An informational hearing on the 2014 water bond is set for Sept. 24 in the state Senate.
The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and the Senate Environmental Quality Committee have slated the joint hearing, titled “Setting the Stage for a 2014 Water Bond: Where Are We and Where Do We Need To Go?,” for 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in room 4203 of the state Capitol.
The agenda is not yet available.
The first year of the 2013-’14 legislative session is set to adjourn by midnight Sept. 13. Two bills addressing the 2014 water bond received major rewrites in recent weeks but are not expected to be taken up for a vote before lawmakers adjourn.
Assembly Bill 1331, as amended Aug. 26, proposes a $6.5 billion bond that would be known as the Climate Change Response for Clean and Safe Drinking Water Act of 2014. The proposed bond, based on a framework developed by a working group headed by Assembly Member Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), would fund clean and safe drinking water projects ($1 billion); protection of rivers, lakes, streams and watersheds ($1.5 billion); climate change preparedness for regional water security ($1.5 billion); Delta sustainability ($1 billion); and water storage for climate change ($1.5 billion continuously appropriated).
On the Senate side, Sen. Lois Wolk has amended her SB 42 to propose a $5.6 billion water bond for the 2014 ballot that would be known as the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Flood Protection Act of 2014.
The proposed bond would fund safe drinking water projects ($1.5 billion), water quality and watershed protection projects ($1.8 billion), flood control and stormwater management ($1.3 billion), water system operation improvements, including storage ($1 billion).
AB 1331 and SB 42 are currently in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.
One or both of the bills may be amended before the Legislature adjourns this week. ACWA will analyze any new amendments in preparation for the hearing on Sept. 24.
ACWA’s Position on the 2014 Water Bond
ACWA’s Board of Directors has directed staff to support modifications to the existing 2014 water bond to protect key priority areas and reduce its size. As a statewide organization, ACWA is prioritizing funding for elements that have statewide importance, including water storage and Delta ecosystem restoration. ACWA is also prioritizing funding for disadvantaged communities that do not have safe drinking water.
More on ACWA’s position is available at here.
Information for this page was copied from – http://www.acwa.com/news/state-legislation/joint-informational-hearing-water-bond-set-sept-24