BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1420
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Date of Hearing: June 24, 1996
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Larry Bowler, Chair
SB 1420 (Kopp) - As Amended: June 17, 1996
SENATE VOTE: 37-0
SUBJECT: High Speed rail
SUMMARY: Establishes a High-Speed Rail Authority. Specifically, this bill:
1) Establishes a nine-member High-Speed Rail Authority with five members
appointed by the Governor and two each by the Senate Rules Committee and
the Speaker of the Assembly. The authority may appoint an executive
director who may appoint necessary staff.
2) Requires the authority to develop and implement high speed rail service
that interconnects with existing intercity rail and bus services and
prepare and submit to the Governor and Legislature, for legislative or
voter approval, a plan for construction and operation of a high-speed
train network consistent with the work of the Intercity High-Speed Rail
Commission.
3) Authorizes the authority to conduct engineering and other project
development studies, select an appropriate high-speed rail system,
establish criteria for the award of a franchise, accept funds from public
and private sources, select a franchisee, select proposed route and
terminal sites, enter into contracts for plan preparation, prepare a
financing plan, and submit a financial plan for placement on the ballot in
November 1998 or November 2000.
4) Authorizes the authority, upon receiving either legislative or voter
approval, to contract for design, construction and operation of a
high-speed rail network, and to take associated implementation steps
(issue debt, acquire right of way, set fares and schedules, etc.).
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.
EXISTING LAW:
1) Establishes a High-Speed Rail Commission.
2) Directs the commission to prepare a 20-year high-speed rail plan for
California.
BACKGROUND: SCR 6 (Kopp) of 1996 created the High-Speed Rail Commission and
directed the commission to prepare a 20-year high-speed rail plan for
California. The commission is in the process of completing its work and its
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final report is expected to be adopted by the end of the year. This bill is
intended to build on the efforts of the commission and allow the process to go
forward to a point where either the Legislature or the voters will be asked to
authorize a fully-developed plan for the construction and operation of
high-speed rail in California.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: The state's freeway system is essentially "built out"
and is incapable of fully meeting current traffic demands, let alone
increasing demands anticipated as a result of projected population and
economic growth. Experience in Europe and Japan indicates that high-speed
rail is both technologically feasible and capable of achieving significant
mobility benefits.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION: Preliminary estimates reveal that a high-speed rail
system is likely to cost in the neighborhood of $15 billion. Financing
options include a 1/4 cent sales tax increase or a gasoline sales tax increase
equivalent to more than five cents per gallon. With an investment of this
magnitude, it could be argued that improvements to existing highway, rail, and
transit systems would have a much higher payoff than would high-speed rail in
terms of alleviating traffic congestion and associated transportation
problems.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Unknown
Opposition
Unknown
Analysis prepared by: Howard Posner / atrans / 445-7278
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