California Assembly Bill AB156 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 156AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 26, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Perea JANUARY 20, 2015 An act to amend Section 39713  of   of, and to add Section 39713.5 to,  the Health and Safety Code, relating to greenhouse gases. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 156, as amended, Perea. California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: investment plan. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases.  The state board is required to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020.  The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation. Existing law requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to identify disadvantaged communities and requires the Department of Finance, in consultation with the state board and any other relevant state agency, to develop, as specified, a 3-year investment plan for the moneys deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.  Existing law requires the 3-year investment plan to allocate a minimum of 25% of the available moneys in the fund to projects that provide benefits to disadvantaged communities.   This bill would require the state board to establish a comprehensive technical assistance program, upon the appropriation of moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, for eligible applicants, as specified, assisting disadvantaged communities.  This bill would  also  require the department to include in the 3-year investment plan an allocation  to the state board  to provide technical assistance to disadvantaged communities to assist them in  proposing   developing project proposals for  specified  projects for inclusion in the 3-year investment plan.   projects.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 39713 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 39713. (a) The investment plan developed and submitted to the Legislature, pursuant to Section 39716, shall allocate a minimum of 25 percent of the available moneys in the fund to projects that provide benefits to communities described in Section 39711. (b) The investment plan shall allocate a minimum of 10 percent of the available moneys in the fund to projects located within communities described in Section 39711. (c) The allocation pursuant to subdivision (b) may be, but need not be, for projects included, in whole or in part, in the set of projects supported by the allocation described in subdivision (a). (d) The investment plan shall allocate from the available moneys in the fund technical assistance moneys  to the state board  to assist the communities described in Section 39711 in  proposing   developing project proposals for  projects described in this section. That allocation of technical assistance moneys shall not be used to satisfy the requirements of subdivisions (a) and (b).  SEC. 2.   Section 39713.5 is added to the   Health and Safety Code   , to read:   39713.5. (a) Upon appropriation of moneys from the fund, the state board shall establish a comprehensive technical assistance program, consistent with subdivision (d) of Section 39713, for eligible applicants assisting disadvantaged communities identified pursuant to Section 39711. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, regional agencies and nonprofit organizations coordinating with local governments. (b) The program established pursuant to this section shall provide assistance to eligible applicants with any of the following: (1) Identifying state agencies with appropriate grant programs. (2) Developing competitive project proposals to apply for moneys available through state agencies or pursuant to this chapter. (3) Coordinating existing local programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with new programs receiving moneys pursuant to this chapter. (4) Conducting community outreach to residents of disadvantaged communities identified pursuant to Section 39711 on consumer programs receiving state or local moneys pursuant to this chapter or for other programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The programs may include, but are not limited to, programs that also improve air quality, reduce residential and commercial water use, and increase residential and commercial energy efficiency.