BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE RULES COMMITTEE SB 1420
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
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Bill No: SB 1420
Author: Kopp (I) & Costa (D)
Amended: 8/27/96
Vote: 21
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SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: 9-0, 3/19/96
AYES: Ayala, Boatwright, Hayden, Johnston, Monteith,
Polanco, Russell, Kelley, Kopp
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
SENATE FLOOR: 37-0, 5/24/96
AYES: Alquist, Ayala, Beverly, Boatwright, Calderon,
Costa, Dills, Greene, Hayden, Haynes, Hughes,
Johannessen, Johnson, Johnston, Kelley, Killea, Kopp,
Leonard, Leslie, Lewis, Lockyer, Maddy, Marks, Mello,
Monteith, Mountjoy, O'Connell, Peace, Petris, Polanco,
Rogers, Rosenthal, Sher, Solis, Thompson, Watson, Wright
NOT VOTING: Craven, Hurtt, Russell
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 56-13, 8/29/96 - See last page for vote
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SUBJECT: High-speed Rail Act
SOURCE: Author
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DIGEST: This bill would create the High-Speed Rail
Authority, consisting of nine members.
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SB 1420
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As this bill left the Senate, it was the vehicle for these
provisions. All provisions of the bill were placed into
this bill in the Assembly.
ANALYSIS: SCR 6 (Kopp) of 1993 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 final report is expected to be adopted by the end of
1996.
According to the author's office, this bill was introduced
as a vehicle to implement the recommendations of the
commission when those recommendations are adopted. The
author has made the commitment to bring this bill back to
the Senate Transportation Committee when specifics are
amended into the bill.
This bill 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. The Authority
would terminate on December 31, 2000.
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
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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 (e.g., issue
debt, acquire right of way, set fares and schedules).
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT: (Verified 8/29/96)
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OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/29/96)
Business, Transportation and Housing Agency
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author's office,
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
one-fourth 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. The Business,
Transportation and Housing Agency argues that all authority
members should be appointed by the Governor and that any
financial plan which includes bonding be approved by the
Legislature prior to being presented to the voters.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR:
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AYES: Ackerman, Aguiar, Alby, Alpert, Baca, Baldwin,
Bates, Battin, Boland, Bordonaro, Bowen, Bowler, Brewer,
Brown, Brulte, Burton, Bustamante, Cannella, Conroy,
Cunneen, Davis, Ducheny, Escutia, Figueroa, Firestone,
Friedman, Gallegos, Goldsmith, Hannigan, Harvey, Hauser,
Hoge, House, Isenberg, Katz, Knight, Knox, Kuykendall,
Machado, Martinez, Mazzoni, McPherson, Morrow, K. Murray,
W. Murray, Napolitano, Poochigian, Rainey, Rogan, Speier,
Sweeney, Takasugi, Tucker, Vasconcellos, Villaraigosa,
Weggeland
NOES: Baugh, Frusetta, Hawkins, Kaloogian, Knowles,
Margett, Migden, Miller, Morrissey, Olberg, Thompson,
Woods, Pringle
NOT VOTING: Archie-Hudson, Caldera, Campbell, Cortese,
Granlund, Kuehl, Lee, Richter, Setencich
RJG:ctl 8/30/96 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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