Bill Text: CA AB970 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled

California Assembly Bill 970 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: California Department of Aging: grants: transportation.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2020-01-21 - Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file. [AB970 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB970-Enrolled.html

Enrolled September 06, 2019

Passed IN Senate September 03, 2019

Passed IN Assembly September 05, 2019

Amended IN Senate August 29, 2019

Amended IN Senate July 05, 2019

Amended IN Assembly April 12, 2019

Amended IN Assembly March 20, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 970

Introduced by Assembly Member Salas

February 21, 2019

An act to add Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 9580) to Division 8.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to aging.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 970, Salas. California Department of Aging: grants: transportation.

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.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

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

SECTION 1.

Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 9580) is added to Division 8.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

CHAPTER 8.5. Transportation for Medical Services

9580.

(a) For purposes of this section, “near-zero-emission vehicle” and “zero-emission vehicle” have the same meanings as those terms are defined in Section 44258 of the Health and Safety Code.

(b) Grant awards for projects to provide transportation to and from nonemergency medical services for older individuals, as defined in Section 9018, and persons with disabilities, as defined in Section 9653, shall be available under the State Air Resources Board’s Clean Mobility Options program for disadvantaged communities and low-income communities for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

(c) Eligible applicants who may apply for grants pursuant to this section shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) Local or regional transportation agencies that provide transportation services to seniors and persons with disabilities.

(2) Area agencies on aging.

(3) Counties.

(4) Public transit operators.

(d) An applicant that has been awarded a grant shall use the funds to provide transportation services as described in subdivision (e).

(e) (1) Eligible transportation includes transportation to and from nonemergency medical services for older individuals and persons with disabilities, as described in subdivision (b).

(2) Eligible transportation shall be made available using the purchase, lease, operation, or maintenance of zero-emission vehicles with a capacity for 7 to 15 passengers, inclusive. Near-zero-emission vehicles shall be eligible if zero-emission options are not available.

(f) An applicant that has been awarded a grant may use grant moneys to cover reasonable administrative costs incurred by the applicant under this section.

9581.

Moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, created pursuant to Section 16428.8 of the Government Code may be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to fund the grant program described in Section 9580.

SEC. 2.

(a) On or before July 1, 2020, the California Department of Aging shall hold a public workshop devoted to the topic of overcoming barriers to providing transportation to and from nonemergency medical services for older individuals and persons with disabilities. The workshop shall include, at a minimum, an identification of existing funding sources for these transportation purposes, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1) A presentation from the State Air Resources Board on existing state clean transportation incentive programs that could fund these transportation purposes.

(2) A presentation from public transit agencies on all existing funding options available to them that could fund these transportation purposes.

(3) A discussion of strategies and options that could be employed to better utilize existing funding sources to fund these transportation purposes.

(b) The results of the workshop held pursuant to subdivision (a) may be considered for inclusion in the Master Plan for Aging established pursuant to Executive Order N-14-19.