BILL ANALYSIS �
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 14
Author: Lowenthal (D)
Amended: 5/6/13 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 10-0, 6/18/13
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Beall, Galgiani, Hueso, Lara, Liu,
Pavley, Roth, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cannella
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 59-18, 5/28/13 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : State freight plan
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the states Transportation Agency
to prepare a state freight plan and establish a freight advisory
committee.
ANALYSIS : In July 2012, Congress passed and President Obama
signed the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act,
known as MAP-21. This legislation authorizes federal
transportation funding to states through September 30, 2014.
Among other things, MAP-21 requires the U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) to:
1.Establish a national freight network to help states
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strategically direct resources toward improved movement of
freight on highways.
2.Develop a national freight strategic plan in consultation with
states and other stakeholders, and update it every five years.
3.Encourage each state to establish a freight advisory committee
composed of a representative cross-section of public and
private sector freight stakeholders.
4.Encourage each state to develop a comprehensive plan for its
immediate and long-term freight-related planning and
investment.
5.Establish measures for states to use to assess freight
movement on the interstate system.
MAP-21 also authorizes DOT to increase the federal share of
project costs to 95% for an interstate highway project, or 90%
for a non-interstate system project, if the project makes a
demonstrable improvement in the efficiency of freight movement
and is included in the state freight plan.
This bill:
1.Requires the Transportation Agency to prepare a state freight
plan that complies with MAP-21 and provides a comprehensive
plan to govern the state's short- and long-term planning
activities and capital investments relating to freight
movement.
2.Requires the Transportation Agency to establish a freight
advisory committee consisting of a representative cross
section of public and private freight sector stakeholders, as
specified.
3.Requires the freight advisory committee to:
A. Advise the Transportation Agency on freight-related
priorities, issues, projects, and funding needs;
B. Serve as a forum for discussion on state transportation
decisions affecting freight mobility;
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C. Communicate and coordinate regional priorities with
other organizations;
D. Promote information-sharing between the public and
private sectors; and
E. Participate in developing the state freight plan.
1.Requires the state freight plan to:
A. Identify significant freight system trends, needs, and
issues;
B. Describe freight policies, strategies, and performance
measures to guide freight-related transportation decisions;
C. Describe how the plan will improve the state's ability
to meet DOT's national freight goals;
D. Provide evidence of consideration of innovative
technologies and operational strategies, including
intelligent transportation systems, to improve the safety
and efficiency of freight movement;
E. Describe improvements that may be required to reduce or
impede deterioration on routes which are heavily travelled
by heavy vehicles including mining, agricultural, energy
cargo or equipment, and timber vehicles; and
F. Provide an inventory of facilities with freight mobility
issues, such as truck bottlenecks, along with a description
of what strategies the state will use to address these
issues.
1.Requires the Transportation Agency to submit the state freight
plan to the Legislature, Governor, California Transportation
Commission, Public Utilities Commission, and Air Resources
Board by December 31, 2014, and every five years thereafter.
2.Provides that the Transportation Agency may develop the state
freight plan separately from, or incorporated into, the
statewide strategic long-range transportation plan and the
state rail plan.
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Comments
MAP-21 encourages states to establish a freight advisory
committee and develop a state freight plan. The author states
that this bill goes beyond MAP-21 by mandating these actions to
emphasize the state's commitment. The author notes the
importance of developing a state freight plan that meets the
needs of an aging and congested infrastructure, complies with
federal and state clean air mandates, and addresses public
health issues related to freight movement.
Caltrans, in collaboration with the Business, Transportation,
and Housing Agency, has formed a freight advisory committee that
began meeting quarterly in April 2013. The committee has
committed to ensure that the state freight plans uses all six of
the elements outlined in MAP-21 and follows U.S. DOT
recommendations as closely as possible while adding
California-specific interest areas such as air quality, climate
change, and fuel diversity goals.
Caltrans is currently updating the Goods Movement Action Plan
(GMAP), which was originally issued by the Business,
Transportation, and Housing Agency and the California
Environmental Protection Agency in two phases in 2005 and 2007.
The GMAP was a comprehensive plan to address economic and
environmental issues associated with moving goods via the
state's highways, railways, and ports. It also provided
guidance for allocating $3.1 billion of the $19.9 billion
approved by voters in Proposition 1B, the Highway Safety,
Traffic Reduction, Air Quality and Port Security Bond Act of
2006. The new plan, known as the Freight Mobility Plan, will
expand beyond the GMAP to address additional issues such as
greenhouse gas emissions goals, as well as to meet the
parameters outlined in MAP-21. The Freight Mobility Plan will
focus more attention on community impact issues, take a more
in-depth look at trucking, and more thoroughly identify the
freight needs of portions of California that did not receive
sufficient attention during implementation of the GMAP.
In addition to developing the Freight Mobility Plan, the state
is working on several related efforts. Caltrans is developing a
long-range California Transportation Plan, known as CTP 2040, to
address the state's mobility needs while reducing greenhouse gas
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emissions. Caltrans is also preparing a state rail plan for
passenger and rail service. The Air Resources Board is
developing a long-term plan known as the Clean Air Vision, which
looks at strategies to meet the state's multiple air quality and
climate goals well into the future, including how to reduce
emissions in the freight transport system. At the local level,
metropolitan planning organizations adopt regional
transportation plans and are developing sustainable communities
strategies pursuant to SB 375 (Steinberg), Chapter 728, Statutes
of 2008.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/1/13)
Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority
American Society of Civil Engineers (Region 9)
California State Association of Counties
California Transportation Commission
City of Burbank
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
Orange County Transportation Authority
Pacific Marine Shipping Association
Riverside County Transportation Commission
Sacramento Area Council of Governments
South Coast Air Quality Management District
The California Railroad Industry
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 59-18, 5/28/13
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bloom,
Blumenfield, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown,
Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Frazier, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez,
Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez,
Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Lowenthal, Medina, Mitchell,
Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Perea, V.
Manuel P�rez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Skinner,
Stone, Ting, Weber, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A.
P�rez
NOES: Bigelow, Ch�vez, Dahle, Donnelly, Fox, Beth Gaines,
Grove, Hagman, Jones, Logue, Maienschein, Mansoor, Melendez,
Morrell, Patterson, Wagner, Waldron, Wilk
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NO VOTE RECORDED: Gorell, Holden, Vacancy
JA:nl 7/1/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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