Sen. Janet Nguyen

The Personal Income Tax Law provides for various exclusions from gross income, including an exclusion for the amount of student loan indebtedness repaid or canceled pursuant to a specified federal law. This bill would exclude from gross income the amount of student loan indebtedness discharged on or after January 1, 2015, and before January 1, 2020, for an eligible individual who is granted a discharge under specified conditions, as provided. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law provides for the construction and operation of various toll bridges by the state, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, and private entities that have entered into a franchise agreement with the state. This bill would, until January 1, 2021, prohibit a toll from being imposed on the passage of a pedestrian or bicycle over these various toll bridges.

This measure would recognize the California Association of County Veterans Service Officers for helping veterans secure their federal and state benefits over the past 70 years.

This measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to enact the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2015.

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 25% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the high-speed rail project, and also continuously appropriates to that project $400,000,000 of the amount loaned from the fund to the General Fund by the Budget Act of 2013, upon repayment of the loan by the General Fund. Existing law further appropriates 35% of the annual proceeds of the fund to transit and intercity rail capital, low-carbon transit operations, and affordable housing and sustainable communities. This bill would delete the continuous appropriations from the fund for the high-speed rail project, and would prohibit any of the proceeds from the fund from being used for that project. The bill would continuously appropriate the remaining 65% of annual proceeds of the fund to the California Transportation Commission for allocation to high-priority transportation projects, as determined by the commission, with 40% of those moneys to be allocated to state highway projects, 40% to local street and road projects divided equally between cities and counties, and 20% to public transit projects. This bill would require $400,000,000 of the amount loaned from the fund to the General Fund by the Budget Act of 2013 to be immediately repaid to the fund, thereby making an appropriation.

This measure would declare June 1, 2015, as Disneyland Day in recognition of the 60th anniversary of Disneyland.

Existing law establishes the state transportation improvement program process, pursuant to which the California Transportation Commission generally programs and allocates available state and federal funds for transportation capital improvement projects, other than state highway rehabilitation and repair projects, over a multiyear period based on estimates of funds expected to be available. Existing law provides funding for these interregional and regional transportation capital improvement projects through the state transportation improvement program process, with 25% of funds available for interregional projects selected by the Department of Transportation through preparation of an interregional transportation improvement program and 75% for regional projects selected by transportation planning agencies through preparation of a regional transportation improvement program. Existing law requires funds available for regional projects to be programmed by the commission pursuant to the county shares formula, under which a certain amount of funding is available for programming in each county, based on population and miles of state highway. Existing law specifies the various types of projects that may be funded with the regional share of funds to include state highways, local roads, transit, and others. This bill would revise the process for programming and allocating the 75% share of state and federal funds available for regional transportation improvement projects. The bill would require the department to annually apportion, by the existing formula, the county share for each county to the applicable metropolitan planning organization, transportation planning agency, or county transportation commission, as a block grant. These transportation capital improvement funds, along with an appropriate amount of capital outlay support funds, would be appropriated annually through the annual Budget Act to regional transportation agencies. The bill would require the regional transportation agencies, in their regional transportation improvement programs, to identify the transportation capital improvement projects to be funded with these moneys, and would require the California Transportation Commission to incorporate the regional transportation improvement programs into the state transportation improvement program. The bill would eliminate the role of the California Transportation Commission in programming and allocating funds to these regional projects, but would retain certain oversight roles of the commission with respect to expenditure of the funds. The bill would repeal provisions governing computation of county shares over multiple years and make various other conforming changes.

(1) Article XIX of the California Constitution restricts the expenditure of revenues from taxes imposed by the state on fuels used in motor vehicles upon public streets and highways to street and highway and certain mass transit purposes, and restricts the expenditure of revenues from fees and taxes imposed by the state upon vehicles or their use or operation to state administration and enforcement of laws regulating the use, operation, or registration of vehicles used upon the public streets and highways, as well as to street and highway and certain mass transit purposes. These restrictions do not apply to revenues from taxes or fees imposed under the Sales and Use Tax Law or the Vehicle License Fee Law. Article XIX prohibits the Legislature from borrowing revenues from taxes imposed by the state on fuels used in motor vehicles, and from using those revenues other than as specifically permitted by Article XIX. Article XIX provides that up to 25% of fuel tax revenues allocated to the state may be pledged or used for the payment of principal and interest on voter-approved transportation bonds issued for street and highway purposes on and after November 2, 2010, upon voter approval and appropriation by the Legislature. Article XIX provides that up to 25% of fuel tax revenues allocated to cities and counties may be pledged or used for the payment of principal and interest on voter-approved transportation bonds issued for street and highway purposes. However, in counties where voters have approved the use of fuel tax revenues for certain mass transit purposes, Article XIX provides that the Legislature may authorize any fuel tax revenues allocated to mass transit purposes to be pledged or used for payment of principal and interest on voter-approved bonds issued for those mass transit purposes. This measure would prohibit the Legislature from borrowing revenues from fees and taxes imposed by the state on vehicles or their use or operation, and from using those revenues other than as specifically permitted by Article XIX. The measure would also prohibit those revenues from being pledged or used for the payment of principal and interest on bonds or other indebtedness. The measure would delete the provision that provides for use of any fuel tax revenues allocated to mass transit purposes to be pledged or used for payment of principal and interest on voter-approved bonds issued for those mass transit purposes, and would instead subject those expenditures to the existing 25% limitation applicable to the use of fuel tax revenues for street and highway bond purposes. This measure would also restrict the expenditure of revenues from taxes imposed by the state on motor vehicle fuels used other than in motor vehicles upon public streets and highways, by requiring the use of those revenues for street and highway purposes, but only with respect to the portion of the affected revenues attributable to increases in tax rates that are effective on or after July 1, 2010. This restriction on expenditures would not apply if federal law requires another use of any portion of those revenues. The measure would also prohibit the Legislature from borrowing those revenues or pledging those revenues for debt service. (2) Article XI of the California Constitution requires the revenues derived under the Vehicle License Fee Law from a rate that does not exceed 0.65% of the market value of a vehicle to be allocated to cities and counties, and does not restrict expenditure of those revenues for a particular purpose. This measure would require revenues derived from that portion of the vehicle license fee rate that exceeds 0.65% of the market value of a vehicle to be used solely for street and highway purposes and would prohibit the Legislature from borrowing those revenues. The measure would also prohibit those revenues from being pledged or used for the payment of principal and interest on bonds or other indebtedness. (3) This measure would make other conforming changes.

This measure would commend AMVETS Department of California, also known as Team AMVETS, for providing benefits and services to veterans, and for playing an important role in the community for 70 years.