AB 118 Authorizes a Vehicle Registration Fee to Fund the Alternative and Renewable Fuel
April 11, 2013
Bills / Subject / StatusAB 8
(Perea D)
Alternative fuel and vehicle technologies: funding programs. / AB 8 was approved by the Assembly Committee on Transportation. This bill would extend the sunset dates for various clean air and alternative fuel vehicle funding programs.
Specifically this bill proposes to extend the following fee programs to December 31, 2023:
- AB 118 -- Authorizes a vehicle registration fee to fund the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program.
- AB 923 -- Increased the vehicle registration fee for vehicles registered in specified areas in the state and increased the Tire Recycling Fee to fund air emissions reduction activities.
- The Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment (Carl Moyer) Program, which can be used to fund the incremental cost of cleaner-than-required vehicles, engines, and equipment
AB 160
(Alejo D)
California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013: exceptions. / AB 160 would exempt from the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (AB 340), specified employees whose retirement plans are authorized under federal law, and retirement plans for public employees whose collective bargaining rights are protected by specified federal laws.
AB 160 is scheduled to be heard in the Assembly Public Employee Retirement Committee on April 24th. While an agreement between the state and federal Labor Departments has not been reach, AB 160 will likely move forward in some form while discussion continue / ASSEMBLY P.E.,R. & S.S. – 4/24/13
AB 179
(Bocanegra D)
Public transit: electronic transit fare collection systems: disclosure of personal information. / AB 179 would extend the same restriction on the use and storage of information gathered by using an electronic toll collection system to also cover the use of electronic transit fare collection systems. In addition, this bill would require any personal information to be discarded after six months. Currently, law allows personal information associated with an electronic toll collection system to be held for no more than 4 ½ years. / ASSEMBLY TRANS – 4/22/13
AB 206
(Dickinson D)
Bicycle transportation devices. / AB 206 was approved by the Assembly Committee on Transportation. This bill would authorize Sacramento RT to utilize three position bike racks that exceed the existing dimensions for bicycle racks mounted on the front of the bus.
Existing law already includes similar provisions for AC Transit and Gold Coast Transit. AC Transit was the first operator to be authorized to use these bicycle racks in California. / ASSEMBLY APPR
AB 416
(Gordon D)
California Air Resources Board: Local Emission Reduction Program. / AB 416 was approved by the Assembly Committee on Local Government.
AB 416 proposes to create the Local Emission Reduction Program, which would use cap & trade auction revenue to award grants to local entities for greenhouse gas reduction projects. As defined in the bill “eligible recipients” include cities, counties, MPOs, special districts, and JPAs. The bill does not specify a dollar amount, but AB 416 is intended to be a starting point for establishing a process for using cap & trade revenue to fund projects at the local level. / ASSEMBLY APPR
AB 417
(Frazier D)
Environmental quality: California Environmental Quality Act: bicycle transportation plan. / AB 417 is similar to proposals last year that attempted to exempt from CEQA certain bicycle facility projects that are included in an adopted bicycle transportation plan. The exemption in this bill would sunset on January 1, 2018.
Specifically, the bill establishes an exemption from CEQA for a bicycle transportation plan for an urbanized area for restriping of streets and highways, bicycle parking and storage, signal timing, and related signage. / ASSEMBLY APPR
AB 431
(Mullin D)
Regional transportation plan: sustainable communities / AB 431 was approved by the Assembly Local Government Committee and it now moves to the Assembly Transportation Committee.
This bill is sponsored by the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California. This bill would authorize a transportation planning agency to place a sales tax measure covering a portion of its planning area. The expenditure plan must allocate 25% of the funds to each of the following: transportation, housing and parks & recreation. / ASSEMBLY TRANSP
AB 541
(Daly D)
Buses: illuminated advertising: University of California, Irvine. / AB 541 would authorize the University of California, Irvine to implement a pilot program to display advertising on illuminated signs installed on the side of the bus. This authorization is similar to a pilot program Santa Monica was authorized to test. / ASSEMBLY TRANS – 4/15/13
AB 664
(Williams D)
Gold Coast Transit District / AB 664 was unanimously approved by the Assembly Transportation Committee, and will be heard next by the Assembly Local Government Committee.
AB 664 would create the Gold Coast Transit District. The district would cover the Cities of Oxnard, Ventura, Port Hueneme and Ojai, as well as the unincorporated area of Ventura County. / ASSEMBLY L. GOC
AB 707
(Ting D)
Battery. / AB 707 would increase the penalty for battery committed against person issuing a citation for fare evasion or other violation committed on a public transit vehicle. The bill would also increase the penalty for battery of a parking control officer. / ASSEMBLY PUB SAFETY
AB 730
(Alejo D)
Monterey-Salinas Transit District. / AB 730 would allow the Monterey-Salinas Transit District to issue up to $50 million in revenue bonds with a 2/3 vote of its board, instead of require a public vote on the question to issue bonds. The bill would also allow the District to pledge any revenues to pay those bonds. / ASSEMBLY L GOV
AB 792
(Mullin D)
Local government: open meetings / The Brown Act requires notices and agendas for a public hearing to be posted at public area and online at least 72 hours in advance. AB 792 would allow a public entity to hold a public hearing even if circumstances prevent the notice from being posted online. / ASSEMBLY FLOOR
AB 863
(Torres D)
Transit projects: / AB 863 would expand the existing program that allows Caltrans to assume responsibility for NEPA for federally funded highway projects to also include federally funded transit projects. / ASSEMBLY TRANS
AB 946
(Stone D)
Counties of Monterey and Santa Cruz / AB 946 was approved by the Assembly Local Government Committee and will be heard next by the Assembly Transportation Committee.
This bill would authorize the Monterey-Salinas Transit District and the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District to work with Caltrans on developing transit bus only corridors. These corridors would use the shoulder of the state highway to speed up transit service in these corridors. / ASSEMBLY TRANSP
AB 1002
(Bloom D)
Vehicles: registration fee: sustainable communities strategies. / AB 1002 was recently amended to propose adding a $6 fee to the registration of each vehicle. The revenue would be deposited into the Sustainable Communities Subaccount, and the proceeds would be distributed as follows:
- 50% appropriated to cities and counties on a per capita basis for planning and implementation of sustainable communities strategies.
- 40% appropriated to transportation commissions and transit operators to support transit operations and expand reduced fare programs. The bill does not specify how the funds would be allocated.
- 10% appropriated to MPOs and RTPAs to be used for competitive grants for implementing sustainable communities strategy programs.
AB 1290
(John A. Pérez D)
Transportation planning. / AB 1290 would make significant changes to the oversight authority of the California Transportation Commission. First, it would expand the number of Commissioners from 13 to 18 members by increasing the members appointed by the Senate and the Assembly from one to two each, but one from each house would be a nonvoting ex-officio member and one from each house would be a voting member. The bill would also specify that the Secretary of Transportation, the Chairperson of CARB, and the Director of HCD would also be ex-officio members of the CTC.
The bill also directs the CTC to include in its guidelines for regional transportation plans an assessment of alternative land use scenarios and transportation system leading to the adoption of the sustainable communities strategy. The guidelines would also require annual updates from the transportation planning agencies describing progress made toward implementing the sustainable communities strategy. A summary of these assessments would be included in the CTC’s annual report. / ASSEMBLY TRANS
SB 11
(Pavley D)
Alternative fuel and vehicle technologies: funding programs. / SB 11 was approved by the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, and the Senate Transportation Committee. Like AB 8, this bill extends the following fee programs to December 31, 2023:
- AB 118 -- Authorizes a vehicle registration fee to fund the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program.
- AB 923 -- Increased the vehicle registration fee for vehicles registered in specified areas in the state and increased the Tire Recycling Fee to fund air emissions reduction activities.
- The Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment (Carl Moyer) Program, which can be used to fund the incremental cost of cleaner-than-required vehicles, engines, and equipment
SB 142
(DeSaulnier D)
Public transit. / SB 142 would repeal existing law and enact new provisions that authorize transit districts and municipal transit systems to issue bonds that would be repaid by creating a special benefit assessment district.
Existing law relating to transit benefit assessment districts was not used by any operator. The revised law is based on existing law that allows the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to create a benefit assessment district. / SENATE G. & F. –4/17/13
SB 230
(Knight R)
Local transportation funds: performance audits / SB 230 would exclude principle and interest payments on all transit capital projects funded with Certificates of Participation (COPs) from being defined as an operating expense. / SENATE T. & H.
SB 469
(Corbett D)
Public contracts: local agencies: public transit vehicles. / SB 469 would require a local agency when awarding a contract to purchase public transit vehicles to give a 10% preference to any bidder that agrees to manufacture all vehicles in California. / SENATE T & H
SB 791
(Wyland R)
Motor vehicle fuel tax: rate adjustment / SB 791 would eliminate the requirement for the BOE to adjust the “fuel swap” excise tax on annual basis, and instead require any calculated increase to be approved by a 2/3 vote of the legislature.
SB 791 would strip this responsibility from the BOE, and require the Department of Finance to perform this calculation. If the calculation shows that the swap excise tax should be reduced then that adjustment if automatically made. If, however, the calculation results in an increase in the swap excise tax rate, the DOF must report that outcome to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee by March 1 each year. The proposed increase must be approved by a 2/3 vote of each house in order to take effect. / SENATE RULES
SCA 4
(Liu D)
Local government transportation projects: special taxes: voter approval. / SCA 4 would amend the Constitution to lower the voter approval threshold to 55% for the imposition, extension, or renewal of a local tax for transportation projects.
SCA 4 is one of several Constitutional amendments introduced aimed at lowering the voter threshold to enact local taxes for specific purposes. / SENATE G & F – 5/8/13
SCA 8
(CorbettD)
Local government transportation projects: special taxes: voter approval. / SCA 8 is another measure that would amend the Constitution to lower the voter approval threshold to 55% for the imposition, extension, or renewal of a local tax for transportation projects.
Senator Corbett has also introduced SCA 9, which would allow for a sales tax to be imposed with a 55% voter approval if the funding is used for local community and economic development projects. / SENATE G & F – 5/8/13
SCA 11
(Hancock D)
: special taxes: voter approval. / SCA 11 is an “umbrella measure” on lowering the voter threshold from 2/3 to 55% for local sales taxes and parcel taxes. This measure would lower the vote threshold for any purpose. / SENATE G & F – 5/8/13
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