Bill Text: CA AB1049 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 1049 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Public Transportation Account: loan repayment.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2022-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB1049 Detail]

Download: California-2021-AB1049-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1049

Introduced by Assembly Member Davies

February 18, 2021

An act to add Section 99310.7 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to transportation, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1049, as introduced, Davies. Public Transportation Account: loan repayment.

Existing law requires the transfer of a specified portion of the sales tax on diesel fuel to the Public Transportation Account, a trust fund in the State Transportation Fund. Existing law requires funds in the account to be allocated to various public transportation and transportation planning purposes, with specified revenues in the account to be allocated by the Controller to specified local transportation agencies for public transportation purposes, pursuant to the State Transit Assistance (STA) Program. Existing law provides for each STA-eligible operator within the jurisdiction of the allocating local transportation agency to receive a proportional share of the revenue-based program funds based on the qualifying revenues of that operator, as defined. The Budget Act of 2013 and the Budget Act of 2014 require the Controller, upon the order of the Director of Finance, to transfer specified amounts totaling up to $55,515,000 as loans from the Public Transportation Account to the High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Fund.

This bill would require $54,000,000 from these loans to be repaid to the Public Transportation Account and would provide that these repaid funds are available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to help offset the loss of revenues incurred by transit operators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Vote: 2/3 Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Transit operators across the state are experiencing a precipitous decrease in revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(b) The Legislature authorized loans from the Public Transportation Account to the High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Fund in 2013 and 2014 when the High-Speed Rail Authority did not yet have access to bond funds made available pursuant to Proposition 1A (Chapter 20 (commencing with Section 2704) of Division 3 of the Streets and Highways Code)), a measure approved by the voters at the November 4, 2008, statewide general election. The High-Speed Rail Authority has since met the requirements to access these bond funds.

(d) The Legislature established that the loans should be repaid when the Public Transportation Account “has a need for the moneys.”

(e) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this condition has been met.

SEC. 2.

Section 99310.7 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

99310.7.

(a) The amount of outstanding loans made from the Public Transportation Account to the High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Fund pursuant to Item 2665-011-0046 of Sec. 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2013 (Chapter 20 of the Statutes of 2013) and Item 2665-011-0046 of Sec. 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2014 (Chapter 25 of the Statutes of 2014) is fifty-four million dollars ($54,000,000). This amount shall be repaid no later than 30 days from the operative date of this section.

(b) The funds repaid pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to help offset the loss of revenues incurred by transit operators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SEC. 3.

This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:

In order to provide emergency funding to help offset the loss of operating revenues incurred by transit operators during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.