Five Wolk bills move from Senate Appropriations

Bills include legislation on flood protection, avian flu, local transportation funding

SACRAMENTO–The State Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday passed five bills by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) dealing with flood protection, avian flu, and local transportation funding.

“These bills deal with some of the state’s most critical issues,” said Wolk. “I am pleased that the committee recognized their significance, not only to my own constituents, but to all Californians. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to pass these bills to the Governor for his signature.”

The five pieces of legislation are as follows:

Flood Protection

• Assembly Bill 1899 addresses the principal elements of flood protection, requiring that 100-year level flood protection be certified before any new housing subdivisions are built in areas of the Central Valley that will flood over three feet—and that housing projects have a ten-year plan to reach 200-year level flood protection. Currently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency only requires 100-year level flood protection for certain floodplains within the valley.
• AB 802 ensures that local agencies consider flood risks before building in flood-prone regions. The bill requires flood-plain planning in general plans to address the risk to life and property from flooding, similar to requirements for areas prone to earthquakes and/or fire hazards.
• AB 798 enables the state to continue paying the majority of ongoing costs for Delta levee projects, making it easier for local governments to afford maintenance and improvement to satisfy urgent needs.

Avian Flu

• AB 874 increases the state’s preparedness for an outbreak of the avian flu by requiring the development and implementation of a plan to monitor avian flu in wild migratory birds, one of the ways the virus could spread to domestic poultry, and potentially humans, in California. The bill also calls for the development of strategies for rapid response and reporting of information on the disease, and for interagency communication and coordination in addressing any incidences of the disease detected in wild birds.

Local Transportation Funding

AB 2538 increases funding for local or regional transportation agencies for project planning and monitoring, avoiding delays in construction projects. The bill allows each transportation planning agency or county transportation commission to use up to 5 percent of their “county share” of State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funds for planning, programming, and monitoring.