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HR-97 (2019-2020)

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HR97:v99#DOCUMENT

Revised  June 11, 2020

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

House Resolution
No. 97

Introduced by Assembly Member Frazier
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Bigelow, Brough, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Choi, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Daly, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Friedman, Gallagher, Gipson, Grayson, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Nazarian, Obernolte, Patterson, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Smith, Mark Stone, Voepel, Waldron, and Wood Wood, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Burke, Cervantes, Megan Dahle, Diep, Gabriel, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gloria, Irwin, Kamlager, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Muratsuchi, Petrie-Norris, Ramos, Reyes, Blanca Rubio, Weber, and Wicks)

June 03, 2020

Relative to high-speed rail.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


HR 97, as introduced, Frazier.
WHEREAS, The High-Speed Rail Authority released its Draft 2020 Business Plan on February 12, 2020; and
WHEREAS, After meeting all of its existing federal and regional commitments, the High-Speed Rail Authority estimates that there is approximately $5 billion remaining in available high-speed rail funding; and
WHEREAS, The Draft 2020 Business Plan proposes to use all of these remaining funds to construct a fully electrified high-speed passenger rail line between the City of Merced and the City of Bakersfield; and
WHEREAS, The Draft 2020 Business Plan requires the Legislature to appropriate $4.2 billion in remaining Proposition 1A bond funds; and
WHEREAS, The Draft 2020 Business Plan anticipates requesting this appropriation as part of the Budget Act of 2021; and
WHEREAS, The Draft 2020 Business Plan anticipates taking steps before this appropriation that would commit the state to the High-Speed Rail Authority’s proposed plan, and would preclude consideration of any alternatives; and
WHEREAS, These steps include signing a contract for constructing track and electrification with a 30-year maintenance commitment, signing a contract for procurement of electric high-speed train sets, and acquiring land to extend existing construction north to the City of Merced and south to the City of Bakersfield; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly has an active role in appropriating $4.2 billion in remaining Proposition 1A bond funds, and must be respected for their role to provide input before key decisions on the high-speed rail project’s future direction; and be it further
Resolved, That the Assembly has the time to provide appropriate oversight and thoughtful consideration of all project alternatives without discussions and debate being prematurely stopped through actions by the High-Speed Rail Authority proposed to take place in the fall of 2020; and be it further
Resolved, That the High-Speed Rail Authority is hereby directed to not proceed with the execution of track and systems or train set procurements, or with the acquisition of the right-of-way along the City of Merced and the City of Bakersfield extensions, until the Assembly has considered and approved the High-Speed Rail Authority’s funding request for appropriation of the remaining bond funds; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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REVISIONS:
Heading—Line 8.
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