BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
AB 292 (Galgiani)
Hearing Date: 08/15/2011 Amended: 07/11/2011
Consultant: Mark McKenzie Policy Vote: T&H 6-1; AG 4-1
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BILL SUMMARY: AB 292 would require the High-Speed Rail Authority
(HSRA) to appoint a nine-member agricultural advisory committee
to provide advice on the impact of HSRA actions on the
agricultural community.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund
HSRA consult/comment $20-$40 Bond*
CDFA nominations up to $35 for each round of
nominationsGeneral
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* High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Fund
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STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
Phase I of the high-speed rail project would link the southern
terminus of Los Angeles/Anaheim to San Francisco. The HSRA
recently approved plans to begin construction of the system in
the fall of 2012 on a segment in the Central Valley from north
of Fresno to Bakersfield. This decision was largely due to
restrictions that the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) placed
on the expenditure of roughly $3 billion in federal funds
allocated to the project. The FRA decision was guided by the
assumption that there was little public opposition to this
portion of the project, so the funds could be spent within a
relatively short timeframe. Significant local opposition has
arisen, however, largely due to concerns over how the alignment
of the tracks could affect agricultural operations. This bill
is intended to ensure that agricultural-related concerns are
sufficiently considered by the HSRA prior to it adopting any
policy or taking any action that would impact the agricultural
community.
AB 292 (Galgiani)
Page 1
AB 292 would require the California Department of Food and
Agriculture (CDFA) to compile a list of nominees for appointment
to the agricultural advisory committee. The nominees must
represent specific areas affected by the rail project, be active
in a farming or agricultural enterprise or a related trade
organization, and have technical expertise in one or more
specified farm-related activities. CDFA indicates that it would
incur the equivalent of 1/2 PY of staff time (Associate
Governmental Program Analyst level), at a cost of approximately
$35,000, for outreach, meetings, and research to vet a field of
qualified nominees for presentation to the HSRA for appointment.
Since the membership of the advisory committee would change to
reflect areas affected by each planning phase, CDFA would incur
costs to nominate a field of qualified individuals for each
phase.
HSRA would be required to consult with the advisory committee
prior to adopting any policy relevant to agriculture, provide
written responses to the committee's comments, and reflect
advisory committee comments in any action item to adopt a policy
or action before the HSRA board. HSRA indicates that staffing
costs to facilitate the authority's interaction with the
advisory committee and perform these duties would be relatively
minor, probably the equivalent of 1/4 to 1/2 PY of staff time at
a cost of up to $40,000. Although the HSRA has initiated a
process for interfacing with the agricultural community on the
impacts of the project, the bill's requirements are more
prescriptive than current efforts.