ARTICLE 5. Hazardous Substance Cleanup Bond Act of 1984 [78280. - 78345.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 5.
in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78285. Section 78285.

For purposes of this article, and for purposes of Section 16722 of the Government Code as applied to this article, the following definitions apply: (a) “Board” means the department. (b) “Committee” means the Hazardous Substance Cleanup Committee created pursuant to Section 78295. (c) “Director” means the director. (d) “Fund” means the state account. (e) “Orphan site” means a site with a release or threatened release of a hazardous substance with no reasonably identifiable responsible parties. (f) “Orphan share” means those costs of removal or remedial action at sites with a release or threatened release of hazardous substances, which costs are in excess of amounts included in a cleanup agreement. (g) “Responsible party” means a person who is, or may be, responsible or liable for carrying out, or paying for the costs of, a removal or remedial action.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78290. Section 78290.

The State General Obligation Bond Law (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 16720) of Part 3 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code) is adopted for the purpose of the issuance, sale, and repayment of, and otherwise providing with respect to, the bonds authorized to be issued pursuant to this article, and the provisions of that law are included in this article as though set out in full in this article, except that, notwithstanding anything in the State General Obligation Bond Law, the maximum maturity of bonds shall not exceed 30 years from the date of the bonds, or from the date of each respective series. The maturity of each respective series shall be calculated from the date of the series.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78295. Section 78295.

The Hazardous Substance Cleanup Committee, which is hereby created, shall consist of the Governor, the Director of Finance, the Treasurer, the Controller, and the secretary.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78300. Section 78300.

The committee may create debts or liabilities of the State of California, in the aggregate of one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000), in the manner provided in this article. The debts or liabilities shall be created for the purpose of providing moneys, for deposit in the fund, for the purposes specified in Section 78305.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78305. Section 78305.

(a) The moneys in the state account that are the proceeds of bonds issued and sold pursuant to this article may be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purposes specified in this section. (b) The board may expend moneys in the fund that are the proceeds of bonds issued and sold pursuant to this article upon the authorization of the committee, for all of the following purposes: (1) To provide the state share of a removal or remedial action pursuant to Section 104(c)(3) of the federal act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 9604(c)(3)) if the site is the subject of a final remedial action plan issued pursuant to Article 12 (commencing with Section 79195) of Chapter 5. (2) To pay all costs of a removal or remedial action incurred by the state, or by any local agency with the approval of the director, in response to a release or threatened release of a hazardous substance at a site that is listed in the priority ranking of sites pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 78760) of Chapter 4 and is the subject of a final remedial action plan issued pursuant to Article 12 (commencing with Section 79195) of Chapter 5, to the extent that the costs are not paid by responsible parties or are reimbursed by the federal act. (3) To pay for site characterization of a release of hazardous substances, even if a remedial action plan has not been prepared, approved, adopted, or made final for that site.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78310. Section 78310.

(a) All bonds authorized by this article, which are sold and delivered as provided in this article, constitute valid and legally binding general obligations of the State of California, and the full faith and credit of the State of California are hereby pledged for the punctual payment of both the principal of and the interest on the bonds. (b) There shall be collected annually, in the same manner and at the same time as other state revenue is collected, that sum, in addition to the ordinary revenues of the state, which is required to pay the principal of, and interest on, the bonds as provided in this article, and all officers charged by law with any duty in regard to the collection of the revenue shall perform each and every act that is necessary to collect this additional sum.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78315. Section 78315.

Notwithstanding Section 78345, the money deposited in the fund is available for transfer to the General Fund if money was deposited in the fund pursuant to any provision of law requiring repayments to the state for assistance financed by the proceeds of the bonds issued pursuant to this article. When transferred to the General Fund, that money shall be applied as a reimbursement to the General Fund for the principal and interest payments on the bonds that have been paid from the General Fund.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78320. Section 78320.

There is hereby appropriated from the General Fund in the State Treasury, for the purpose of this article, an amount equal to the sum of all of the following: (a) The sum, annually, that will be necessary to pay the principal of, and the interest on, the bonds issued and sold pursuant to this article, as the principal and interest become due and payable. (b) The sum that is necessary to carry out Section 78325, which sum is appropriated without regard to fiscal years, notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78325. Section 78325.

(a) For the purpose of carrying out this article, the Director of Finance may, by executive order, authorize the withdrawal from the General Fund of amounts not to exceed the amount of the unsold bonds that the committee has, by resolution, authorized to be sold for the purpose of carrying out this article. (b) Any amounts withdrawn shall be deposited in the fund and shall be disbursed by the board in accordance with this article. (c) Any moneys made available pursuant to this section shall be returned to the General Fund from moneys received from the sale of bonds sold for the purpose of carrying out this article.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78330. Section 78330.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this bond act, or of the State General Obligation Bond Law (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 16720) of Part 3 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code), if the Treasurer sells bonds pursuant to this bond act that include a bond counsel opinion to the effect that the interest on the bonds is excluded from gross income for federal tax purposes under designated conditions, the Treasurer may maintain separate accounts for the bond proceeds invested and the investment earnings on those proceeds, and may use or direct the use of those proceeds or earnings to pay any rebate, penalty, or other payment required under federal law, or take any other action with respect to the investment and use of those bond proceeds, as may be required or desirable under federal law in order to maintain the tax-exempt status of those bonds and to obtain any other advantage under federal law on behalf of the funds of this state.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78335. Section 78335.

Upon the request of the board, and supported by a statement of the proposed actions to be taken pursuant to Section 78305, the committee shall determine whether it is necessary or desirable to issue any bonds authorized pursuant to this article in order to take these actions, and if so, the amount of bonds that should be issued and sold. Successive issues of bonds may be authorized and sold to take these actions progressively, and it is not necessary that all of the bonds authorized by this article to be issued are sold at any one time.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78340. Section 78340.

The committee may authorize the Treasurer to sell all, or any part of, the bonds authorized under this article at the time or times as may be fixed by the Treasurer.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 78345. Section 78345.

Except as provided in Section 78315, all proceeds from the sale of bonds, except those derived from premiums and accrued interest, are available for the purposes specified in Section 78305, but are not available for transfer to the General Fund to pay the principal of, and interest on, the bonds.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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