Transportation finance.

The Motor Vehicle Fuel License Tax Law imposes a tax of $0.18 per gallon on motor vehicle fuel, commonly referred to as gasoline. The Diesel Fuel Tax Law imposes a tax of $0.18 per gallon on diesel fuel. These revenues, after certain deductions for nonhighway fuel uses, are deposited in the Highway Users Tax Account. Approximately 13 of the revenues in the account are appropriated, to be apportioned by various formulas to cities and counties, and most of the remaining revenues are deposited in the State Highway Account after specified transfers to the Bicycle Transportation Account and the State Parks and Recreation Fund. This bill would require the Controller, if a specified portion of the Highway Users Tax Account is transferred to the Transportation Debt Service Fund, to make certain calculations regarding the amount of funding that has been transferred to the Transportation Debt Service Fund. The bill would, commencing in the 2011–12 fiscal year, and in each fiscal year thereafter for a total of 10 years, continuously appropriate a certain amount of revenues from the General Fund, which would be required to be apportioned to local agencies in a manner that fully restores the funds transferred to the Transportation Debt Service Fund. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on July 1, 2009. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared by the Governor by proclamation issued on July 1, 2009, pursuant to the California Constitution. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.