Positions on State Legislation
State Assembly Bills
| Bill# | Bill Author | Subject | AC Transit Position |
| AB 3 | Miller (R) | Vehicles: Confidential Home Addresses: Citations. AB 3 was held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee’s Suspense File, and it is now considered a two-year bill. AB 3 would establish a proces to collect toll evasion citations from individuals with a confidential home address.While the purpose of the bill remains the same, the bill was substantially amended. The original bill required individuals with a confidential home address to prvide a business address where citations can be sent. As amended, the bill requires the DMV as part of the vehicle registration process to provide a person with a confidential address all outstanding notices of toll evasion. | Support |
| AB 57 | Beall (D) | Metropolitan Transportation Commission: The author pulled AB 57 from the July 5th agenda. The bill remains in the Senate Committee on Transportation & Housing and is now considered a two-year bill.The bill was pulled due to concerns from Committee Chair, Senator DeSaulnier, and Senator Simitian, who also serves on the Committee. We expect the Committee to hold an interim hearing on the bill this fall, as well as additional hearings on this topic by MTC.AB 57 would add two new representatives to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission governing board. The bill authorizes the Mayors of San Jose and Oakland to each appoint a representative to MTC. | Support |
| AB 147 | Dickinson (D) | Subdivisions: AB 147 would authorize local governments to adopt an ordinance pursuant to the Mitigation Fee Act imposing a permit fee that will help defray the cost of constructing transportation facilities, including pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and traffic calming facilities. | Support |
| AB 148 | Smyth (R) | Local Government: Ethics Training: Disclosure. AB 148 was held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee’s Suspense File. This bill requires the Controller to withhold any funds to which a local agency is entitled, until the local agency posts its adopted written attendance compensation policy or adopted written reimbursement policy on the local agency’s Internet Website, if any, and submits a copy of the written policy to the Controller. | Watch |
| AB 153 | Skinner (D) | State Board of Equalization: Administration: Retailer Engaged in Business in this State. AB 153 remains in the Senate Governance & Finance Committee because the contents of this bill have been enacted by ABX 28, which was a budget trailer bill.ABX 28 enacted the changes in AB 153, AB 155, and SB 243. All of these bills contained complimentary changes that will improve the collections sales tax revenue from online purchases.AB 153 would require out-of-state companies that maintain a network in California and thus a presence in the state to collect sales tax on orders received from within California. This bill is closely modeled after a New York law, which expanded the collection of sales tax on certain Internet sales. Current policy in California only requires the collection of sales tax on Internet sales if the retailer also has a nexus of brick and mortar presence in California. AB 153 would expand the nexus definition to online retailers that have affiliate business in California. | Support |
| AB 392 | Alejo (D) | Ralph M. Brown Act: Posting Agendas. AB 392 was also held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee’s Suspense File.This bill requires a local agency to post, at least 72 hours before a regular meeting of a legislative body, the agenda and applicable staff-generated reports on the local agency’s Internet Website, if any. For a local agency without an Internet Website, the bill requires a local agency to disclose on the physically posted agenda the public location where the local agency makes available any applicable staff-generated reports for public inspection and copying at least 72 hours in advance of the regular meeting. | Watch |
| AB 485 | Ma (D) | Local Planning: Transit Village Development Districts. AB 485 is the renewed attempt to create a transit village that uses tax increment financing the develop the district. This bill would allow for the creation of an Infrastructure Financing District (IFD) to fund transit village improvements with a 2/3 public vote and it would require 20% of the tax increment revenue be dedicated to building low and moderate housing within the district. | Support |
| AB 650 | Blumenfield (D) | Blue Ribbon Task Force on Public Transportation for the 21st Century: AB 650 was barely approved by the Senate Transportation Committee on the second attempt. The bill now moves to the Rules Committee for further consideration.The task force would consist of 12 member with half appointed by the Senate Rules Committee and half by the Assembly Speaker. The representatives would range from business and labor to public and private transit operators and transit advocacy groups. The findings of the Commission shall be submitted to the Legislature by March 13, 2013. The bill appropriates $750,000 from the Public Tranportation Account to fund the study and hearing requirements in the bill. | Support |
| AB 710 | Skinner (D) | Local Planning: Infill and Transit-Oriented Development. AB 710 would enact the Infill Development and Sustainable Communities Act of 2011. In short, this bill would establish minimum parking standards for new transit oriented development projects. For new development projects in transit intensive areas, AB 710 prohibits cites and counties from requiring a minimum parking standard greater than:
The bill’s prohibition does not apply if specified conditions are met. |
Support in Concept |
| AB 1086 |
Wieckowski (D) | Transactions and Use Taxes: County of Alameda. AB 1086 would allow Alameda County to place a local transportation sales tax measure on the ballot that if approved by the voters would allow the combined local sales tax rate to exceed 2%. | Support |
| AB 1097 |
Skinner (D) | Transit Projects: Domestic Content. AB 1097 allows BT&H to simply authorize a state or local agency receiving federal funds for transit purposes to provide a bidding reference to a bidder if the bidder exceeds Buy America requirements. | Support |
Assembly Joint Resolution
| Bill# | Bill Author |
Subject | AC Transit Position |
| AJR 5 |
Lowenthal, Bonnie (D) |
Transportation Revenues: AJR 5 was approved by both the Assembly and Senate and has been chaptered by the Sectetary of State. This resolution urges the President and Congress to study the feasibility of collecting transportation revenue based on vehicle miles travelled. This resolution is moving quickly through the Legislature and is currently at its last stop on the Senate Floor. | Support |
State Senate Bills
| Bill# | Bill Author | Subject | AC Transit Position |
| SB 46 | Correa (D) | Public Officials: Compensation Disclosure. SB 46 was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee with amendments making the effective date January 1, 2013.While SB 46 missed the house of origin deadline, it is not a two-year bill. The bill was amended to add an urgency clause, which exempts the bill from the deadlines. However, urgency clauses also raise the vote requirement for passage to 2/3.SB 46 would require every person who is required to file a statement of economic interests and designated employees who file statements under a conflict of interest code to also file a compensation disclosure form, and require each agency to post compensation information on its website. | Watch |
| SB 234 |
Hancock (D) | State Board of Equilization: Administration: Use Tax. The provisions of SB 234 were also enacted a part of ABX 28.Consistent with AB 153 and AB 155, SB 234 proposes another avenue to expand the collection of sales and use tax on Internet sales. SB 234 defines a retailer engaged in business in this state as a retailer that has substantial nexus with this state and a retailer upon whom federal law permits the state to impose a use tax collection duty. Currently, it is the responsibility of the consumer to remit use tax on Internet purchases. This bill would shift the responsibility to vendors to collect and remit use taxes, just like any business with a physical presence in California already does. | Support |
| SB 582 |
Yee (D) | Commute Benefit Policies: SB 582 was approved by the Assembly and is currently pending a concurrence vote on the Senate Floor. After the California Chamber adopted an oppose position, the author of the bill was changed from Republican Senator Emerson to Democrat Senator Yee.SB 582 authorizes, until January 1, 2017, a metropolitan planning organization and an air district to adopt jointly an ordinance that requires certain employers located within their common area of jurisdiction to offer their employees commute alternative options. | Support |
| SB 810 |
Leno (D) | Single-Payer Healthcare Coverage: SB 810 is the reinstruction of Senator Leno’s universal healthcare bill from last session, which was also SB 810. The bill remains in the Senate Committee on Appropriations and is now considered a two-year bill.This bill creates the California Healthcare System (CHS), a single-payer healthcare system, administered by the Califoria Healthcare Agency (CHA), to provide health insurance coverage to all California residents. | Support |