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. Existing law requires grantees to provide to the state board proof of scrap of the retired internal combustion schoolbus or schoolbuses.

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 a frontier local educational agency meeting certain requirements.