California lawmakers want high-speed rail authority to defer major contract

The majority of the California Assembly has co-sponsored legislation that directs the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to defer awarding a contract this year for the proposed high-speed rail line between Merced and Bakersfield.

The measure directs the CHSRA to not enter into certain contracts before the Legislature has considered and approved the authority's funding request for the remaining $4.2 billion in high-speed rail bond issue funds, according to a press release issued by state lawmaker Jim Frazier, who chairs the California Assembly's Transportation Committee.

According to CHSRA's Draft Business Plan, the authority plans to sign multibillion-dollar contracts for electrified tracks and rail cars this fall, then request the remaining bond funds necessary to complete its plans next spring. The action would essentially force the Legislature to support a path forward that many in the Assembly have questioned, Frazier said.

"The only remaining opportunity for the Legislature to weigh in on the direction of the high-speed rail contract occurs when [CHSRA] asks us for the remaining $4.2 billion in bond funds," said Frazier. "We cannot allow [CHSRA], or any department, to enter into contracts that bind the Legislature's approval of future appropriations. The Legislature's role in approving the budget must be respected before key decisions on the state's largest infrastructure project are made."

The contract that CHSRA will consider this year would be the largest contract award in its history, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The dispute over the contract began last year when Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon backed a plan to delay installing the electrical system in the Central Valley and instead divert about $5 billion to future bullet train routes in Southern California and the Bay Area that now serve commuter-rail systems, the newspaper reported. CHSRA Chief Executive Officer Brian Kelly has strongly opposed that plan.

The resolution does not carry the force of law to block the CHSRA from issuing the contract, the newspaper reported. However, if the authority rejects the legislative advice, it sets up a potentially expensive battle.