTS: This bill may meet the criteria for referral to
the Suspense File.
This bill includes the following key changes to implement the
2010-11 State Budget:
1. Proposition 1B - Transportation Corridor Improvement Funds .
Requires the California Transportation Commission (CTC) to
report to the Legislature semiannually on the expenditure of
Transportation Corridor Improvement Funds (TCIF) for railroad
projects. Additionally, requires the CTC to report and
provide a copy of any memorandum of understanding executed
between a railroad company and any state or local
transportation agency where TCIF funds are a funding source
for the project.
2. Proposition 1B - Water Transit . For recipients of
Proposition 1B bond funds for regional public waterborne
transit, extends the expenditure period from three years to
four years. Proposition 1B provides $250 million to Regional
public waterborne transit agencies. The funds are available
to build ferry terminals, among other uses.
3. Proposition 1B - Local Streets and Roads . Provides cities
and counties a one-year extension to expend Proposition 1B
Local Streets and Roads funds for any year in which Highway
Users Tax Account funds for local transportation projects are
borrowed, deferred, or shifted.
4. Inter-fund Transportation Cashflow Loans . Extends the sunset
from June 30, 2011 to June 30, 2014, for cashflow borrowing
among transportation special funds. The transportation
special funds that are eligible for cashflow borrowing are
the State Highway Account, the Public Transportation Account,
the Transportation Investment Fund, the Transportation
Deferred Investment Fund, and the Traffic Congestion Relief
Fund.
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AB 1614 (Budget Committee)
5. High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) - Exempt Positions .
Authorizes the Governor to appoint six management level
exempt positions to the HSRA upon the recommendation of the
executive director. Compensation for these positions shall
not exceed the highest comparable compensation for a position
of that type, as established through a salary survey, and
shall require approval of the Department of Personnel
Administration.
6. HSRA - Biannual Reporting . Requires the HSRA to report
biannually to the Legislature, beginning March 1, 2011, on
the status of development and implementation of intercity
high-speed rail service.
7. HSRA - Peer Review Group . Requires that the members of the
High Speed Rail Independent Peer Review Group be designated
by October 1, 2010, and requires that group to designate a
chairperson. Additionally, requires the HSRA to designate a
liaison for the Independent Peer Review Group. Lastly,
authorizes the members of the peer review group to collect a
$100 per-day per diem that cannot exceed $500 per month.
8. Department of Transportation (Caltrans) - Capital Outlay
Support Budget Request . Requires Caltrans to report annually
to the Legislature with supplemental information on the
Capital Outlay Support budget request, including anticipated
and realized project costs and schedules for the Capital
Outlay Support Program.
9. Advertising on Changeable Message Signs . Authorizes an
experimental program that would allow advertising on upgraded
changeable message signs on highway right of way. A federal
waiver, or a change in federal law, is necessary to implement
this program and this bill states the program cannot be
implemented unless approved by the federal government.
10. Fuel Tax Swap - GO Bond Savings . The State Treasurer and the
Department of Finance estimate lower bond debt service costs
from transportation-related general obligation bonds in
2010-11. This savings is estimated to reduce bond-related
expenditures from fuel tax swap revenues by about $112
million. This bill directs that savings to additional loans
to the General Fund.
11. Fuel Tax Swap - Local Transportation Subventions . Provides
additional clarification that local governments are not
subject to the same maintenance-of-effort and other
requirements under Proposition 42 when they are apportioned
fuel excise tax revenues.
12. CHP - License Plate Reader Technology . Places in statute the
California Highway Patrol (CHP) internal policy for retaining
information gathered from license plate reader (LPR) systems.
Prohibits the retention of data for more than 72 hours for
all instances when the data is not being used for legitimate
law enforcement purposes. Additionally, prohibits the CHP
from selling LPR data and requires that CHP monitor its use
internally.
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AB 1614 (Budget Committee)
13. CHP and Local Law Enforcement: DUI Checkpoints and Vehicle
Impoundment . Amends statute to revise and better define the
conditions under which a law enforcement entity can impound a
vehicle at a sobriety checkpoint. In the case of a driver
who is not suspected of drunk driving, but who is driving
without a valid driver's license, the vehicle cannot be
impounded unless the vehicle cannot be safely parked or no
licensed driver can be found to drive the vehicle.
14. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) - Veterans' Benefits .
Requires DMV to update application forms to provide a space
for an applicant to indicate whether they served in the armed
forces. Data collected from willing veterans will be shared
with the Department of Veterans affairs in order to identify
if they are eligible for federal benefits.