BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 845
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 845 (Ma)
As Amended May 10, 2011
Majority vote
TRANSPORTATION 14-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Bonnie Lowenthal, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Harkey, |
| |Jeffries, Achadjian, | |Blumenfield, Bradford, |
| |Blumenfield, Bonilla, | |Charles Calderon, Campos, |
| |Buchanan, Eng, Furutani, | |Davis, Donnelly, Gatto, |
| |Galgiani, Logue, Miller, | |Hall, Hill, Lara, |
| |Norby, Portantino, | |Mitchell, Nielsen, Smyth, |
| |Solorio | |Solorio, Wagner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Sets forth provisions to govern the distribution of $950
million in bond funds authorized in the Safe, Reliable High-Speed
Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century (Bond Act) for
intercity, commuter, and urban rail lines. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the distribution of the funds to be based on data in the
National Transit Database of the Federal Transit Administration.
2)Directs the California Transportation Commission (CTC) to accept
from each eligible recipient of the funds a priority list of
projects; projects must meet criteria set forth in the Bond Act.
3)Directs the CTC to require that matching funds are to be provided
from non-state funds, as defined.
4)Provides that the required match for commuter and urban rail
projects begins with expenditures made subsequent to the adoption
of the program by the CTC.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Provides $9.95 billion in general obligation bond authority to
fund the planning and construction of a high-speed passenger train
system and complementary improvements to other specified rail
systems in the state.
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2)Authorizes $9.95 million in bonds, of the $9.95 billion provided
for in the Bond Act, to be allocated to eligible recipients for
capital improvements to intercity rail lines, commuter rail lines,
and urban rail systems that: a) provide direct connectivity to
the high-speed train system and its facilities; b) are a part of
the construction of the high-speed train system; or, c) provide
capacity enhancements and safety improvements.
3)Allocates $190 million of this amount to intercity rail lines and
the $760 million is to be allocated to other eligible recipients.
4)Defines "eligible recipients" to mean public agencies and joint
powers authorities that operate regularly scheduled passenger rail
service in commuter, light, and heavy rail and cable cars.
5)Directs the CTC to allocate the bond funds to eligible recipients
and to develop related guidelines, in consultation with the
High-Speed Rail Authority.
6)Prescribes that funds are to be distributed by a formula based on
track miles, annual vehicle miles, and passenger trips.
7)Provides, specifically, that bond funds are to be used for
projects to provide or improve connectivity with the high-speed
train system or for the rehabilitation or modernization of, or
safety improvements to tracks utilized for public passenger rail
service, signals, structures, facilities, and rolling stock;
explicitly provides that eligible recipients may use the funds for
any one of these elements.
8)Requires eligible recipients to match bond dollars 1:1.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee,
negligible fiscal impact, as the bill codifies existing guidelines
already adopted by the CTC for allocation of bond funds.
COMMENTS : In 2008, California voters approved the Bond Act via
Proposition 1A, a $9.95 billion bond measure to build the country's
first high-speed rail train system. Within Proposition 1A, voters
supported $950 million to be used for local capital modernization
and improvement projects on existing rail facilities in California
to provide a tight web of connectivity to high-speed rail and to
assure that our existing rail properties were in an adequate state
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of repair to accommodate the additional capacity necessary for
providing connecting services to high-speed rail.
In February 2010, the CTC adopted guidelines to implement both the
Intercity Rail Program (for the $190 million in bond proceeds) and
the Commuter and Urban Rail Program (for the remaining $760 million
in bond proceeds). In its guidelines for the Commuter and Urban
Rail Program, the CTC provided that it will give priority to those
projects that provide direct connectivity to the high-speed train
system.
The CTC adopted its initial three-year program of projects for these
two programs in May 2010, and last year's budget included
appropriations of bond funds to begin funding the programs.
However, the Governor apparently did not agree with the program
adopted by the CTC and vetoed roughly $133 million in bond act
appropriations, stating: "The High-Speed Rail Authority, the
Department of Transportation, and local jurisdictions should work
together to develop a statewide strategy and an associated list of
projects that will best accomplish the goal of moving passengers
between destinations around the state in the quickest, most
efficient and cost effective way, by utilizing these funds to
advance the construction of facilities for joint use where possible
and by providing better connectivity to the future high-speed rail
system."
This bill codifies a portion of the CTC guidelines. Specifically,
this bill codifies elements of the guidelines relating to
distribution of funds for the Commuter and Urban Rail Program for
the modernization of intercity, commuter, and urban rail transit
systems. This bill requires that the distribution of funds be based
on the 2007 data tables of the National Transit Database of the
Federal Transportation Administration. This data was the basis of
CTC's original program of projects.
Analysis Prepared by : Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
FN: 0000697
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