(a) Commencing on or after January 1, 2023, the Transportation Agency, in consultation with the California Transportation Commission, shall implement a pilot program to identify and evaluate issues related to the collection of revenue for a road charge program.

(b) The Road Usage Charge Technical Advisory Committee shall, by no later than July 1, 2023, make recommendations to the Transportation Agency on the design of the pilot program to test revenue collection, including the group of vehicles to participate in the pilot.

(1) In deciding which group of vehicles to recommend for the pilot, the committee shall consider input from industry experts and relevant stakeholders.

(2) If a vehicle group other than state-owned vehicles is selected, participation in the pilot shall be voluntary.

(3) The committee may make recommendations on the criteria to be used to evaluate the pilot program.

(c) The Transportation Agency shall consult with appropriate state agencies, which may include, but are not limited to, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, and the Controller to design a process for collecting road charge revenue from vehicles. The road charge may be collected by the Transportation Agency or by any entities or persons designated by the agency.

(d) Participants in the pilot program shall be charged a mileage-based fee as specified in subdivision (e), and receive a credit or a refund for the estimated state fuel taxes and electric vehicle fees paid to operate a vehicle during the pilot. The credit or refund for electric vehicle fees described in Section 9250.6, which are paid annually, shall be prorated.

(e) For purposes of calculating the mileage-based fee, participating vehicles shall be equally subdivided and randomly assigned to one of two study groups. One group will be subject to a fee per mile traveled, determined by the committee no later than July 1, 2023, that will be the same for all vehicles in that group. The other group will be subject to an individually calculated fee per mile traveled, that is equal to the state per-gallon fuel tax divided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s estimated fuel economy rating for that vehicle based on the manufacturer, model, and year of the vehicle.

(f) The pilot program shall not affect funding levels for each program or purpose supported by state fuel tax and electric vehicle fee revenues.

(g) Paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (b) and subdivision (c) of Section 3091 shall apply to the pilot program.

(h) The Transportation Agency, in consultation with the California Transportation Commission and the committee, shall, by no later than July 1, 2024, prepare and submit an interim report on the status of the pilot program, and by no later than December 31, 2026, the Transportation Agency, in consultation with the California Transportation Commission and the committee, shall prepare and submit a final report of its findings based on the results of the pilot program, to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature. The final report shall include, but not be limited to, a discussion of costs and implementation issues, and an evaluation and comparison of the two fee-calculation methodologies described in subdivision (e), including the effectiveness of those methodologies in ensuring sustainable funding for transportation and their alignment with the state’s climate, air quality, zero-emissions vehicle, and equity goals. The reports required by this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with § 9795 of the Government Code.

(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 308, Sec. 2. (SB 339) Effective January 1, 2022. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, pursuant to Section 3093.)