Existing law, 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 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 as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available for appropriation.

Existing law requires the California Department of Aging to designate various private nonprofit or public agencies as area agencies on aging to work for the interests of older Californians within a planning and service area and provide a broad array of social and nutritional services. Existing law states that the mission of the department is to provide leadership to the area agencies on aging in developing systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or the least restrictive homelike environments. Existing law establishes certain wellness, injury prevention, and other programs within the department to serve both older individuals and persons with a disability, as defined.

This bill would make grant awards available under the State Air Resources Board’s Clean Mobility Options program for disadvantaged communities and low-income communities to eligible applicants, including, but not limited to, area agencies on aging and public transit operators. The grant awards would be used to fund transportation to and from nonemergency medical services for older individuals and persons with disabilities, for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The bill would require that transportation be made available using the purchase, lease, operation, or maintenance of zero-emission vehicles, or, under specified circumstances, near-zero-emission vehicles, with a capacity for 7 to 15 passengers, inclusive.

The bill would authorize the allocation of moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to fund the grant program.

This bill would require the California Department of Aging, on or before July 1, 2020, to hold a public workshop devoted to the topic of overcoming barriers in providing transportation to and from nonemergency medical services for older individuals and persons with disabilities. The bill would specify the components of the workshop, including, but not limited to, presentations by the State Air Resources Board and public transit agencies on specified issues. The bill would repeal the public workshop provisions on January 1, 2021.