Section 8879.23 - Fund created; allocation of bond proceedsThe Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security Fund of 2006 is hereby created in the State Treasury. The Legislature intends that the proceeds of bonds deposited in the fund shall be used to fund the mobility, safety, and air quality improvements described in this article over the course of the next decade. The proceeds of bonds issued and sold pursuant to this chapter for the purposes specified in this chapter shall be allocated in the following manner:
(a)(1) Four billion five hundred million dollars ($4,500,000,000) shall be deposited in the Corridor Mobility Improvement Account, which is hereby created in the fund. Funds in the account shall be available to the California Transportation Commission, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Bill by the Legislature, for allocation for performance improvements on highly congested travel corridors in California. Funds in the account shall be used for performance improvements on the state highway system, or major access routes to the state highway system on the local road system that relieve congestion by expanding capacity, enhancing operations, or otherwise improving travel times within these high-congestion travel corridors, as identified by the department and regional or local transportation agencies, pursuant to the process in paragraph (3) or (4), as applicable.(2) The commission shall develop and adopt guidelines, by December 1, 2006, including regional programming targets, for the program funded by this subdivision, and shall allocate funds from the account to projects after reviewing project nominations submitted by the Department of Transportation and by regional transportation planning agencies or county transportation commissions or authorities pursuant to paragraph (4).(3) Subject to the guidelines adopted pursuant to paragraph (2), the department shall nominate, by no later than January 15, 2007, projects for the allocation of funds from the account on a statewide basis. The department's nominations shall be geographically balanced and shall reflect the department's assessment of a program that best meets the policy objectives described in paragraph (1).(4) Subject to the guidelines adopted pursuant to paragraph (2), a regional transportation planning agency or county transportation commission or authority responsible for preparing a regional transportation improvement plan under Section 14527 may nominate projects identified pursuant to paragraph (1) that best meet the policy objectives described in that paragraph for funding from the account. Projects nominated pursuant to this paragraph shall be submitted to the commission for consideration for funding by no later than January 15, 2007.(5) All nominations to the California Transportation Commission shall be accompanied by documentation regarding the quantitative and qualitative measures validating each project's consistency with the policy objectives described in paragraph (1). All projects nominated to the commission for funds from this account shall be included in a regional transportation plan.(6) After review of the project nominations, and supporting documentation, the commission, by no later than March 1, 2007, shall adopt an initial program of projects to be funded from the account. This program may be updated every two years in conjunction with the biennial process for adoption of the state transportation improvement program pursuant to guidelines adopted by the commission. The inclusion of a project in the program shall be based on a demonstration that the project meets all of the following criteria: (A) Is a high-priority project in the corridor as demonstrated by either of the following: (i) its inclusion in the list of nominated projects by both the department pursuant to paragraph (3) and the regional transportation planning agency or county transportation commission or authority, pursuant to paragraph (4); or(ii) if needed to fully fund the project, the identification and commitment of supplemental funding to the project from other state, local, or federal funds.(B) Can commence construction or implementation no later than December 31, 2012.(C) Improves mobility in a high-congestion corridor by improving travel times or reducing the number of daily vehicle hours of delay, improves the connectivity of the state highway system between rural, suburban, and urban areas, or improves the operation or safety of a highway or road segment.(D) Improves access to jobs, housing, markets, and commerce.(7) Where competing projects offer similar mobility improvements to a specific corridor, the commission shall consider additional benefits when determining which project shall be included in the program for funding. These benefits shall include, but are not limited to, the following:(A) A finding that the project provides quantifiable air quality benefits.(B) A finding that the project substantially increases the safety for travelers in the corridor.(8) In adopting a program for funding pursuant to this subdivision, the commission shall make a finding that the program is geographically balanced, consistent with the geographic split for funding described in Section 188 of the Streets and Highways Code; provides mobility improvements in highly traveled or highly congested corridors in all regions of California; and targets bond proceeds in a manner that provides the increment of funding necessary, when combined with other state, local, or federal funds, to provide the mobility benefit in the earliest possible timeframe.(9) The commission shall include in its annual report to the Legislature, required by Section 14535, a summary of its activities related to the administration of this program. The summary should, at a minimum, include a description and the location of the projects contained in the program, the amount of funds allocated to each project, the status of each project, and a description of the mobility improvements the program is achieving.(b) One billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) shall be made available, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Bill by the Legislature, to the department for improvements to State Route 99. Funds may be used for safety, operational enhancements, rehabilitation, or capacity improvements necessary to improve the State Route 99 corridor traversing approximately 400 miles of the central valley of this state.(c) Three billion one hundred million dollars ($3,100,000,000) shall be deposited in the California Ports Infrastructure, Security, and Air Quality Improvement Account, which is hereby created in the fund. The money in the account shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature and subject to such conditions and criteria as the Legislature may provide by statute, as follows:(1)(A) Two billion dollars ($2,000,000,000) shall be transferred to the Trade Corridors Improvement Fund, which is hereby created. The money in this fund shall be available, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Bill by the Legislature and subject to such conditions and criteria as the Legislature may provide by statute, for allocation by the California Transportation Commission for infrastructure improvements along federally designated "Trade Corridors of National Significance" in this state or along other corridors within this state that have a high volume of freight movement, as determined by the commission. In determining projects eligible for funding, the commission shall consult the trade infrastructure and goods movement plan submitted to the commission by the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary for Environmental Protection. No moneys shall be allocated from this fund until the report is submitted to the commission for its consideration, provided the report is submitted no later than January 1, 2007. The commission shall also consult trade infrastructure and goods movement plans adopted by regional transportation planning agencies, adopted regional transportation plans required by state and federal law, and the statewide port master plan prepared by the California Marine and Intermodal Transportation System Advisory Council (Cal-MITSAC) pursuant to Section 1760 of the Harbors and Navigation Code, when determining eligible projects for funding. Eligible projects for these funds include, but are not limited to, all of the following: (i) Highway capacity improvements and operational improvements to more efficiently accommodate the movement of freight, particularly for ingress and egress to and from the state's seaports, including navigable inland waterways used to transport freight between seaports, land ports of entry, and airports, and to relieve traffic congestion along major trade or goods movement corridors.(ii) Freight rail system improvements to enhance the ability to move goods from seaports, land ports of entry, and airports to warehousing and distribution centers throughout California, including projects that separate rail lines from highway or local road traffic, improve freight rail mobility through mountainous regions, relocate rail switching yards, and other projects that improve the efficiency and capacity of the rail freight system.(iii) Projects to enhance the capacity and efficiency of ports.(iv) Truck corridor improvements, including dedicated truck facilities or truck toll facilities.(v) Border access improvements that enhance goods movement between California and Mexico and that maximize the state's ability to access coordinated border infrastructure funds made available to the state by federal law.(vi) Surface transportation improvements to facilitate the movement of goods to and from the state's airports.(B) The commission shall allocate funds for trade infrastructure improvements from the account in a manner that (i) addresses the state's most urgent needs, (ii) balances the demands of various ports (between large and small ports, as well as between seaports, airports, and land ports of entry), (iii) provides reasonable geographic balance between the state's regions, and (iv) places emphasis on projects that improve trade corridor mobility while reducing emissions of diesel particulate and other pollutant emissions. In addition, the commission shall also consider the following factors when allocating these funds:(i) "Velocity," which means the speed by which large cargo would travel from the port through the distribution system.(ii) "Throughput," which means the volume of cargo that would move from the port through the distribution system.(iii) "Reliability," which means a reasonably consistent and predictable amount of time for cargo to travel from one point to another on any given day or at any given time in California.(iv) "Congestion reduction," which means the reduction in recurrent daily hours of delay to be achieved.(C) The commission shall allocate funds made available by this paragraph to projects that have identified and committed supplemental funding from appropriate local, federal, or private sources. The commission shall determine the appropriate amount of supplemental funding each project should have to be eligible for moneys from this fund based on a project-by-project review and an assessment of the project's benefit to the state and the program. Except for border access improvements described in clause (v) of subparagraph (A), improvements funded with moneys from this fund shall have supplemental funding that is at least equal to the amount of the contribution from the fund. The commission may give priority for funding to projects with higher levels of committed supplemental funding.(D) The commission shall include in its annual report to the Legislature, required by Section 14535, a summary of its activities related to the administration of this program. The summary should, at a minimum, include a description and the location of the projects contained in the program, the amount of funds allocated to each project, the status of each project, and a description of the mobility and air quality improvements the program is achieving.(2) One billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) shall be made available, upon appropriation by the Legislature and subject to such conditions and criteria contained in a statute enacted by the Legislature, to the State Air Resources Board for emission reductions, not otherwise required by law or regulation, from activities related to the movement of freight along California's trade corridors. Funds made available by this paragraph are intended to supplement existing funds used to finance strategies and public benefit projects that reduce emissions and improve air quality in trade corridors commencing at the state's airports, seaports, and land ports of entry.(3) One hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Office of Emergency Services to be allocated, as grants, for port, harbor, and ferry terminal security improvements. Eligible applicants shall be publicly owned ports, harbors, and ferryboat and ferry terminal operators, which may submit applications for projects that include, but are not limited to, the following:(A) Video surveillance equipment.(B) Explosives detection technology, including, but not limited to, X-ray devices.(E) Thermal protective equipment.(F) Site identification instruments capable of providing a fingerprint for a broad inventory of chemical agents.(G) Other devices capable of detecting weapons of mass destruction using chemical, biological, or other similar substances.(H) Other security equipment to assist in any of the following: (i) Screening of incoming vessels, trucks, and incoming or outbound cargo.(ii) Monitoring the physical perimeters of harbors, ports, and ferry terminals.(iii) Providing or augmenting onsite emergency response capability.(I) Overweight cargo detection equipment, including, but not limited to, intermodal crane scales and truck weight scales.(J) Developing disaster preparedness or emergency response plans.(d) Two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for schoolbus retrofit and replacement to reduce air pollution and to reduce children's exposure to diesel exhaust.(e) Two billion dollars ($2,000,000,000) shall be available for projects in the state transportation improvement program, to augment funds otherwise available for this purpose from other sources. The funds provided by this subdivision shall be deposited in the Transportation Facilities Account which is hereby created in the fund, and shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Department of Transportation, as allocated by the California Transportation Commission in the same manner as funds allocated for those projects under existing law.(f)(1) Four billion dollars ($4,000,000,000) shall be deposited in the Public Transportation Modernization, Improvement, and Service Enhancement Account, which is hereby created in the fund. Funds in the account shall be made available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Department of Transportation for intercity rail projects and to commuter or urban rail operators, bus operators, waterborne transit operators, and other transit operators in California for rehabilitation, safety or modernization improvements, capital service enhancements or expansions, new capital projects, bus or rapid transit improvements, or for rolling stock procurement, rehabilitation, or replacement.(2) Of the funds made available in paragraph (1), four hundred million dollars ($400,000,000) shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for intercity rail improvements, of which one hundred twenty-five million dollars ($125,000,000) shall be used for the procurement of additional intercity railcars and locomotives.(3) Of the funds remaining after the allocations in paragraph (2), 50 percent shall be distributed to the Controller, for allocation to eligible agencies using the formula in Section 99314 of the Public Utilities Code, and 50 percent shall be distributed to the Controller, for allocation to eligible agencies using the formula in Section 99313 of the Public Utilities Code, subject to the provisions governing funds allocated under those sections.(g) One billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) shall be deposited in the State-Local Partnership Program Account, which is hereby created in the fund. The funds shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature and subject to such conditions and criteria as the Legislature may provide by statute, for allocation by the California Transportation Commission over a five-year period to eligible transportation projects nominated by an applicant transportation agency. A dollar-for-dollar match of local funds shall be required for an applicant transportation agency to receive state funds under this program.(h) One billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) shall be deposited in the Transit System Safety, Security, and Disaster Response Account, which is hereby created in the fund. Funds in the account shall be made available, upon appropriation by the Legislature and subject to such conditions and criteria as the Legislature may provide by statute, for capital projects that provide increased protection against a security and safety threat, and for capital expenditures to increase the capacity of transit operators, including waterborne transit operators, to develop disaster response transportation systems that can move people, goods, and emergency personnel and equipment in the aftermath of a disaster impairing the mobility of goods, people, and equipment.(i) One hundred twenty-five million dollars ($125,000,000) shall be deposited in the Local Bridge Seismic Retrofit Account, which is hereby created in the fund. The funds in the account shall be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to provide the 11.5 percent required match for federal Highway Bridge Replacement and Repair funds available to the state for seismic work on local bridges, ramps, and overpasses, as identified by the Department of Transportation.(j)(1) Two hundred fifty million dollars ($250,000,000) shall be deposited in the Highway-Railroad Crossing Safety Account, which is hereby created in the fund. Funds in the account shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Department of Transportation for the completion of high-priority grade separation and railroad crossing safety improvements. Funds in the account shall be made available for allocation pursuant to the process established in Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 2450) of Division 3 of the Streets and Highways Code, except that a dollar-for-dollar match of nonstate funds shall be provided for each project, and the limitation on maximum project cost in subdivision (g) of Section 2454 of the Streets and Highways Code shall not be applicable to projects funded with these funds.(2) Notwithstanding the funding allocation process described in paragraph (1), in consultation with the department and the Public Utilities Commission, the California Transportation Commission shall allocate one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) of the funds in the account to high-priority railroad crossing improvements, including grade separation projects, that are not part of the process established in Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 2450) of Division 3 of the Streets and Highways Code. The allocation of funds under this paragraph shall be made in consultation and coordination with the High-Speed Rail Authority created pursuant to Division 19.5 (commencing with Section 185000) of the Public Utilities Code.(k)(1) Seven hundred fifty million dollars ($750,000,000) shall be deposited in the Highway Safety, Rehabilitation, and Preservation Account, which is hereby created in the fund. Funds in the account shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Department of Transportation, as allocated by the California Transportation Commission, for the purposes of the state highway operation and protection program as described in Section 14526.5.(2) The department shall develop a program for distribution of two hundred fifty million dollars ($250,000,000) from the funds identified in paragraph (1) to fund traffic light synchronization projects or other technology-based improvements to improve safety, operations, and the effective capacity of local streets and roads.(l)(1) Two billion dollars ($2,000,000,000) shall be deposited in the Local Streets and Road Improvement, Congestion Relief, and Traffic Safety Account of 2006, which is hereby created in the fund. The proceeds of bonds deposited into that account shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purposes specified in this subdivision to the Controller for administration and allocation in the fiscal year in which the bonds are issued and sold, including any interest or other return earned on the investment of those moneys, in the following manner: (A) Fifty percent to the counties, including a city and county, in accordance with the following formulas: (i) Seventy-five percent of the funds payable under this subparagraph shall be apportioned among the counties in the proportion that the number of fee-paid and exempt vehicles that are registered in the county bears to the number of fee-paid and exempt vehicles registered in the state.(ii) Twenty-five percent of the funds payable under this subparagraph shall be apportioned among the counties in the proportion that the number of miles of maintained county roads in each county bears to the total number of miles of maintained county roads in the state. For the purposes of apportioning funds under this clause, any roads within the boundaries of a city and county that are not state highways shall be deemed to be county roads.(B) Fifty percent to the cities, including a city and county, apportioned among the cities in the proportion that the total population of the city bears to the total population of all the cities in the state, provided, however, that the Controller shall allocate a minimum of four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) to each city, pursuant to this subparagraph.(2) Funds received under this subdivision shall be deposited as follows in order to avoid the commingling of those funds with other local funds: (A) In the case of a city, into the city account that is designated for the receipt of state funds allocated for local streets and roads.(B) In the case of an eligible county, into the county road fund.(C) In the case of a city and county, into a local account that is designated for the receipt of state funds allocated for local streets and roads.(3) For the purpose of allocating funds under this subdivision to cities and a city and county, the Controller shall use the most recent population estimates prepared by the Demographic Research Unit of the Department of Finance. For a city that incorporated after January 1, 1998, that does not appear on the most recent population estimates prepared by the Demographic Research Unit, the Controller shall use the population determined for that city under Section 11005.3 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.(4) Funds apportioned to a city, county, or city and county under this subdivision, including any interest or other return earned on the investment of those funds, shall be used for improvements to transportation facilities that will assist in reducing local traffic congestion and further deterioration, improving traffic flows, or increasing traffic safety that may include, but not be limited to, street and highway pavement maintenance, rehabilitation, installation, construction, and reconstruction of necessary associated facilities such as drainage and traffic control devices, or the maintenance, rehabilitation, installation, construction, and reconstruction of facilities that expand ridership on transit systems, safety projects to reduce fatalities, or as a local match to obtain state or federal transportation funds for similar purposes.(5) At the conclusion of each fiscal year during which a city or county expends the funds it has received under this subdivision, including any interest or other return earned on the investment of these funds, the Controller may verify the city's or county's compliance with paragraph (4). Any city or county that has not complied with paragraph (4) shall reimburse the state for the funds it received during that fiscal year, including any interest or other return earned on the investment of these funds. Any funds withheld or returned as a result of a failure to comply with paragraph (4) shall be reallocated to the other counties and cities whose expenditures are in compliance.Amended by Stats 2013 ch 352 (AB 1317),s 223, eff. 9/26/2013, op. 7/1/2013.Amended by Stats 2010 ch 618 (AB 2791),s 116, eff. 1/1/2011.Amended by Stats 2009 ch 229 (AB 282),s 1, eff. 1/1/2010.Added by Stats 2006 ch 25 (SB 1266),s 1, eff. 5/16/2006.