At its December 2009 meeting, the Commission approved criteria to guide Commission staff in monitoring legislation and selecting bills that should be brought forward for Commission consideration.

Criteria to Guide Staff in Monitoring Bills

An over-arching criterion is that a bill must directly affect transportation on a statewide basis. Bills meeting one or more of the criteria will be brought forward to the Commission for consideration.

A bill must:

• Involve funding or a funding mechanism for transportation (capital and operations)
• Involve the implementation of green house gas emissions reduction and transportation (e.g., AB 32)
• Involve the implementation of transportation and land use and planning (e.g., SB 375)
• Involve the environmental process and transportation (e.g., CEQA)
• Involve changes to the way transportation projects are delivered

Additional criteria for bringing a bill forward for consideration is a bill that:

• Affects the Commission directly (e.g., changes in Commission responsibility, policy impact or operations) or
• Is recommended by a Commissioner for consideration by the Commission at its next regularly scheduled meeting

Commission staff will limit monitoring to those bills selected by the Commission. Staff will:

• Report at Commission meetings on the bills’ progress
• Prepare analyses and recommendations
• Testify at committee hearings on those bills where the Commission has taken a position
• Continue to meet regularly with Caltrans and Legislative staff to discuss bills moving through the legislative process
• Inform the Administration of the Commission’s position on bills that pass the Legislature