H-0049.1
HOUSE BILL 1137
State of Washington | 67th Legislature | 2021 Regular Session |
ByRepresentatives McCaslin, Young, Barkis, Schmick, and Graham
Prefiled 01/08/21.Read first time 01/11/21.Referred to Committee on Transportation.
AN ACT Relating to elevating road maintenance and preservation in transportation planning; 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 that the road system in Washington state includes more than one hundred sixty-seven thousand lane miles and more than three thousand three hundred state-owned bridges that require maintenance, preservation, and replacement for the transportation network to continue to function. It is a priority for the people and the public good for the transportation system to be in a state of good repair. The department of transportation has recently made choices to forego planned maintenance and preservation on parts of the system. In order to change this course of neglect, the legislature is empowering all transportation providers in the state to ensure that the system in place today is maintained in a safe and functional manner by declaring preservation and safety to be the top priorities of all the state transportation policy goals.
Sec. 2. RCW
47.04.280 and 2016 c 35 s 3 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)))(b) Safety: To provide for and improve the safety and security of transportation customers and the transportation system;
(c) Stewardship: To continuously improve the quality, effectiveness, resilience, and efficiency of the transportation system;
(d) Mobility: To improve the predictable movement of goods and people throughout Washington state, including congestion relief and improved freight mobility;
(e) Economic vitality: To promote and develop transportation systems that stimulate, support, and enhance the movement of people and goods to ensure a prosperous economy; and
(f) 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)).
(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 with preservation and safety being priorities.
(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, in consultation with the transportation commission, establish objectives and performance measures for the department 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 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) A local or regional agency engaging in transportation planning may voluntarily establish objectives and performance measures to demonstrate progress toward the attainment of the policy goals set forth in subsection (1) of this section or any other transportation policy goals established by the local or regional agency. A local or regional agency engaging in transportation planning is encouraged to provide local and regional objectives and performance measures to be included with the objectives and performance measures submitted to the legislature pursuant to subsection (4) of this section.
(6) This section does not create a private right of action.
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