ACWA legislative staff has been working on a variety of policy areas. ACWA Executive Director Steve Hall has been working with the AgEnergy Coalition to ensure local water agencies in agricultural areas are properly compensated for reducing overall system demand through back-up generation. ACWA continues to work on energy-related legislation to ensure they are consistent with our Action Plan issued in January 2001. Other areas of consideration include supporting the natural heritage preservation tax credit legislation and spearheading a coalition to deal with the unfair imposition of relocation expense.

Below are the two bills ACWA is sponsoring in 2001:

AB 948 (Kelley) - Local Agency Formation Commission Reform
ACWA is sponsoring legislation addressing the authority established in AB 2838 (Hertzberg, 2000) for the local agency formation commissions. The legislation will ensure the commission does not have the authority to modify a special district initiated proposal without the consent of the special district.
ACWA Advocate: Bob Reeb
ACWA Position: Support
Status: click to check status

AB 782 (Thomson) - Flood Protection Cost-Sharing
ACWA is sponsoring legislation addressing the changes in the state/local cost-share formula from AB 1147 (Honda, 2000). The legislation will allow the option of the local cost share to be reduced from the current 50 percent down to 30 percent if the proposed project extends to an area larger than the boundaries of the agency responsible for the local contribution.
(Proposed by Reclamation District 2068)
ACWA Advocate: Wendy Ridderbusch
ACWA Position: Support
Status: click to check status

ACWA is also pursuing the addition (an inadvertent deletion was made) of special districts to the definition of local government in the Natural Heritage Preservation Tax Credit of 2000 through an omnibus measure authored by the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. ACWA will also be spearheading a working group to deal with the unfair imposition of relocation expense. Our member agencies see the need for mechanism by which special districts can respond to such imposition from the cities and counties.

ACWA is still assisting with the legislative proposal that was brought by the Three Valleys Municipal Water District. Though this proposal did not go into a bill by the bill introduction deadline, renewed hope is on the horizon with Senator-elect Gloria Romero. Assemblywoman Gloria Romero recently defeated former Assemblyman Martin Gallegos in a special election to fill a vacant state Senate seat. Because Romero got more than half of the total vote cast Tuesday, she won the seat without needing to go to a general election. Three Valleys will be meeting with her and her staff in the near future to see whether she would carry legislation to rectify the unfair revenue limitation affecting this district and its retail agencies.

ACWA is additionally attempting to insert language to clearly authorize continual health benefits converage for dependents of retired or deceased employees into a related legislative vehicle this session.