BILL REQ. #:  H-0473.1 

Read first time 01/21/13.   Referred to Committee on Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to including health in the state transportation system policy goals; amending RCW 47.04.280; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds and declares that the consideration of health implications in transportation policy has the potential to save lives, improve health and well-being, and reduce health care costs by creating transportation opportunities that prevent chronic diseases, improve air quality, and reduce obesity. Wise transportation investments that include a consideration of health consequences will save billions of dollars in health care costs.
     The rate of obesity in Washington has almost doubled over the last fifteen years, disproportionately affecting those of lower socioeconomic and educational status. Twenty-five percent of adults are obese and thirty-six percent are overweight, while more than twenty-five percent of our youth are overweight or obese. Washington is committed to reducing the 1.33 billion dollars that the state spends on the medical costs of obesity annually by increasing opportunities for active transportation. For the last few generations, opportunities for physical activity have declined as they have been engineered out of our transportation system. Lack of physical activity is a major contributor to the steady rise in rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic health conditions in the United States.
     Washington is committed to considering the health implications of project planning and design with the goal of increasing health and decreasing health care costs. Many Americans view walking, bicycling, and taking public transit within their communities as unsafe because of traffic and the lack of sidewalks, crosswalks, and bicycle facilities. To encourage people to utilize healthy transportation options, safe facilities, such as sidewalks, are a necessity. In 2008 the Washington state nutrition and physical activity plan called for increasing the number of active community environments by changing transportation policy and funding to promote walking and bicycling.
     Washington is committed to reducing unhealthy air quality and the associated negative effects on health. Exposure to traffic emissions has been linked to many adverse health effects, including premature mortality, cardiac symptoms, exacerbation of asthma symptoms, diminished lung function, and increased hospitalization. More than fifty percent of Washington's residents suffer from at least one medical condition that is made worse by air pollution.
     Transportation planning and projects that connect low-income communities to basic goods and services hold enormous potential for addressing many of our state's most pressing health issues. Transportation solutions that benefit public health are shared solutions that can create social and economic equity and improve the economy.
     Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature that this act serves to expand the existing goals, objectives, and responsibilities related to the operation of an efficient statewide transportation system to include the health of the citizens of Washington.

Sec. 2   RCW 47.04.280 and 2010 c 74 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) It is the intent of the legislature to establish policy goals for the planning, operation, performance of, and investment in, the state's transportation system. The policy goals established under this section are deemed consistent with the benchmark categories adopted by the state's blue ribbon commission on transportation on November 30, 2000. Public investments in transportation should support achievement of these policy goals:
     (a) Economic vitality: To promote and develop transportation systems that stimulate, support, and enhance the movement of people and goods to ensure a prosperous economy;
     (b) Preservation: To maintain, preserve, and extend the life and utility of prior investments in transportation systems and services;
     (c) Safety: To provide for and improve the safety and security of transportation customers and the transportation system;
     (d) Mobility: To improve the predictable movement of goods and people throughout Washington state;
     (e) Environment: To enhance Washington's quality of life through transportation investments that promote energy conservation, enhance healthy communities, and protect the environment; ((and))
     (f) Stewardship: To continuously improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of the transportation system; and
     (g) Health: To improve the health of Washington's citizens and reduce health care costs by considering health implications when designing, building, and maintaining Washington's transportation system.
     (2) The powers, duties, and functions of state transportation agencies must be performed in a manner consistent with the policy goals set forth in subsection (1) of this section.
     (3) These policy goals are intended to be the basis for establishing detailed and measurable objectives and related performance measures.
     (4) It is the intent of the legislature that the office of financial management establish objectives and performance measures for the department of transportation and other state agencies with transportation-related responsibilities to ensure transportation system performance at local, regional, and state government levels progresses toward the attainment of the policy goals set forth in subsection (1) of this section. The office of financial management shall submit initial objectives and performance measures to the legislature for its review and shall provide copies of the same to the commission during the 2008 legislative session. The office of financial management shall submit objectives and performance measures to the legislature for its review and shall provide copies of the same to the commission during each regular session of the legislature during an even-numbered year thereafter.
     (5) This section does not create a private right of action.