| VETO MESSAGE ON 2ESSB 5996 |
| July 6, 2015 |
| To the Honorable President and Members, |
| The Senate of the State of Washington |
| Ladies and Gentlemen: |
| I am returning herewith, without my approval as to Section 9, Second Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill No. 5996 entitled: |
"AN ACT Relating to Washington state department of transportation projects." |
| This bill is one of several substantive transportation reform bills I am signing into law today. The goal of this particular bill is to streamline the environmental decision making process for transportation projects without sacrificing environmental protections. Section 9 contains additional reporting requirements for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) on lean efforts and to complete a Baldridge assessment. I wholeheartedly support adequately measuring and reporting on performance metrics and lean management efforts. The transportation investment package, however, already includes a number of studies and reports WSDOT must complete and prioritize within available funding. The unfunded requirements in Section 9 of this bill unnecessarily hinder efforts to implement this and other reform bills. |
| For these reasons I have vetoed Section 9 of Second Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill No. 5996. |
| With the exception of Section 9, Second Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill No. 5996 is approved. |
| Respectfully submitted, |
| Jay Inslee |
| Governor |