DUVALL'S FIRST BILL IS OFF TO THE GOVERNOR AFTER PASSAGE OUT OF THE SENATE TODAY
Homegrown proposal stands out among a string of successes 

SACRAMENTO - Freshman Assemblyman Michael D. Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) will surely enjoy the 4th of July festivities beginning in his district tomorrow after his first-ever legislative proposal, Assembly Bill 387, was passed off the State Senate Floor today with very strong bipartisan support.  

Sponsored by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), Assembly Bill 387 would allow OCTA to utilize the design-build procurement process for transit security projects aimed at enhancing safety, disaster preparedness, and homeland security efforts.  

"I am honored and pleased to see the State Senate come together today to allow opportunities for enhancing the security of Orange County residents," explained Assemblyman Duvall.  "My very first bill - a bill that continues work I began when I was on the OCTA board - passed with the support of Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, Senators Lowenthal, Romero, and, of course, my good friend and former OCTA colleague Senator Lou Correa, among others.  It took two years of hard work up here in Sacramento to get to this point.  I'm thrilled we're here.  Now it's only a matter of convincing the Governor." 

Existing design-build authority for transit operators, like OCTA, requires that the project have a cost of at least $25 million.  This threshold exceeds the typical project cost for transit security technologies such as video surveillance systems.  Thus, the method is unavailable for these high priority projects.  By eliminating the minimum threshold for these types of projects, OCTA and other agencies would be able to more effectively plan for and implement new technologies which will enhance the safety of transit systems in Orange County and throughout California.  Among other things, AB 387 provides the option to approve projects costing less than $5 million for technology or surveillance procurements.