BILL ANALYSIS
SJR 33
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SJR 33 (Alan Lowenthal)
As Introduced May 24, 2010
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :33-0
TRANSPORTATION 13-0
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|Ayes:|Bonnie Lowenthal, | | |
| |Jeffries, | | |
| |Bill Berryhill, | | |
| |Blumenfield, Buchanan, | | |
| |Eng, Furutani, Galgiani, | | |
| |Hayashi, Miller, Niello, | | |
| |Portantino, Solorio | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requests Congress to adopt a national freight policy
as a component of the next federal transportation bill and
directs the federal Department of Transportation to implement
its provisions.
EXISTING FEDERAL LAW :
1)Under federal law, the U.S. Department of Transportation (US
DOT) administers and implements the transportation programs
that are authorized.
2)The United States Constitution assigns the right to regulate
commerce with foreign nations and among the states to the
federal government.
3)The current federal transportation bill, the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Transportation Equity Act - A Legacy
for Users (SAFETEA-LU), establishes federal transportation
policy and authorizes funding to various programs. Enacted in
2005, SAFETEA-LU was originally due to expire on September 30,
2009. The Congress and the President extended SAFETEA-LU
several times, most recently until December 31, 2010, in order
to provide time to develop a successor transportation bill.
FISCAL EFFECT : None
SJR 33
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COMMENTS : The author introduced this resolution to support the
creation of a national freight policy. He argues that such a
policy would provide a federal basis for investment in
trade-facilitating infrastructure development, promoting public
and private participation in trade infrastructure, achieving
significant air quality benefits, and establishing a platform
for the equitable distribution of federal funds such that
California and its local transportation partners would receive
their fair share of those revenues.
Supporters note that while California's airports, border
crossings, and seaports are critical national assets that
facilitate massive amounts of international commerce, the
federal government lacks a coordinated plan to invest in these
assets. The lack of a national freight policy hurts West Coast
trade, as states here will continue to bear the costs of both
facilitating trade growth and reducing environmental impacts.
The adoption of a national freight policy, as this resolution
requests, would create a uniform federal interest in improving
the flow of cargo through California's airports, seaports, and
land ports of entry.
Federal proposals: Current federal law, SAFETEA-LU, as extended
by Congress, authorizes research and demonstration projects to
investigate various transportation funding mechanisms.
SAFETEA-LU does not, however, articulate a national freight
policy nor have any of the preceding transportation bills.
Further, as a part of the new transportation reauthorization,
the US DOT has proposed a new program referred to as the
National Infrastructure Innovation and Finance Fund (NIIFF).
This new program will establish a new direction in federal
infrastructure investment that emphasizes demonstrable merit and
analytical measures of performance. Fund investments will be
issued in the form of grants, loans, or a blend of both and will
target transportation and transportation-related projects that
provide a significant economic benefit to the nation or a
region. Projects eligible for funding from the NIIFF will
include multi-modal projects that include highway, transit,
rail, aviation, ports, and maritime components. Currently, $4
billion is requested in federal fiscal year 2011 for NIIFF,
which is a down payment on a $25 billion commitment to the fund.
SJR 33
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The NIIFF is separate from and parallel to a national freight
policy.
Analysis Prepared by : Ed Imai / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
FN: 0005781