Washington State House of Representatives	BILL ANALYSIS
Transportation Committee

HB 1689

Brief Description:  Requiring additional reporting in order to receive transportation funding.

Sponsors:  Representatives Fisher and Mitchell; by request of The Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation.

Brief Summary of Bill

$Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), counties, cities, and transit must make progress achieving transportation benchmarks.

$These entities are prohibited from diverting new transportation funding for non-transportation purposes.

Hearing Date:  2/7/01

Staff:  Jeff Doyle, (786-7322).

Background: 

The Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation (BRCT) issued its findings and final report in December, 2000.  The BRCT made several findings regarding project delivery efficiencies.  From these findings, the commission recommended that transportation funding be linked to efficiencies (Recommendation 12).  More specifically, the BRCT recommended that WSDOT, counties, cities, and transit be able to demonstrate progress toward achieving benchmark efficiencies as a condition of receiving some portion of new baseline funding.  The BRCT also recommended that cities, counties, and transit be required to demonstrate that they are not supplanting existing transportation funds as a condition of receiving new funding.

Summary of Bill: 

Beginning July 1, 2002, and annually thereafter, WSDOT, counties, cities, and transit systems must demonstrate progress toward achieving transportation benchmarks adopted by the new Transportation Accountability Commission.  These entities will be deemed to have made sufficient progress if they have achieved at least four of the benchmarks during the reporting period.

Beginning July 1, 2002, WSDOT, counties, cities, and transit systems must demonstrate that they are not supplanting existing transportation funding with new funding.  The WSDOT, Washington Association of Counties, Association of Washington Cities, and each public transit system is to report to the Transportation Committees of the House and Senate on how they are using new and existing funding.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on February 1, 2001.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.