(1) Existing law authorizes state funds, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be distributed to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for distribution to certain local educational agencies for the purchase of low- or zero-emission schoolbuses that replace, or increase the number of, schoolbuses in the existing schoolbus fleet or for retrofitting existing schoolbuses to achieve reductions in emissions, as specified.
Existing law, commencing January 1, 2035, requires 100% of all newly purchased or contracted schoolbuses of a school district, county office of education, or charter school to be zero-emission vehicles, where feasible. In order to comply with that requirement, existing law authorizes those local educational agencies to request a one-time extension for a term not to exceed 5 years if a local educational agency determines that the purchase or contracting of a zero-emission schoolbus is not feasible due to both terrain and route constraints, provided that certain conditions are met. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2040, authorizes a frontier local educational agency, as defined, if it determines that the purchase or contracting of a zero-emission schoolbus is not feasible due to both terrain and route constraints, to request annual extensions with the last extension expiring on January 1, 2045, if specified conditions are met.
This bill would revise and recast those provisions by (A) delaying the deadline by 10 years to 2045, (B) changing the extension applicable only to frontier local educational agencies from an annual extension to a 5-year extension, (C) authorizing 5-year extensions due to a lack of sufficient infrastructure, as provided, or safety concerns relating to a local fire agency's response capabilities and resources, as provided, and (D) requiring the State Air Resources Board, in consultation with the State Department of Education and the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, to receive and evaluate a local educational agency's extension request and to grant an extension if the local educational agency reasonably demonstrates the conditions required for the requested extension. To the extent the bill would impose additional duties on local fire agencies in consulting with local educational agencies on their response capabilities and providing affirmations, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(2) Existing law appropriates, for the 2023–24 fiscal year, $375,000,000 from the General Fund to the State Air Resources Board for the California Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) to fund grants to local educational agencies, as defined, for zero-emission schoolbuses to replace heavy-duty internal combustion schoolbuses owned by local educational agencies, as specified. Existing law requires any schoolbuses that are replaced pursuant to the HVIP to be scrapped no later than 24 months from date of delivery of the replacement.
This bill would exclude a schoolbus from that scrapping requirement if the schoolbus is 25 years of age or less at the time of delivery of the replacement vehicle and its ownership is transferred to another local educational agency.
(3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Statutes affected:
03/28/25 - Amended Assembly: 17927 EDC, 17927 EDC