The new two-year session started on December 5, 2016. The state legislative transportation committee chairs, Senator Beall and Assembly Member Frazier, reintroduced a $6 billion/year transportation funding package in December 2016 (Senate Bill 1 and Assembly Bill 1, see attachments 1-2). The package is a reformulation of a proposal that did not move during the regular session that ended on August 31, nor during the extraordinary session for transportation, that ended on November 30. There is a new balance of power in the state legislature that may change the efforts for negotiating a transportation funding package moving ahead, as any revenue-increasing measure requires a 2/3 vote of the legislature. Frazier's AB 1 includes a set-aside of matching funds for Self-Help Counties, which now includes Monterey County.
Assembly Member Frazier also introduced urgency legislation (AB 28) to permanently extend Caltrans authority as a federal environmental review (National Environmental Policy Act, NEPA) delegate, authority originally approved in 2006. The legislation has support in both houses and should be fast-tracked through the legislative process. The current authority expired on January 1, 2017, delaying many projects throughout the state funded in whole or in part with federal monies. The Federal Highway Administration is not staffed to handle the extra workload and will have limited ability to oversee the additional California projects. TAMC sent a letter supporting this bill (see attachment 3).
The deadline for bill introduction is February 11, 2017. Staff will present a draft bill list to the Executive Committee and this Board in February or March.