Existing law provides various sources of funding for transportation projects. This bill would appropriate $97,600,000 from the General Fund to the Merced County Association of Governments for construction of phase 2 and 3 of the Campus Parkway Project, a planned road project to connect the University of California, Merced to State Highway 99, in the County of Merced.
Existing law sets forth requirements for provisions in public works contracts awarded by a state entity. Under existing law, the state or any other public entity in any competitively bid public works contract may provide for the payment of extra compensation to the contractor for cost reduction changes. This bill would provide that a state entity in a megainfrastructure project contract, as defined, may not provide for the payment of extra compensation to the contractor until the megainfrastructure project, as defined, has been completed and an independent third party has verified that the megainfrastructure project meets all architectural or engineering plans and safety specifications of the contract. This bill would apply to contracts entered into or amended on or after the effective date of this bill.
Existing law specifies the powers and duties of the Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the Bay Area Toll Authority with respect to the collection and expenditure of toll revenue from the 7 state-owned toll bridges within the geographic jurisdiction of the commission, including the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. This bill would require the department, immediately, or as soon as practically feasible, but no later than September 30, 2015, to implement an operational improvement project that temporarily restores the third eastbound lane on State Highway Route 580 from the beginning of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in the County of Marin to Marine Street in the County of Contra Costa to automobile traffic and that temporarily converts a specified portion of an existing one-way bicycle lane along the north side of State Highway Route 580 in the County of Contra Costa into a bidirectional bicycle and pedestrian lane. The bill would require the department to keep the temporary lanes in place until the department has completed a specified project relating to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge or until construction activity for that project necessitates removal of the temporary lanes. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature. Existing law continuously appropriates 20% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, administered by the Strategic Growth Council, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through projects that implement land use, housing, transportation, and agricultural land preservation practices to support infill and compact development and that support other related and coordinated public policy objectives. This bill would require 20% of moneys available for allocation under the program to be allocated to eligible projects in rural areas, as defined. The bill would further require at least 50% of those moneys to be allocated to eligible affordable housing projects. The bill would require the council to amend its guidelines and selection criteria consistent with these requirements and to consult with interested stakeholders in this regard.
Existing law, beyond the sales and use tax rate generally applicable, imposes an additional sales and use tax on diesel fuel at the rate of 1.75%, subject to certain exemptions, and provides for the net revenues collected from the additional tax to be transferred to the Public Transportation Account. Existing law continuously appropriates these revenues to the Controller, for allocation by formula to transportation agencies for public transit purposes. This bill, effective July 1, 2016, would increase the additional sales and use tax rate on diesel fuel to 5.25%. By increasing the revenues deposited in a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would thereby make an appropriation. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law establishes a low-income housing tax credit program pursuant to which the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee provides procedures and requirements for the allocation of state insurance, personal income, and corporation income tax credit amounts among low-income housing projects based on federal law. Existing law allows the credit for buildings located in designated difficult development areas or qualified census tracts that are restricted to having 50% of its occupants be special needs households, as defined, even if the taxpayer receives specified federal credits, if the credit allowed under this section does not exceed 30% of the eligible basis of that building. Existing law limits the total annual amount of the credit that the committee may allocate to $70 million per year and allows $500,000 per year of that amount to be allocated for projects to provide farmworker housing, as specified. Existing law defines farmworker housing to mean housing for agricultural workers that is available to, and occupied by, only farmworkers and their households. This bill, under the insurance taxation law, the Personal Income Tax Law, and the Corporation Tax Law, would modify the definition of applicable percentage relating to qualified low-income buildings that are farmworker housing projects, as provided. The bill would authorize the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee to allocate that credit even if the taxpayer receives specified federal and state credits or only state credits. The bill would increase the amount the committee may allocate to farmworker housing projects from $500,000 to $25,000,000 per year. The bill would also redefine farmworker housing to mean housing for agricultural workers that is available to, and occupied by, not less than 50% of farmworkers and their households. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the State Air Resources Board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism relative to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law continuously appropriates 10% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program and 5% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program. This bill would instead continuously appropriate 20% of those annual proceeds to the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, and 10% of those annual proceeds to the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program, thereby making an appropriation.
This measure would urge Congress to support legislation that would provide visas for 15,000 highly-skilled nationals of the Republic of Korea to make valuable contributions to the United States economy.
Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation and regional transportation agencies, as defined, to enter into comprehensive development lease agreements with public and private entities, or consortia of those entities, for certain transportation projects that may charge certain users of those projects tolls and user fees, subject to various terms and requirements. These arrangements are commonly known as public-private partnerships. Existing law provides that a lease agreement may not be entered into under these provisions on or after January 1, 2017. This bill would extend this authorization indefinitely and would include within the definition of "regional transportation agency" the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, thereby authorizing the authority to enter into public-private partnerships under these provisions. The bill would also delete obsolete cross-references and make technical changes to these provisions.
(1) Existing law provides for loans of revenues from various transportation funds and accounts to the General Fund, with various repayment dates specified. This bill, with respect to any loans made to the General Fund from specified transportation funds and accounts with a repayment date of January 1, 2019, or later, would require the loans to be repaid by December 31, 2018. (2) Existing law imposes weight fees on the registration of commercial motor vehicles and provides for the deposit of net weight fee revenues into the State Highway Account. Existing law provides for the transfer of certain weight fee revenues from the State Highway Account to the Transportation Debt Service Fund to reimburse the General Fund for payment of debt service on general obligation bonds issued for transportation purposes. Existing law also provides for the transfer of certain weight fee revenues to the transportation Bond Direct Payment Account for direct payment of debt service on designated bonds, which are defined to be certain transportation general obligation bonds issued pursuant to Proposition 1B of 2006. Existing law also provides for loans of weight fee revenues to the General Fund to the extent the revenues are not needed for bond debt service purposes, with the loans to be repaid when the revenues are later needed for those purposes, as specified. This bill would repeal these provisions, thereby retaining the weight fee revenues in the State Highway Account. The bill would make other conforming changes in that regard. (3) Existing law provides for the deposit of fuel excise tax revenues imposed by the state on fuels used in motor vehicles upon public streets and highways in the Highway Users Tax Account, and appropriates those revenues to various purposes. Existing law, with respect to the portion of these revenues that is derived from increases in the motor vehicle fuel excise tax in 2010, requires an allocation of revenues to reimburse the State Highway Account for the amount of weight fee revenues that the State Highway Account is not receiving due to use of weight fee revenues to pay debt service on transportation general obligation bonds and to make certain loans to the General Fund, with the remaining amount of this portion of revenues allocated 44% to the State Transportation Improvement Program, 12% to the State Highway Operation and Protection Program, and 44% to city and county streets and roads. This bill would delete the provisions relating to the reimbursement of the State Highway Account for weight fee revenues and relating to the making of loans to the General Fund, thereby providing for the portion of fuel excise tax revenues that is derived from increases in the motor vehicle fuel excise tax in 2010 to be allocated 44% to the State Transportation Improvement Program, 12% to the State Highway Operation and Protection Program, and 44% to city and county streets and roads. The bill would thereby make an appropriation. (4) Existing law requires certain revenues deposited in the State Highway Account that are not restricted as to expenditure by Article XIX of the California Constitution to be transferred to the Transportation Debt Service Fund in the State Transportation Fund, as specified, and continuously appropriates these funds for payment of current year debt service on certain mass transportation bonds. This bill would delete the requirement to transfer these revenues to the Transportation Debt Service Fund, thereby providing for these revenues to be used for any transportation purpose authorized by statute, upon appropriation by the Legislature.
This measure would state the Legislature's opposition to the federal Priority Enforcement Program.
Introduced.
