Transportation bond funds: transit system safety.

Existing law, the Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security Bond Act of 2006, authorizes the issuance of $19.925 billion of general obligation bonds for specified purposes. Existing law requires the deposit of $1 billion of the bond proceeds in the Transit System Safety, Security, and Disaster Response Account to be used, upon appropriation, for capital projects that provide increased protection against a security and safety threat, and for capital expenditures to increase the capacity of transit operators to develop disaster response transportation systems that can move people, goods, and emergency personnel and equipment in the aftermath of a disaster impairing that movement. Existing law requires the allocation of 25% of these funds for capital expenditures to regional public waterborne transit agencies authorized to operate a regional public water transit system, as specified, and requires the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) to administer a grant application and award program for transit agencies eligible to receive the funds. Existing law requires Cal EMA to select eligible projects to receive those grants by February 1 of each fiscal year in which funds are appropriated for that purpose. This bill would additionally require Cal EMA, by February 1 of each fiscal year, in which funds are appropriated for that purpose, to provide the Controller with a list of projects and the sponsoring agencies eligible to receive an allocation. The bill would require the Controller, upon receipt of this information, to commence any necessary actions to allocate funds to those agencies, as specified.