BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1492|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1492
Author: Assembly Budget Committee
Amended: 8/7/12 in Senate
Vote: 27 - Urgency
SENATE BUDGET & FISCAL REVIEW COMMITTEE : 11-0, 8/15/12
AYES: Leno, Alquist, DeSaulnier, Evans, Hancock, Liu,
Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod, Simitian, Wolk, Wright
NO VOTE RECORDED: Emmerson, Anderson, Fuller, Gaines, La
Malfa
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Not relevant
SUBJECT : Budget Act of 2012: Timber Harvesting
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill makes various changes related to
Timber Harvest Plans and revenues to implement the budget
actions as part of the 2012-13 budget package.
ANALYSIS : The bill includes the following changes:
1.Allows a timber harvest plan approved after July 31, 2012
to be in effect for a period of not more than five years
with extensions authorized for a two-year period.
2.Establishes the Timber Regulation and Forest Restoration
Fund in the State Treasury and imposes a new assessment
on lumber as follows:
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A. Imposes an assessment on lumber products and
engineered wood products at a rate of one percent of
gross receipts from the sale of those products.
B. Funds are required to be available upon
appropriation for administrative costs, and for
purposes relating to the regulatory activities of the
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and other
state and local agencies involved in the management of
forest lands.
C. Funds may be made available for management of
forest lands, the cost of managing forest resource
programs in the state, and for certain grants to state
and local public agencies for fire protection, fire
suppression and restoration activities.
D. Retailers may be reimbursed for costs to set up
collection systems. The fee may be itemized on
receipts.
1.Requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency
annually to submit a report to the Joint Legislative
Budget Committee on the activities of all state
departments, agencies and boards relating to forest and
timberland regulation.
2.Allows civil action by a public agency to recover damages
caused in a fire but limits the measure of damages for
injuries to timber, trees, or underwood negligently cause
by fire to the actual damages suffered.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: Yes Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
This bill should not result in any changes to the budget
act in related budget actions.
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/29/12)
California Association of Professional Scientists
OPPOSITION : (Verified 8/29/12)
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California Republican Assembly
Home Depot
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Lowe's Company LTD
Lumber Association of California and Nevada
National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association
Retail Industry Leaders Association
San Diego Gas and Electric Company
Valley Industry and Commerce Association
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The California Association of
Professional Scientists state, "A functional and credible
Timber Harvest Review Program requires meaningful
participation from each of the reviewed team agencies.
While all of the agencies face budget constraints that
limit participation, the situation at DFG is particularly
shocking. Repeated cuts to DFG's Timber Harvest Review
Program have reduced staffing from over 50 PY's in 2006-07
to less than 10 PY's in the current fiscal year. These
cuts have left DFG without the capacity to protect our
wildlife resources in vast areas of the state. The
proposal shifts the costs of reviewing logging plans from
the General Fund to the end user. Such an assessment would
be exceedingly minor for any one consumer, but
cumulatively, it provides enough resources to adequately
and sustainably fund a multi-agency Timber Harvest Review
Program. In the end, AB 1492 will offer better stewardship
of our states valuable forest resources and result in a
healthier and cleaner environment."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : The Retail Industry Leaders
Association state, "The proposed one percent tax on
consumers who purchase limber or wood products in
California is one that has the potential to further cripple
an industry that ha show slight signs of recovery following
an economic downturn unprecedented in its length and
especially acute for the housing industry. Furthermore,
retailers and their customers should not have to shoulder
the burden of funding regulatory activities related to the
Timber Harvest Plan review. This initiative does not
benefit the retail or construction industries, but rather
serves as an alternative to a direct fee or tax on
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landowners who apply for timber harvesting permits."
DLW:n 8/29/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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