HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2896

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

As Reported by House Committee On:

Transportation

Title: An act relating to transfer of moneys from transportation accounts.

Brief Description: Concerning the transfer of moneys from transportation accounts.

Sponsors: Representative Wylie.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Transportation: 2/5/18, 2/6/18 [DPS].

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

  • Codifies the transfer of certain amounts at levels established in the 2015 Connecting Washington transportation package for specified local transportation programs.

  • Establishes the Bicycle and Pedestrian Grant Account.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 22 members: Representatives Clibborn, Chair; Fey, Vice Chair; Wylie, Vice Chair; Orcutt, Ranking Minority Member; Hargrove, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Harmsworth, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Chapman, Gregerson, Hayes, Kloba, Lovick, McBride, Morris, Ortiz-Self, Pellicciotti, Pike, Riccelli, Rodne, Stambaugh, Tarleton, Valdez and Van Werven.

Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 3 members: Representatives Irwin, Shea and Young.

Staff: Amy Skei (786-7109).

Background:

The 16-year transportation financial plan set forth by the Legislature in 2015 as part of the Connecting Washington transportation package assumed a series of ongoing budgetary transfers to support additional expenditures in a variety of local transportation grant programs.

The Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) was established in 1988 and provides grants to local jurisdictions for urban and small city transportation projects through several established grant programs.

The Complete Streets grant program was created in 2015 and provides funding to local jurisdictions that have adopted a complete streets ordinance. The Complete Streets program provides grants for the retrofitting of existing infrastructure to provide safe access to a broad spectrum of travelers, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders.

The County Road Administration Board (CRAB) was created by the Legislature to provide statutory oversight of Washington's 39 county road departments. The CRAB manages grant programs that support county road system needs.

The Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board (FMSIB) provides coordination of state programs and funding to facilitate improved freight movement.

The Regional Mobility Grant program provides local government assistance to local transit agencies to improve transit mobility and reduce congestion on heavily traveled roadways. The Rural Mobility Grant program provides support to public transit systems in small cities and rural areas. Both of these grant programs are administered by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

The purpose of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Grant Program is to enhance safety and mobility for people who choose to walk and bike. The grant program is administered by the WSDOT.

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Summary of Substitute Bill:

Certain planned future transfers of the 2015 Connecting Washington financial plan are codified in the bill. Specifically, the amounts for the TIB, the Complete Streets grant program, the CRAB, the FMSIB, the Regional Mobility Grant program, the Rural Mobility Grant program, and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Grant Program are codified as statutory distributions or allocation.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Grant Account is established.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:

The substitute bill establishes transfers to the Freight Mobility Multimodal Account from the Multimodal Account rather than from the Motor Vehicle Account.

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Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect on July 1, 2019.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) Connecting Washington dollars are critical to local government and the funding of local projects. The increase to the TIB supports the Relight Washington Program which swaps out older street lights with LED lights. This pays for itself after seven years and helps cities spend their transportation dollars more effectively. The other piece is the Complete Streets program which has gone from 40 jurisdictions to 91. Our share of the Connecting Washington gas tax will rise and fall as the gas tax rises and falls. The CRAB funds projects from design to completion and schedules them out as long as five and six years in advance. It is difficult to program money without having a level of certainty that you are going to get it. Connecting Washington more than doubled the amount of money going into freight mobility projects around the state. Hundreds of cities and counties and port districts have used these grant funds to improve the economy of Washington. The bill mirrors the Legislature's policy direction in Connecting Washington and puts it into statutory form. These programs pave our streets and keep our economies bustling. They provide walkable streets, critical transit systems, and multimodal programs on which our communities rely. Cities have few transportation funding streams they can tap into. Ensuring those streams are safe is paramount. Codification is an assurance to local communities that future funding for the TIB, the FMSIB, and others will be predictable. Codification will allow our communities to more easily leverage other funding sources, and it honors the funding commitments in the Connecting Washington package.

(Opposed) None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Wylie, prime sponsor; Ashley Probart, Transportation Improvement Board; John Koster, County Road Administration Board; Brian Ziegler, Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board; Michael Shaw, Washington State Transit Association; and Jane Wall, Association of Washington Cities.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.