BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1025
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Date of Hearing: May 4, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 1025 (Skinner) - As Amended: April 13, 2011
Policy Committee:
TransportationVote:12-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill makes changes relative the Board of Pilot
Commissioners. Specifically, this bill:
1)Authorizes the board to charge an examination fee, in an
amount established by the board and not to exceed the board's
costs to administer the exam, to each applicant to the pilot
trainee training program who participates in any written or
simulation examination for the purposes of determining
admission to the program.
2)Requires the executive director (ED) of the Board of Pilot
Commissioners to be responsible for safety investigations and
authorizes the ED or a commission investigator assigned by the
ED to personally inspect equipment involved in the injury of a
bar pilot.
3)Requires that the board's assistant director be appointed by
the Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing (BT&H),
instead of being appointed by the governor, and serve at the
pleasure of the secretary.
4)Deletes references to inland pilots.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor annual revenue, in the thousands of dollars, from
examination fees collected by the board. (Special fund.)
COMMENTS
AB 1025
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1)Rationale . The author describes this bill as an attempt to
increase the efficiency of the board's operations. The board
expresses its frustration that individuals complete the
board's examination process, which includes navigation
simulation and which is free of charge, in order to gain
navigation experience, with no intention of becoming San
Francisco Bay pilots. The board contends allowing it to
charge a fee will discourage disingenuous exam takers and will
ensure the board it can cover expenses resulting from
administering the exam.
In addition, the author and cosponsors note that recent
legislation placed the board within BTH, therefore, they
contend, it is more appropriate to allow the Secretary of BT&H
to appoint the board's assistant director.
Finally, the bill deletes reference to inland pilots, the last
of whom recently retired.
1)Background. Bar pilots and inland pilots are responsible for
steering an arriving vessel through the Golden Gate Bridge of
San Francisco Bay, the bay waters, and adjoining navigable
waters, which include San Pablo Bay, Monterey Bay, Suisun Bay,
the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, and its tributaries.
When a vessel approaches the "SF" buoy 12 miles west of the
Golden Gate Bridge, a bar pilot boards the ship and takes
navigational control, guiding the ship to berth.
2)Related Legislation. AB 907 (Ma), also before this committee,
authorizes a port agent to report a suspected safety standard
violation to organizations of pilots in expected next ports of
call and authorizes the port agent to similarly report to any
national or international organization concerned with pilot
ladder or pilot hoist safety. This bill, which affects the
same code section as AB 907, includes no such notification
provisions and therefore creates a chaptering conflict with AB
907.
3)Support . The bill is supported by its cosponsors, the Pacific
Merchant Shipping Association, which represents industry, and
the San Francisco Bar Pilots, which represents pilots.
4)There is no registered opposition to this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
AB 1025
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