AB 194 — High-occupancy toll lanes.

Summary

Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of the state highway system. Existing law authorizes the department to construct exclusive or preferential lanes for buses only or for buses and other high-occupancy vehicles. Existing law authorizes a regional transportation agency, as defined, in cooperation with the department to apply to the California Transportation Commission to develop and operate high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, including administration and operation of a value-pricing program and exclusive or preferential lane facilities for public transit, consistent with established standards, requirements, and limitations that apply to specified facilities. Existing law requires the commission to conduct at least one public hearing in northern California and one in southern California for each eligible application submitted by the regional transportation agency. Existing law limits the number of approved facilities to not more than 4, 2 in northern California and 2 in southern California, and provides that no applications may be approved on or after January 1, 2012. This bill would authorize a regional transportation agency or the department to apply to the commission to develop and operate HOT lanes or other toll facilities, as specified, and would delete the January 1, 2012, deadline for HOT lane applications and remove the existing limitation on the number of facilities that may be approved. The bill would include the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority within the definition of regional transportation authority for these purposes. The bill would delete the requirement that the facilities be consistent with the established standards, requirements, and limitations that apply to specified facilities and would instead require the commission to establish eligibility criteria set forth in guidelines for the development and operation of the facilities and provide for the review and approval by the commission of each proposed toll facility pursuant to those eligibility criteria. The bill would require toll facilities approved by the commission on or after January 1, 2016, to be subject to specified minimum requirements, including those relating to toll facility revenues. The bill would authorize a regional transportation agency or the state, as applicable, to issue bonds, refunding bonds, or bond anticipation notes backed by revenues generated from the facilities. The bill would delete the requirement that the commission conduct at least one public hearing in northern California and one in southern California for each eligible application and would instead require the commission to conduct at least one public hearing at or near the proposed toll facility. The bill would require a regional transportation agency that applies to the commission to reimburse the commission for all of the commission's costs and expenses incurred in processing the application and to enter into specified agreements with the department and the Department of the California Highway Patrol. Before submitting an application to the commission, the bill would require a regional transportation agency to consult with every local transportation authority and every congestion management agency whose jurisdiction includes the facility that the regional transportation agency proposes to develop and operate pursuant to the above-described provisions. The bill would require the regional transportation agency to give a local transportation authority or congestion management agency, as specified, the option of entering into agreements, as needed, for project development, engineering, financial studies, and environmental documentation for each construction project or segment, and would authorize the local transportation authority or congestion management agency to be the lead agency for those construction projects or segments. The bill would provide that these provisions do not authorize or prohibit the conversion of any existing nontoll or nonuser-fee lanes into tolled or user-fee lanes, except that a high-occupancy vehicle lane may be converted into a HOT lane pursuant to its provisions. This bill would create the Highway Toll Account in the State Transportation Fund for the management of funds received by the Department of Transportation for toll facilities operated by the department under the bill. The bill would continuously appropriate to the department the portion of revenues designated and necessary for the payment of debt service for those facilities. This bill would become operative only if AB 914 is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2016.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 10/09/15 - Chaptered Current pdf October 09, 2015
• Enrolled 09/16/15 - Enrolled pdf September 16, 2015
• Amended 09/04/15 - Amended Senate pdf September 04, 2015
• Amended 08/31/15 - Amended Senate pdf August 31, 2015
• Amended 07/02/15 - Amended Senate pdf July 02, 2015
• Amended 06/01/15 - Amended Assembly pdf June 01, 2015
• Amended 04/07/15 - Amended Assembly pdf April 07, 2015
• Introduced 01/28/15 - Introduced pdf January 28, 2015
• AB194 View text html

Action History

1. October 09, 2015

   Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 687, Statutes of 2015.

2. October 09, 2015

   Approved by the Governor.

3. September 23, 2015

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

4. September 11, 2015

   Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 58. Noes 20. Page 3130.).

5. September 10, 2015

   In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

6. September 10, 2015

   Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 27. Noes 10. Page 2704.).

7. September 08, 2015

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

8. September 04, 2015

   Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

9. August 31, 2015

   Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.

10. August 27, 2015

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 1.) (August 27).

11. August 17, 2015

    In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

12. July 15, 2015

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (July 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

13. July 02, 2015

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on T. & H.

14. June 30, 2015

    In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

15. June 18, 2015

    Referred to Com. on T. & H.

16. June 03, 2015

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

17. June 03, 2015

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 62. Noes 17. Page 1862.)

18. June 02, 2015

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

19. June 01, 2015

    Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

20. May 28, 2015

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 3.) (May 28).

21. April 29, 2015

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

22. April 14, 2015

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 14. Noes 1.) (April 13). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

23. April 08, 2015

    Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.

24. April 07, 2015

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. Read second time and amended.

25. February 09, 2015

    Referred to Com. on TRANS.

26. January 29, 2015

    From printer. May be heard in committee February 28.

27. January 28, 2015

    Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

• Beall · Cosponsor
• Frazier · Primary

Votes

Subjects