California Legislation Watch: Weekly Update

Here is Streetsblog’s weekly highlight of California legislation related to sustainable transportation.

School Zone Safety: S.B. 1151 from Anthony Canella (R-Ceres) would raise fines for traffic infractions within school zones. The bill passed the Assembly Transportation Committee, 14-0, and now goes to the Appropriations Committee.

Vulnerable User Law Jumps Ahead: A.B. 2398 from Marc Levine (D-San Rafael) was withdrawn from the Senate Public Safety Committee because that committee agreed with a recent amendment to lower the limit on maximum fines under the bill. Now it goes straight to Appropriations, where the deadline to get out of that committee is August 15. Session ends August 31.

Hit-and-Run Bills on Track: Two bills from Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) both passed their committees this week. A.B. 47 would create a “yellow alert” system to find hit-and-run perpetrators and A.B. 1532 would automatically suspend a driver's license for leaving the scene of a crash where someone is hit. A.B. 1532 was also amended to add the possibility charging a of a non-injury hit-and-run as either an infraction or a misdemeanor, but the six-month license suspension remains.

Bicycle Infrastructure Funds From Vehicle Registrations: S.B. 1183 by Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) passed the Assembly Transportation Committee after being amended this week. This bill would allow local agencies to propose a fee of no more than $5 on vehicle registrations to pay for the maintenance of bike paths. The fee would have to be approved by two-thirds of the voters in the districts where it would apply. This week's amendments include the addition of a sunset date of January 2025 and a requirement to report to the legislature on revenues received and projects supported by the fee. The 10-4 vote moves it to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Protected Bike Lanes: A.B. 1193 from Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) was amended and passed the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee this week.

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