AB 1525: Transportation projects: priority populations.

Existing law establishes within state government the Transportation Agency, which consists of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, the California Transportation Commission, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Transportation, the High-Speed Rail Authority, and the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun. The agency is under the supervision of the Secretary of Transportation, who has the power of general supervision over each department within the agency. The secretary, among other duties, is charged with developing and reporting to the Governor on legislative, budgetary, and administrative programs to accomplish coordinated planning and policy formulation in matters of public interest, including transportation projects.

This bill would require the agency, the Department of Transportation, and the California Transportation Commission, on and after or before July 1, 2024, 2025, to ensure that at least 60% of the moneys allocated for agency, Department of Transportation, or California Transportation Commission projects, as defined, are allocated for projects that are located in priority populations, as defined, address an important need of priority populations, and provide at least 5 direct, meaningful, and assured benefits, or additional cobenefits, to priority populations, as specified. The bill would require the agency to evaluate jointly develop and adopt criteria and an evaluation process for purposes of jointly evaluating each agency, Department of Transportation, or California Transportation Commission project to project, as defined, to, among other things, determine if the project would be located in a priority population, address an important need of a priority population, and provide a direct, meaningful, and assured benefit to a priority population, and to, on or before July 1, 2024, develop and adopt criteria and an evaluation process for that purpose. The bill would require the agency to select a third-party governmental entity to audit and review that criteria, the agencys evaluation of those projects, and the allocations made for purposes of meeting the requirement that 60% of those moneys benefit priority populations, as specified. as specified. The bill would require the agency, the Department of Transportation, and the California Transportation Commission, on and after July 1, 2025, to jointly evaluate all new proposed projects by the criteria, and, on or before July 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, to jointly submit a report to the Legislature that evaluates how projects funded during the prior year impacted priority populations, as specified. The bill would require the agency, the California Transportation Commission, and the Department of Transportation, on or before July 1, 2026, and triennially thereafter, to jointly establish a percentage, of at least 60%, of moneys allocated for agency, Department of Transportation, or California Transportation Commission projects, excluding administrative costs, to be allocated for projects that are located in priority populations, address an important need of priority populations, and provide at least 5 direct, meaningful, and assured benefits, or additional cobenefits, to priority populations, and would require those entities to allocate moneys consistent with that established percentage.