BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: SB 791
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: steinberg
VERSION: 2/18/11
Analysis by: Carrie Cornwell FISCAL: No
Hearing date: May 3, 2011
SUBJECT:
California Transportation Commission: reporting
DESCRIPTION:
This bill deletes an obsolete requirement that the California
Transportation Commission include specified information on the
Traffic Congestion Relief Program in its annual report to the
Legislature.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law creates the California Transportation Commission
(CTC) to provide a single venue for addressing transportation
development and funding issues in the state. The CTC consists
of eleven voting members and two non-voting ex-officio members
of which the Governor appoints nine, the Senate Rules Committee
appoints one, and the Speaker of the Assembly appoints one. The
two ex-officio non-voting members come from the State Senate and
Assembly and are usually (and currently) the respective chairs
of the transportation policy committee in each house. Among its
duties, the CTC programs and allocates funds for the
construction of highway, passenger rail, and transit
improvements throughout California.
Existing law requires that each year by December 15 the CTC
adopt and submit its annual report to the Legislature. This
report must include:
SB 791 (STEINBERG) Page 2
A summary of the CTC's prior year decisions in allocating
transportation capital outlay appropriations;
An identification of timely and relevant transportation issues
facing the State of California.
An explanation and summary of major policies and decisions
that the CTC adopted during the previous state and federal
fiscal years, with an explanation of any changes in policy
associated with the performance of its duties and
responsibilities over the past year.
For the reports from 2001 through 2008, information on loans
and transfers made under two programs: 1) the Traffic
Congestion Relief Program (TCRP), which committed $6.4 billion
to specific projects designated in state law and 2) the
cash-flow loan program, which allows various transportation
funds to be loaned to provide adequate cash for transportation
projects. The annual report for those years was also required
to provide information on the cash flow and project delivery
implications of the these two programs as well as guidance
that CTC provided to the Department of Transportation the
cash-flow loan program.
This bill deletes obsolete statutory language that required the
CTC to include in its annual report information on the TCRP and
cash-flow loan program as outlined in the last bullet above.
COMMENTS:
Purpose . The author introduced this bill to clarify the
reporting requirements that the CTC must fulfill each year in
its report to the Legislature, a significant document in the
state's program of transportation planning and funding. The
author notes that this change in law, while minor, will provide
clarity to the CTC's reporting requirements and help to focus
the CTC statutory responsibility to advise and assist the
Legislature in formulating and evaluating state policies and
plans for California's transportation programs.
SB 791 (STEINBERG) Page 3
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
Wednesday, April 27,
2011)
SUPPORT: None received.
OPPOSED: None received.