CHAPTER 10. California Clean Schoolbus Program [44299.90. - 44299.91.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 10.

in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 44299.90. Section 44299.90.

The Legislature finds and declares as follows: (a) Diesel emissions from schoolbuses contribute to significant health and safety risk to children, cause air pollution, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. (b) The intent of this chapter is to ensure funds made available by the Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security Bond Act of 2006 are equitably distributed among geographic regions to retrofit and replace older and higher polluting schoolbuses in furtherance of improving air quality and protecting public health.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 44299.91. Section 44299.91.

Of the funds appropriated pursuant to Item 3900-001-6053 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2007, the State Air Resources Board shall allocate the funds in accordance with all of the following: (a) All schoolbuses in operation in the state of model year 1976 or earlier shall be replaced. (b) (1) The funds remaining after the allocation made pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be apportioned to local air quality management districts and air pollution control districts based on the number of schoolbuses of model years 1977 to 1986, inclusive, that are in operation within each district. (2) Each district shall determine the percentage of its allocation to spend between replacement of schoolbuses of model years 1977 to 1986, inclusive, and retrofit of schoolbuses of any model year. Of the funds spent by a district for replacement of schoolbuses pursuant to this paragraph, a district shall replace the oldest schoolbuses of model years 1977 to 1986, inclusive, within the district. Of the funds spent by a district for retrofit of schoolbuses pursuant to this paragraph, a district shall retrofit the most polluting schoolbuses within the district. (c) All schoolbuses replaced pursuant to this section shall be scrapped. (d) These funds shall be administered by either the California Energy Commission or the local air district. (e) If a local air district’s funds, including accrued interest, are not committed by an executed contract as reported to the State Air Resources Board on or before June 30, 2012, then those funds shall be transferred, on or before January 1, 2013, to another local air district that demonstrates an ability to expend the funds by January 1, 2014. In implementing this section, the State Air Resources Board in consultation with the local air districts shall, by September 30, 2012, establish a list of potential recipient local air districts, prioritizing local air districts with the most polluting schoolbuses and the greatest need for schoolbus funding. (f) Each allocation made pursuant to this section to a local air district shall provide enough funding for at least one project to be implemented pursuant to the Lower-Emission School Bus Program adopted by the State Air Resources Board. In the event a local air district has unspent funds as of January 1, 2014, the local air district shall work with the State Air Resources Board to transfer the unspent funds to an alternative local air district with existing demand. (g) Funds made available pursuant to this chapter to a local air district shall be expended by June 30, 2014. (h) All funds not expended by a local air district by June 30, 2014, shall be returned to the State Air Resources Board. (i) Funds authorized by the State Air Resources Board during or subsequent to the 2013–14 fiscal year shall be allocated to local air districts by prioritizing to retrofit or replace the most polluting schoolbuses in small local air districts first and then medium local air districts as defined by the State Air Resources Board. Each allocation shall provide sufficient funding for at least one project to be implemented pursuant to the Lower-Emission School Bus Program adopted by the State Air Resources Board. If a local air district has unspent funds within six months of the expenditure deadline, the local air district shall work with the State Air Resources Board to transfer those funds to an alternative local air district with existing demand.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 44299.901. Section 44299.901.

(a) As used in this chapter and in Chapter 12.49 (commencing with Section 8879.20) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) “Administrative agency” means the state agency responsible for programming bond funds made available by Chapter 12.49 (commencing with Section 8879.20) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, as specified in subdivision (c). (2) Unless otherwise specified in this chapter, “project” includes equipment purchase, right-of-way acquisition, and project delivery costs. (3) “Recipient agency” means the recipient of bond funds made available by Chapter 12.49 (commencing with Section 8879.20) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code that is responsible for implementation of an approved project. (4) “Fund” shall have the meaning as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 8879.20 of the Government Code. (b) Administrative costs, including audit and program oversight costs for the agency administering the program funded pursuant to this chapter, recoverable by bond funds shall not exceed 5 percent of the program’s costs. (c) The State Air Resources Board is the administrative agency for the schoolbus retrofit and replacement allocation pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 8879.23 of the Government Code. (d) The administrative agency may not approve project fund allocations for any project until the recipient agency provides a project funding plan that demonstrates that the funds are expected to be reasonably available and sufficient to complete the project. The administrative agency may approve funding for useable project segments only if the benefits associated with each individual segment are sufficient to meet the objectives of the program from which the individual segment is funded. (e) Guidelines adopted by the administrative agency pursuant to this chapter and Chapter 12.49 (commencing with Section 8879.20) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code are intended to provide internal guidance for the agency and shall be exempt from the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of the Government Code), and shall do all of the following: (1) Provide for audit of project expenditures and outcomes. (2) Require that the useful life of the project be identified as part of the project nomination process. (3) Require that project nominations have project delivery milestones, including, but not limited to, start and completion dates for environmental clearance, land acquisition, design, construction bid award, construction completion, and project closeout, as applicable. (f) (1) As a condition for allocation of funds to a specific project under Chapter 12.49 (commencing with Section 8879.20), the administrative agency shall require the recipient agency to report, on a semiannual basis, on the activities and progress made toward implementation of the project. The administrative agency shall forward the report to the Department of Finance by means approved by the Department of Finance. The purpose of the report is to ensure that the project is being executed in a timely fashion, and is within the scope and budget identified when the decision was made to fund the project. If it is anticipated that project costs will exceed the approved project budget, the recipient agency shall provide a plan to the administrative agency for achieving the benefits of the project by either downscoping the project to remain within budget or by identifying an alternative funding source to meet the cost increase. The administrative agency may either approve the corrective plan or direct the recipient agency to modify its plan. (2) Within six months of the project becoming operable, the recipient agency shall provide a report to the administrative agency on the final costs of the project as compared to the approved project budget, the project duration as compared to the original project schedule as of the date of allocation, and performance outcomes derived from the project compared to those described in the original application for funding. The administrative agency shall forward the report to the Department of Finance by means approved by the Department of Finance.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026