BILL NUMBER: SB 309 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Senator Ducheny
FEBRUARY 25, 2009
An act to amend Sections 14302 and 14581 of the Public Resources
Code, relating to public resources.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 309, as introduced, Ducheny. Public resources: beverage
container recycling fund: conservation corps.
(1) Existing law requires the California Conservation Corps to
select young men and women for participation in the corps program on
the basis of motivation for hard work, personal development, and
public service, and without regard to their prior employment or
educational background.
This bill would require preference for inclusion in corps
membership to be given to emancipated foster youth and at-risk youth.
(2) The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter
Reduction Act requires a distributor of specified beverage containers
to pay a redemption payment to the Department of Conservation for
each beverage container sold or transferred for deposit in the
California Beverage Container Recycling Fund. The department is
authorized to make other specified expenditures from the moneys
remaining in the fund after the moneys for specified purposes have
been set aside.
This bill would authorize the department to expend an undetermined
amount annually, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for existing
and new California Conservation Corps and community conservation
corps for the purposes of reopening residential corps member
facilities, litter abatement, recycling, emergency response, fire
brush clearance, energy conservation, green technology jobs, and
related activities that educate, train, and employ at-risk youth.
Because the moneys in the fund would be used for purposes other than
those related to beverage containers, the bill would impose a tax.
By imposing a new tax, this bill would result in a change in state
taxes for the purpose of increasing revenues within the meaning of
Section 3 of Article XIII A of the California Constitution, and thus
would require for passage the approval of 2/3 of the membership of
each house of the Legislature.
Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) The California Conservation Corps provides critical emergency
response work, including fighting fires and floods, that protects the
health and safety of the state.
(b) For over 30 years, the California Conservation Corps has
conserved the state's natural resources through the use of California'
s young men and women. This has been beneficial not only to the youth
of the state by providing them with educational and work
opportunities, but also to the state economy and its environment.
(c) The California Conservation Corps provides a unique
opportunity for those California youth who are not bound directly for
college to follow a different path and gain needed training and
experience in preparation for entrance into the workforce.
SEC. 2. Section 14302 of the Public Resources Code is amended to
read:
14302. (a) Young women and men shall be
selected for participation in the corps program on the basis of
motivation for hard work, personal development, and public service,
and without regard to their prior employment or educational
background. Participation shall be for a period of one year, which
may be extended.
(b) Preference for inclusion in corps membership shall be given to
emancipated foster youth and at-risk youth.
(c) The corps, in conjunction with the
Employment Development Department, shall place an emphasis on
developing and executing plans to assist corpsmembers in obtaining
employment following their participation in the corps program.
SEC. 3. Section 14581 of the Public Resources Code is amended to
read:
14581. (a) Subject to the availability of funds, and pursuant to
subdivision (c), the department shall expend the moneys set aside in
the fund, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14580, for the
purposes of this section:
(1) (A) On and after July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006, inclusive, up
to thirty-one million dollars ($31,000,000) may be expended for that
fiscal year for the payment of handling fees pursuant to Section
14585.
(B) On and after July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, inclusive, up to
thirty-three million dollars ($33,000,000) may be expended for that
fiscal year for the payment of handling fees pursuant to Section
14585.
(C) On and after July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008, inclusive, up to
thirty-five million dollars ($35,000,000) may be expended for that
fiscal year for the payment of handling fees pursuant to Section
14585.
(D) For each fiscal year commencing July 1, 2008, the department
may expend the amount necessary to make the required handling fee
payment pursuant to Section 14585.
(2) Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be expended
annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff
programs pursuant to Section 14549.6.
(3) (A) Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000), plus the
proportional share of the cost-of-living adjustment, as provided in
subdivision (b), shall be expended annually in the form of grants for
beverage container litter reduction programs and recycling programs
issued to either of the following:
(i) Certified community conservation corps that were in existence
on September 30, 1999, or that are formed subsequent to that date,
that are designated by a city or a city and county to perform litter
abatement, recycling, and related activities, if the city or the city
and county has a population, as determined by the most recent
census, of more than 250,000 persons.
(ii) Community conservation corps that are designated by a county
to perform litter abatement, recycling, and related activities, and
are certified by the California Conservation Corps as having operated
for a minimum of two years and as meeting all other criteria of
Section 14507.5.
(B) Any grants provided pursuant to this paragraph shall not
comprise more than 75 percent of the annual budget of a community
conservation corps.
(4) (A) On or after July 1, 2007, until June 30, 2008, for only
that fiscal year, up to twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) may be
expended in the form of competitive grants issued to community
conservation corps that are designated by a city or county, and that
meet all of the following criteria:
(i) Are certified by the California Conservation Corps as having
operated for a minimum of two years.
(ii) Meet all other requirements under Section 14507.5.
(B) The department shall prepare and adopt criteria and procedures
for evaluating grant applications on a competitive basis. Eligible
activities for the use of these funds shall include developing new
projects, or enhancing or assisting existing projects, to increase
beverage container recycling and increasing the quality of recycled
material at the following locations:
(i) Multifamily dwellings.
(ii) Schools.
(iii) Commercial, state, and local government buildings.
(iv) Bars, restaurants, hotels, and lodging
establishments, and entertainment venues.
(v) Parks and beaches.
(C) Any grants provided pursuant to this paragraph shall not
comprise more than 75 percent of the annual budget of a community
conservation corps.
(D) Any grants provided pursuant to this paragraph shall support
one-time capital improvement projects and shall not be used to
support ongoing staff activities.
(E) Any grant funds appropriated pursuant to this paragraph that
have not been awarded to a grantee prior to the end of the 2007-08
fiscal year shall revert to the fund.
(5) (A) Ten million five hundred thousand dollars ($10,500,000)
may be expended annually for payments of five thousand dollars
($5,000) to cities and ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for payments to
counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup
activities, or the department may calculate the payments to counties
and cities on a per capita basis, and may pay whichever amount is
greater, for those activities.
(B) Eligible activities for the use of these funds may include,
but are not necessarily limited to, support for new or existing
curbside recycling programs, neighborhood dropoff recycling programs,
public education-promoting beverage container recycling, litter
prevention, and cleanup, cooperative regional efforts among two or
more cities or counties, or both, or other beverage container
recycling programs.
(C) These funds may shall not be
used for activities unrelated to beverage container recycling or
litter reduction.
(D) To receive these funds, a city, county, or city and county
shall fill out and return a funding request form to the Department of
Conservation. The form shall specify the beverage container
recycling or litter reduction activities for which the funds will be
used.
(E) The Department of Conservation shall annually prepare and
distribute a funding request form to each city, county, or city and
county. The form shall specify the amount of beverage container
recycling and litter cleanup funds for which the jurisdiction is
eligible. The form shall not exceed one double-sided page in length,
and may be submitted electronically. If a city, county, or city and
county does not return the funding request form within 90 days of
receipt of the form from the department, the city, county, or city
and county is not eligible to receive the funds for that funding
cycle.
(F) For the purposes of this paragraph, per capita population
shall be based on the population of the incorporated area of a city
or city and county and the unincorporated area of a county. The
department may withhold payment to any city, county, or city and
county that has prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a
supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy
that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site within
its jurisdiction.
(6) One million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) may be
expended annually in the form of grants for beverage container
recycling and litter reduction programs.
(7) (A) The department shall expend the amount necessary to pay
the processing payment and supplemental processing payment
established pursuant to Sections 14575 and 14575.5 and pay
processing fee rebates pursuant to Section 14575.2 . The
department shall establish separate processing fee accounts in the
fund for each beverage container material type for which a processing
payment and processing fee are calculated pursuant to Section 14575,
or for which a processing payment is calculated pursuant to Section
14575 and a voluntary artificial scrap value is calculated pursuant
to Section 14575.1, into which account shall be deposited all of the
following:
(i) All amounts paid as processing fees for each beverage
container material type pursuant to Section 14575.
(ii) Funds equal to the difference between the amount in clause
(i) and the amount of the processing payments established in
subdivision (b) of Section 14575, and adjusted pursuant to paragraph
(2) of subdivision (c) of, and subdivision (f) of, Section 14575, to
reduce the processing fee to the level provided in subdivision (f) of
Section 14575, or to reflect the agreement by a willing purchaser to
pay a voluntary artificial scrap value pursuant to Section 14575.1.
(iii) Funds equal to an amount sufficient to pay the total amount
of the supplemental processing payments established pursuant to
Section 14575.5.
(B) Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the
moneys in each processing fee account are hereby continuously
appropriated to the department for expenditure without regard to
fiscal years, for purposes of making processing payments and
supplemental processing payments, and reducing processing fees,
pursuant to Sections 14575 and 14575.5 , and paying
processing fee rebates pursuant to Section 14575.2 .
(8) Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be annually
expended by the department for the purposes of undertaking a
statewide public education and information campaign aimed at
promoting increased recycling of beverage containers.
(9) Until January 1, 2008, the department may expend up to five
million dollars ($5,000,000) for the purposes of undertaking a
statewide public education and information campaign aimed at
promoting increased recycling of beverage containers that meets both
of the following requirements:
(A) The public education and information campaign is multimedia
and includes print, radio, and television.
(B) The public education and information campaign is multilingual.
(10) Up to fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) may be expended
annually by the department for quality incentive payments for empty
beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.1.
(11) Up to twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) may be expended
annually by the department, until January 1, 2012, to issue grants
for recycling market development and expansion-related activities
aimed at increasing the recycling of beverage containers, including,
but not limited to, the following:
(A) Research and development of collecting, sorting, processing,
cleaning, or otherwise upgrading the market value of recycled
beverage containers.
(B) Identification, development, and expansion of markets for
recycled beverage containers.
(C) Research and development for products manufactured using
recycled beverage containers.
(D) Research and development to provide high-quality materials
that are substantially free of contamination.
(E) Payments to California manufacturers who recycle beverage
containers that are marked by resin type identification code "3," "4,"
"5," "6," or "7," pursuant to Section 18015.
(12) Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) may be transferred on
a one-time basis by the department to the Recycling Infrastructure
Loan Guarantee Account, for expenditure pursuant to Section 14582.
(13) Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) may be expended
annually by the department for the payment of recycling incentive
payments pursuant to Section 14549.7 until payments for eligible
beverage containers redeemed or collected for recycling on or before
December 31, 2009, have been paid.
(14) Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be expended
annually by the department for market development payments for empty
plastic beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.2, until
January 1, 2012.
(15) Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be expended, by
the department, on a one-time basis beginning on January 1, 2007, in
coordination with the Department of Parks and Recreation for the
purposes of installing source separated beverage container recycling
receptacles at each of the state parks, starting with those parks
that have the highest day use.
(16) Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be expended, from
January 1, 2007, to January 1, 2008, to provide grants to local
governments or nonprofit agencies to place multifamily housing source
separated beverage container recycling receptacles in low-income
communities.
(17) (A) Up to fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) may be
expended from January 1, 2008, to January 1, 2009, to provide grants
to place source separated beverage container recycling receptacles in
multifamily housing.
(B) Notwithstanding subdivision (b) of Section 14580, the amount
of one hundred ninety-eight thousand dollars ($198,000) may be
expended by the department from the fund, on a one-time basis, for
the administrative costs of implementing the grant program
established by subparagraph (A).
(18) (A) Up to twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) may be
expended from July 1, 2009, to January 1, 2012, inclusive, for either
of the following:
(i) Grants for beverage container recycling and litter reduction
programs that emphasize the greatest and most effective collection of
beverage containers per dollar spent to ensure the program's
performance and accountability.
(ii) Focused, regional community beverage container recycling and
litter reduction programs that enable the department to more
effectively organize the amount and type of resources needed for
regional and statewide efforts to increase recycling.
(B) The department shall require, as a condition of receiving
grant funds pursuant to subparagraph (A), each grant recipient to
submit a final report including, but not limited to, the grant
recipient's reported volumes of beverage containers recycled, where
applicable.
(C) On or before July 1, 2014, the department shall publish an
evaluation of all grants made pursuant to paragraph (A). At a
minimum, the evaluation shall summarize each final report submitted
by each grantee pursuant to subparagraph (B) and assess whether the
grantee adequately met the scope and objectives outlined in the grant
agreement.
(19) Up to ____ dollars ($____) may be expended annually, upon
appropriation by the Legislature, for existing and new California
Conservation Corps and community conservation corps for the purposes
of reopening residential corps member facilities, litter abatement,
recycling, emergency response, fire brush clearance, energy
conservation, green technology jobs, and related activities that
educate, train, and employ at-risk youth.
(b) The fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) that is set aside
pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) is a base amount that
the department shall adjust annually to reflect any increases or
decreases in the cost of living, as measured by the Department of
Labor, or a successor agency, of the federal government.
(c) (1) The department shall review all funds on a quarterly basis
to ensure that there are adequate funds to make the payments
specified in this section and the processing fee reductions required
pursuant to Section 14575.
(2) If the department determines, pursuant to a review made
pursuant to paragraph (1), that there may be inadequate funds to pay
the payments required by this section and the processing fee
reductions required pursuant to Section 14575, the department shall
immediately notify the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of
the Legislature regarding the inadequacy.
(3) On or before 180 days after the notice is sent pursuant to
paragraph (2), the department may reduce or eliminate expenditures,
or both, from the funds as necessary, according to the procedure set
forth in subdivision (d).
(d) If the department determines that there are insufficient funds
to make the payments specified pursuant to this section and Section
14575, the department shall reduce all payments proportionally.
(e) Prior to making an expenditure pursuant to paragraph (7) of
subdivision (a), the department shall convene an advisory committee
consisting of representatives of the beverage industry, beverage
container manufacturers, environmental organizations, the recycling
industry, nonprofit organizations, and retailers to advise the
department on the most cost-effective and efficient method of the
expenditure of the funds for that education and information campaign.
(f) After setting aside money for the expenditures required
pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) and Section 14580, the
department may, on and after January 1, 2007, but not after July 1,
2007, expend remaining moneys in the fund to pay a refund value in an
amount greater than the refund value established pursuant to
subdivision (b) of Section 14560.