SB-1411 • 2026

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: funding conditions: high-speed rail.

Budget Energy

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Stern
Last action: 2026-05-14
Official status: May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not provide specific details about what 'early works' means or how much money can be spent outside of the specified area.

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: High-Speed Rail Funding

This law changes how money from a special fund can be spent on high-speed rail projects outside the Merced to Bakersfield segment.

What This Bill Does

Changes rules about spending money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund on high-speed rail projects.
Allows the High-Speed Rail Authority to spend more money on activities related to early works and partnership agreements for parts of the project not in the Merced to Bakersfield area, as long as these activities do not delay work on the Merced to Bakersfield segment.

Who It Names or Affects

The High-Speed Rail Authority
People and companies involved in high-speed rail projects

Terms To Know

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: A fund that collects money from selling pollution permits to help reduce greenhouse gases.
High-Speed Rail Authority: The group in charge of building and running high-speed trains in California.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify the exact amount that can be spent outside the Merced to Bakersfield segment.
Does not define what 'early works' means exactly.

Bill History

2026-05-14 California Legislative Information
May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
2026-05-08 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 14.
2026-05-04 California Legislative Information
May 4 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2026-04-24 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 4.
2026-04-22 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2026-04-17 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 22.
2026-04-16 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E.Q.
2026-04-15 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on E.Q. (Ayes 11. Noes 1. Page 3874.) (April 14).
2026-04-02 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 14.
2026-04-01 California Legislative Information
April 7 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
2026-03-17 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 7.
2026-03-04 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on TRANS. and E.Q.
2026-02-23 California Legislative Information
Read first time.
2026-02-23 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.
2026-02-20 California Legislative Information
Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 1411, as amended, Stern.
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: funding conditions: high-speed rail.
Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority to develop and implement a high-speed rail system in the state. Existing law requires moneys collected by the State Air Resources Board from the auction or sale of certain allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited into the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and continuously appropriates a portion of the moneys in the fund for various purposes, including a specified portion to the authority for certain purposes. Existing law prohibits the authority from entering into new funding commitments with those moneys for activities outside of the Merced to Bakersfield segment, until June 30, 2030, or when that segment is fully funded, whichever is sooner. Notwithstanding that prohibition, existing law authorizes the authority to enter into new funding commitments outside of the Merced to Bakersfield segment
for certain purposes, including
for additional activities, not to cumulatively exceed $500,000,000, that maximize the efficiency of delivering the project, as specified.
This bill would
revise and recast that authorization to instead
authorize the authority to enter into new funding commitments with the above-described moneys outside of the Merced to Bakersfield segment in any amount for
additional activities that
activities related to early works, as defined, and for projects developed through public partnership agreements or public-private partnership agreements, subject to the requirements that those funding commitments
maximize the
efficiency of delivering the
project,
project and do not delay the completion of the Merced to Bakersfield segment,
as specified. By expanding the purposes for which continuously appropriated moneys may be used, the bill would make an appropriation.

Current Bill Text

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