BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                           2092 (Huffman)
          
          Hearing Date:  08/12/2010           Amended: 08/02/2010
                                          As proposed to be amended
          Consultant:  Brendan McCarthy   Policy Vote: NR&W 5-3
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          BILL SUMMARY:  AB 2092 requires the Delta Stewardship Council to  
          develop a financing plan to pay for the costs to implement the  
          Delta Plan. 
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                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2010-11      2011-12       2012-13     Fund
           
          Developing a financing plan       Absorbable within existing  
          resources              Bond *

          * Proposition 84.
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          STAFF COMMENTS: 
          
          SB x7 1 (Simitian, Chapter 5, Statutes of 2009-10 Seventh  
          Extraordinary Session) established the Delta Stewardship Council  
          and charged the Council with developing and implementing a  
          comprehensive plan for the restoration and management of the  
          Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The Delta Plan is due by  
          January 1, 2012.

          AB 2092 requires the Council to develop a long-term financing  
          plan for the Delta Plan. The financing plan is due by January 1,  
          2013. The financing plan must be based on the "beneficiary pays"  
          principal. The financing plan must address projected  
          expenditures, potential funding sources, benefits of the Delta  
          and its restoration, and an allocation of costs amongst entities  
          involved in the Delta.

          The bill requires the Council to review and revise the financing  
          plan every five years. The bill specifies that the Council may  
          not impose any fees without future legislation. The bill also  










          authorizes the Council to seek early contributions for its costs  
          related to the development of the Delta plan and authorizes the  
          Council to credit those contributions against future funding  
          obligations.

          The Council indicates that it already intends to include a  
          financing plan in the Delta Plan and that the Council has  
          received budget authority sufficient to develop the Delta Plan,  
          including the financing plan. Therefore, the bill does not  
          impose additional costs on the Council.

          The proposed author's amendments make definitional changes and  
          specify that mitigation costs for projects included in the Delta  
          plan are the responsibility of project beneficiaries.