SB 508 — Transportation funds: transit operators: pedestrian safety.

Summary

(1) Existing law provides various sources of funding to public transit operators. Under the Mills-Alquist-Deddeh Act, also known as the Transportation Development Act, revenues from a 14% sales tax in each county are available, among other things, for allocation by the transportation planning agency to transit operators, subject to certain financial requirements for an operator to meet in order to be eligible to receive funds. Existing law sets forth alternative ways an operator may qualify for funding, including a standard under which the allocated funds do not exceed 50% of the operator's total operating costs, as specified, or the maintenance by the operator of a specified farebox ratio of fare revenues to operating costs. Existing law authorizes an operator to satisfy the applicable ratio of fare revenues to operating costs by supplementing its fare revenues with local funds, as defined. Existing law generally establishes the required farebox ratio as 20% in urbanized areas and 10% in nonurbanized areas, except that an operator that exceeded those percentages in the 1978–79 fiscal year is required to maintain the higher farebox ratios in order to remain eligible for funding. Existing law provides various exceptions to the definition of "operating cost" for these purposes. This bill would delete the requirement for transit operators to maintain higher farebox requirements based on the 1978–79 fiscal year. The bill would exempt additional categories of expenditures from the definition of "operating cost" used to determine compliance with required farebox ratios, including, among others, certain fuel, insurance, and claims settlement cost increases beyond the change in the Consumer Price Index. The bill would also exempt startup costs for new transit services for up to 2 years. The bill would revise the definition of local funds. The bill would revise the definition of "operating cost" for performance audit and certain other purposes to exclude principal and interest payments on capital projects funded with certificates of participation. (2) The Mills-Alquist-Deddeh Act, also known as the Transportation Development Act, also generally requires the allocation of 2% of available funds to cities and counties for facilities for bicycles and pedestrians. Existing law provides that a city or county may expend up to 5% of its bicycle and pedestrian allocation to supplement moneys from other sources to fund bicycle safety education programs, as long as this amount is not used to fully fund the salary of any one person. This bill would also authorize the funding of pedestrian safety education programs from the 5% amount. (3) Existing law creates the State Transit Assistance program, under which certain revenues in the Public Transportation Account are allocated by formula for public transportation purposes. Under that program, after the 2015–16 fiscal year, funds may not be allocated to a transit operator for operating purposes unless the operator meets certain efficiency standards. Compliance with the efficiency standards is based on whether the operator's total operating cost per revenue vehicle hour is increasing by no more than the Consumer Price Index, as specified. Existing law imposes no restrictions on allocations of funds for capital purposes. Existing law provides for funds withheld from an operator to be retained by the allocating transportation planning agency for allocation in a later year if the operator can subsequently meet the efficiency standards, and in certain cases, provides for the funds to be reallocated to other transit purposes, or to revert to the Controller. This bill, commencing July 1, 2016, rather than making an operator ineligible to receive State Transit Assistance program funds for operating purposes for an entire year for failing to meet the efficiency standards, would instead reduce the operator's operating allocation by a specified percentage, based on the percentage amount that the operator failed to meet the efficiency standards, as specified. The bill, on that date, would delete provisions related to funds withheld, reallocated, or reverted by the transportation planning agency.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 10/09/15 - Chaptered Current pdf October 09, 2015
• Enrolled 09/02/15 - Enrolled pdf September 02, 2015
• Amended 08/20/15 - Amended Assembly pdf August 20, 2015
• Amended 07/15/15 - Amended Assembly pdf July 15, 2015
• Amended 05/12/15 - Amended Senate pdf May 12, 2015
• Amended 04/27/15 - Amended Senate pdf April 27, 2015
• Introduced 02/26/15 - Introduced pdf February 26, 2015
• SB508 View text html

Action History

1. October 09, 2015

   Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 716, Statutes of 2015.

2. October 09, 2015

   Approved by the Governor.

3. September 03, 2015

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 5:45 p.m.

4. September 01, 2015

   Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 31. Noes 9. Page 2370.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

5. August 31, 2015

   In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

6. August 31, 2015

   Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 66. Noes 14. Page 2682.) Ordered to the Senate.

7. August 20, 2015

   Ordered to third reading.

8. August 20, 2015

   Read third time and amended.

9. July 16, 2015

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

10. July 15, 2015

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

11. July 14, 2015

    From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (July 13).

12. May 28, 2015

    Referred to Com. on TRANS.

13. May 18, 2015

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

14. May 18, 2015

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 8. Page 1023.) Ordered to the Assembly.

15. May 12, 2015

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.

16. May 11, 2015

    From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 907.) (May 5).

17. April 27, 2015

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on T. & H.

18. April 02, 2015

    Set for hearing May 5.

19. March 12, 2015

    Referred to Com. on T. & H.

20. February 27, 2015

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 29.

21. February 26, 2015

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sponsors

• Beall · Primary

Votes

Subjects