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SB-800 Advanced Air Mobility, Zero-Emission, and Electrification Aviation Advisory Panel.(2023-2024)

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Date Published: 10/09/2023 09:00 PM
SB800:v92#DOCUMENT

Senate Bill No. 800
CHAPTER 416

An act to add and repeal Section 21208 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to aviation.

[ Approved by Governor  October 07, 2023. Filed with Secretary of State  October 07, 2023. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 800, Caballero. Advanced Air Mobility, Zero-Emission, and Electrification Aviation Advisory Panel.
Existing law, the State Aeronautics Act, governs various matters relative to aviation in the state, and authorizes the Department of Transportation to adopt, administer, and enforce rules and regulations for the administration of the act.
This bill would require the department to establish an advisory panel, to be known as the Advanced Air Mobility, Zero-Emission, and Electrification Aviation Advisory Panel, to assess the feasibility and readiness of existing infrastructure, the development of a 3-year prioritized workplan, and pathways for promoting equity of access to advanced air mobility infrastructure, as specified. The bill would provide for the appointment of the membership of the advisory panel. The bill would require the department to report, not later than January 1, 2025, to the Legislature on the infrastructure feasibility and readiness study and the 3-year prioritized workplan, as specified. The bill would exempt meetings of the advisory panel from the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2026.
Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 21208 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

21208.
 (a) The department shall establish an advisory panel to be known as the Advanced Air Mobility, Zero-Emission, and Electrification Aviation Advisory Panel to assess all of the following:
(1) The feasibility and readiness of existing infrastructure in the state to support a vertiport network to facilitate the development of advanced air mobility services.
(2) The development of a three-year prioritized workplan that maps out medium-term state activities necessary for the state to advance advanced air mobility services for Californians.
(3) Pathways for promoting equity of access to advanced air mobility infrastructure to ensure open access and prohibit the monopolization of advanced air mobility infrastructure ownership and operations.
(b) Members of the advisory panel shall be appointed by the department as follows:
(1) Representatives from appropriate state agencies and departments, as determined by the department, including, but not limited to, the Office of Planning and Research and the State Air Resources Board.
(2) A representative from the general aviation industry.
(3) A representative from commercial airports.
(4) Representatives of local government.
(5) Representatives of the advanced air mobility industry.
(6) Other representatives as deemed necessary by the department.
(c) (1) Not later than January 1, 2025, the department shall report to the Legislature on the infrastructure feasibility and readiness study and the three-year prioritized workplan described in subdivision (a).
(2) A report to be submitted to the Legislature pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(d) The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) shall not apply to meetings of the advisory panel established pursuant to this section.
(e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2026, and as of that date is repealed.

SEC. 2.

 The Legislature finds and declares that Section 1 of this act, which adds Section 21208 to the Public Utilities Code, imposes a limitation on the public’s right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies within the meaning of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution. Pursuant to that constitutional provision, the Legislature makes the following findings to demonstrate the interest protected by this limitation and the need for protecting that interest:
In order to allow the Advanced Air Mobility, Zero-Emission, and Electrification Aviation Advisory Panel to conduct its work in a quick manner given the short timelines associated with the reporting requirements of the bill, it is necessary to exempt the advisory panel from the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. The advisory panel has no decisionmaking authority that would negatively or positively impact any constituent.