SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblymember Devon J. Mathis (R-Visalia) announces the introduction of AB 2249, The High-Speed Rail Authority Accountability Act. This measure will require strict legislative oversight of the High-Speed Rail Authority (the Authority). “The Authority has been operating with carte blanche for far too long,” said Mathis. “Session after session, the Authority comes before the Legislature and presents a shell of a business plan without any validation offered for such enormous cost-overruns. It’s time that we take back the Authority’s autonomy.”
The California High-Speed Rail Act created the Authority to develop and implement a high-speed rail system in the state. Every 2 years, the Authority is required to provide a project update report to the Legislature on the development and implementation of the project. However, there is no statute outlining the specific information that must be furnished to the Legislature for review. “AB 2249 is a fair and balanced solution to an uncheck agency,” said Mathis. “In its most recent report, the Authority stated that it is budgeted to spend roughly $6.2 million a day. These funds are not adequately justified, nor is there corroborating evidence that the money was even spent on what is being reported. The roads throughout the Central Valley are crumbling. Imagine what we could do to improve the lives of our constituents if we spent $6.2 million a day on them, rather than a train to nowhere.”
Assemblymember Devon J. Mathis represents the 26th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Tulare, Inyo, and Kern Counties. Follow him on Facebook at Facebook.com/AssemblymanDevonMathis and on Twitter at @AD26Mathis
