High-speed rail: legislative oversight.

The California High-Speed Rail Act creates the High-Speed Rail Authority to develop and implement a high-speed rail system in the state, with specified powers and duties. Existing law requires the authority, on or before March 1, 2017, and every 2 years thereafter, to provide a project update report, approved by the Secretary of Transportation as consistent with specified criteria, to the budget committees and the appropriate policy committees of both houses of the Legislature, on the development and implementation of intercity high-speed train service, as provided. This bill would create the Joint Legislative Committee on High-Speed Rail Oversight consisting of 3 Members of the Senate and 3 Members of the Assembly and would require the committee to ascertain facts, review documents, and take action thereon, and make recommendations to the Legislature concerning the state's programs, policies, and investments related to high-speed rail, as specified. The bill would require the authority and any entity contracting with the authority to give and furnish to the committee upon request information, records, and documents as the committee deems necessary and proper to achieve its purposes. The bill would require the authority to submit to the committee on a monthly basis certain information relating to the authority's ongoing operations in the development and implementation of intercity high-speed train service, as provided. Existing law prohibits an employee, as defined, from directly or indirectly using or attempting to use the official authority or influence of the employee for the purpose of intimidating, threatening, coercing, commanding, or attempting to intimidate, threaten, coerce, or command any person for the purpose of interfering with the right of that person to disclose to a legislative committee improper governmental activities, as defined. This bill, for those purposes, would expand the definition of "employee" to include an employee of an entity contracting with the authority, and would expand the definition of "improper governmental activity" to apply to certain activities of an entity contracting with the authority.