Government Watch: Friday • June 25, 2021

Established by Eshoo and former congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) in 2013, the competition is a bipartisan nationwide event that invites high school students from across the country to compete by creating and exhibiting their software application, or “app,” for mobile phones, tablets or computers. The App Challenge is designed to promote innovation and engagement in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.

The Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle school and high school students who live in or are eligible to attend a public school located in California’s 18th Congressional District. Students entering the competition must create a video explaining their app and what they learned through the competition process. Eshoo’s office will be accepting submissions beginning today through Nov. 1.

The submitted apps will be judged by an appointed panel of academics, entrepreneurs, technology executives and other experts. The winning student’s app in each participating congressional district will be displayed in an exhibit at the U.S. Capitol.

More details on submitting a contest entry, the rules of the competition, and helpful programming resources can be found at eshoo.house.gov/constituent-services/house-student-app-challenge or at CongressionalAppChallenge.us.

 STATE GOVERNMENT

• Legislation by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, Senate Bill 339, the Gas Tax Alternative Pilot, passed the Assembly Transportation Committee by a vote of 11-4. This pilot program allows California to study a road user charge based on vehicle miles traveled instead of relying on gas taxes.

Gas taxes fund California’s roads, highway system, and public transportation systems. The California Road Charge Pilot Program has existed since 2015; SB 339 would extend the program to 2027 and would include an actual fee collection program (with participants reimbursed with the amount they would’ve paid in gas taxes over that period). Participation in the pilot program is entirely voluntary, according to Wiener’s office.

The bill will next be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

• Senate Bill 596, authored by state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions for cement by 2045, received an unanimous, bipartisan vote from the Assembly Natural Resources Committee Wednesday.

According to his office, Becker underscored the importance of concrete and cement, calling the building materials vital to our economy. Technologies and processes exist for achieving large reductions in emissions from cement production, but they have not been deployed at scale because California needs the right policies in place to encourage emissions reductions and to create demand for low carbon building products.

The 11-0 vote by the committee sends SB 596 to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for its consideration.