Existing law establishes the Air Quality Improvement Program that is administered by the State Air Resources Board for the purposes of funding projects related to, among other things, the reduction of criteria air pollutants and improvement of air quality. Pursuant to its existing statutory authority, the state board has established the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, as a part of the Air Quality Improvement Program, to promote the production and use of zero-emission vehicles by providing rebates for the purchase of new zero-emission vehicles. This bill would require the state board to establish the Clean Reused Vehicle Rebate Project, as a part of the Air Quality Improvement Program, to provide rebates or other incentives for the acquisition of an eligible used vehicle, as defined; the replacement or refurbishment of a battery and related components for an eligible used vehicle or an extended warranty for the battery or related components; or an extended service warranty to cover unexpected vehicle repairs not covered by the manufacturer's warranty related to unique problems in eligible used vehicles, as specified.
Sponsored bills
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law establishes, among other funds related to telecommunications, the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) in the State Treasury. Existing law requires the commission to develop, implement, and administer the CASF to encourage deployment of high-quality advanced communications services to all Californians that will promote economic growth, job creation, and the substantial social benefits of advanced information and communications technologies, as provided in specified decisions of the commission and in the CASF statute. Existing law requires the commission to give priority to projects that provide last-mile broadband access to households that are unserved by an existing facilities-based broadband provider. Existing law establishes that the goal of the program is, no later than December 31, 2015, to approve funding for infrastructure projects that will provide broadband access to no less than 98% of California households. Existing law authorizes the commission to collect a surcharge for deposit into the CASF not to exceed $315,000,000 in total and authorizes the surcharge until 2020. This bill would extend to December 31, 2023, the time period for meeting the program goal and would specify the threshold speeds to be met in achieving the goal. The bill would also specify as a program goal the achievement of a statewide 90% adoption rate of high-speed Internet access by December 31, 2023. The bill would require the commission to give priority to projects that provide advanced communication services at those threshold speeds to unserved and underserved households until the goal is achieved. The bill would authorize the commission, once that goal is achieved, to prioritize funding for other specified projects. The bill would require the commission and the California Broadband Council, in consultation with relevant state agencies, to develop a plan to implement these provisions in a manner that fosters public-private collaboration. The bill would authorize the commission to allocate up to $10 million from the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account in the CASF to a specified nonprofit organization for specified purposes. The bill would make various legislative findings, including findings regarding deployment of broadband speeds of at least 25 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 3 Mbps upstream. The bill would establish the High-Speed Internet Access Adoption Account within the CASF and would authorize the commission to award grants to eligible community-based organizations for education and outreach to low-income households to facilitate the adoption of high-speed Internet access by these households. The bill would authorize the commission to collect an additional $350,000,000, would specify the distribution of the additional moneys among the accounts in the CASF, and would authorize the collection through 2026. By increasing the collection for deposit in the CASF, the bill would constitute a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIII A of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. Existing law requires a certain amount of moneys from the Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account and the Broadband Revolving Loan Account to be transferred to the Broadband Public Housing Account and requires the commission to award grants and loans from the Broadband Public Housing Account to eligible publicly supported communities. Existing law requires any moneys in the Broadband Public Housing Account not awarded by December 31, 2016, to be transferred back to the other 2 accounts. This bill would repeal the requirement to transfer back the moneys in the Broadband Public Housing Account that are not awarded. Because the provisions of this bill are within the Public Utilities Act, a violation of which is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program by extending a crime. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
This measure would declare the month of April 2016 as the Month of the Military Child.
This measure would designate April 3, 2016, to April 9, 2016, inclusive, as Women and Girls in STEM Week and would encourage all citizens and community organizations to support the observance of California Women and Girls in STEM Week by encouraging and celebrating women in the STEM fields.
This measure would declare the week of March 7, 2016, through March 13, 2016, as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week.
Existing law creates the California Transportation Commission, with various powers and duties relative to the programming of transportation capital projects and allocation of funds to those projects pursuant to the state transportation improvement program and various other transportation funding programs. Existing law provides that the commission consists of 13 members, including 11 voting members, of which 9 are appointed by the Governor subject to Senate confirmation and 2 are appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly. In addition, 2 members of the Legislature are appointed as nonvoting ex officio members. This bill would expand the membership of the commission to 15 members by providing for the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly to each appoint an additional member, who shall be a person who works directly with communities that are most significantly burdened by, and vulnerable to, high levels of pollution, including, but not limited to, communities with diverse racial and ethic populations and communities with low-income populations.
Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control over the highways of the state and is responsible for preparing the state highway operation and protection program for the expenditure of transportation funds for major capital improvements that are necessary to preserve and protect the state highway system. Existing law requires the department to submit a draft 5-year interregional transportation improvement program that consists of, among other things, projects to improve state highways. Existing law also creates the California Transportation Commission, with specified powers and duties relative to the programming of transportation capital improvement projects and the allocation of state transportation funds for state transportation improvement projects. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with the commission, to prepare an asset management plan to guide selection of projects for the state highway operation and protection program consistent with any applicable state and federal requirements. Existing law requires the commission, in connection with the asset management plan, to adopt targets and performance measures reflecting state transportation goals and objectives. This bill would require the department to increase the annual number of complete street projects undertaken by the department by 20% over the 2016 baseline by the year 2020 and increase accessibility for low-income and disadvantaged communities by increasing multimodal transportation proximity to employment, jobs, housing, and recreation areas. The bill would establish department goals to reduce by 10% based on the 2016 baseline the number of transit, pedestrian, and bicyclist fatalities, and reduce by 15% statewide per capita the vehicle miles traveled by the year 2020, and to increase travel by nonautomobile modes of travel, as specified. This bill would require the draft 5-year interregional transportation program to include projects to implement complete streets, as defined, and the state highway operation and protection program to include capital improvements relative to multiuse, including complete streets. The bill would require the department to hold at least one public hearing in each of its districts on state highway operation and protection program projects and would require the hearing to be accessible by public transit, held at times that are convenient for disadvantaged community residents, and upon request, provide translation services. The bill would require the commission, no later than July 1, 2017, in connection with the asset management plan, to also adopt targets and performance measures that reflect state transportation goals and objectives that, among other things, improve mobility, access, and safety for nonmotorized users in disadvantaged communities by requiring not less than 35% of state highway operation and protection program projects be located in urban and rural disadvantaged communities. The bill would also require that funds in the State Highway Account in the State Transportation Fund be programmed for specified safety improvements that would reduce fatalities and the number and severity of injuries to pedestrians.