California Assembly Bill AB177 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 177AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Price FEBRUARY 2, 2009 An act  relating to energy   to add Section 13985 to the Government Code, relating to economic development  . LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 177, as amended, Price.  Energy: Green Economy Inclusion Act of 2009.   Economic development.   The Business, Transportation and Housing Agency has various duties regarding general supervision over the operation of the departments within the agency, including the Department of Housing and Community Development.   This bill would authorize the agency to develop regional plans and collaborative efforts in specified fields regarding economic development.   The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt regulations to require the reporting and verification of emissions of greenhouse gases and to monitor and enforce compliance with the reporting and verification program, and requires the state board to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limit equivalent to the statewide GHG emissions levels in 1990 to be achieved by 2020. The act requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations in an open public process to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective GHG emission reductions.   This bill would enact the Green Economy Inclusion Act of 2009 and would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to ensure greater equity and inclusion of all Californians in the future of developing and implementing climate change, transportation, land use, and economic stimulus policies to reduce GHG emissions in California.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:   (a) California's urban communities and neighborhoods within its largest cities are remarkably diverse in their people, businesses, and cultural heritage, and provide an enormous unrealized potential for development of a skilled, educated, and sustainable workforce.   (b) The state has a very high interest in helping urban communities realize their potential because, among other things, uplifting these communities generates higher tax revenue, lowers social costs, and improves the health and overall quality of life for residents.   (c) By supporting public-private partnerships, business, education, and law enforcement entities in at-risk, underserved communities, the state ensures a longstanding commitment to economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights.   (d) Improving the economy and overall quality of life for the people in at-risk urban communities requires a concerted, coordinated, and creative response from leaders at all levels of government and from the community.   (e) The Business, Transportation and Housing Agency has established the California Urban Communities Collaborative, a voluntary initiative that includes various pilot projects intended to, among other things, facilitate collaboration among state and local government agencies, community-based organizations, and the private sector for the purpose of identifying, accessing, and coordinating delivery of public and private resources to at-risk urban communities within specified metropolitan areas to stabilize the social structure, increase the living standards and the overall economic performance, and improve the health of at-risk communities.   (f) Supporting collaborative efforts for the leveraging of private and nonprofit sector resources with public funds through collaborative projects that can result in increased employment and a higher standard of living in California urban communities.   SEC. 2.   Section 13985 is added to the   Government Code   , to read:   13985. The Business, Transportation and Housing Agency may develop regional plans and collaborative efforts that include, but are not limited to, any of the following: (1) Development of locally coordinated efforts that brings together people, programs, and resources in an efficient collaboration in the areas of health, education, public safety, housing, economic development, employment, and job training. (2) Identification of public and private resources consistent with the local community revitalization strategies. (3) Analysis of relevant programs and policies of government agencies to determine what changes, modifications, or innovations should be considered in state or local programs in the areas of health, education, public safety, housing, economic development, employment, or job training, if any, to better serve communities and neighborhoods. (4) Development of short-term, intermediate, and long-term options for promoting sustainable economic development. (5) Recommendations to integrate state initiatives and programs into the design of sustainable economic and community development action plans for the state's at-risk urban communities, consistent with community revitalization plans. (6) Development of an annual work plan that details how the specific goals, objectives, and actions will be achieved.   SECTION 1.  This act shall be known as the Green Economy Inclusion Act of 2009.  SEC. 2.   The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) California communities most impacted by pollution, poor health, and poverty lack the capacity to fully comprehend and participate in the complex process of implementing the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. (b) There are a number of equity groups who are concerned that the public health and economic benefits of implementing the act, particularly as those benefits relate to low-income and urban populations of color, have not been adequately presented, analyzed, or incorporated into the implementation framework. Those concerns include, but are not limited to, the costs for consumers and small businesses, and inclusive standards for carbon offset sales. (c) It is critical that adequate opportunity exists for all Californians to help ensure equitable emission reductions, cap-and-trade or carbon offset sales program and regulations development, as well as maximum social and technological innovation in the future. (d) Authoritative data on California's energy, water, infrastructure, small business, home ownership, vocational training, and science and engineering workforce deficits attribute the deficits to a chronic lack of capital, regulatory barriers and costs, and fragmented approaches to policy implementation and action-oriented responses. (e) The implementation of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 presents a tremendous opportunity to stimulate California' s low-income urban area economies, especially because the state currently lacks an overall economic development and job creation strategy.   SEC. 3.   It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to ensure greater equity and inclusion of all Californians in the future of developing and implementing climate change, transportation, land use, and economic stimulus policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California.