HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2763

             As Reported By House Committee on:

                       Transportation

Title:  An act relating to commuter ride sharing.

Brief Description:  Demonstrating the effectiveness of commuter ride sharing.

Sponsor(s):  Representatives R. Fisher, Betrozoff, Zellinsky, Paris, Ferguson and Nelson; by request of Department of Transportation.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Transportation, February 4, 1992, DPS.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 22 members:  Representatives R. Fisher, Chair; R. Meyers, Vice Chair; Betrozoff, Ranking Minority Member; Chandler, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Cantwell; Cooper; Day; G. Fisher; Forner; Haugen; Horn; P. Johnson; R. Johnson; Jones; Kremen; Mitchell; Orr; Prentice; Schmidt; Wilson; Wood; and Zellinsky.

Minority Report: Do not pass.  Signed by 3 members:  Representatives Brough; Heavey; and Nelson.

Staff:  Brian McMorrow (786-7304).

Background:  State-owned motor vehicles may be used by employees for commuter ride sharing as long as the entire capital depreciation and operational expense of the commuter ride sharing arrangement is paid by the commuters.

The Department of General Administration, with the concurrence of an interagency task force, must create a commute trip reduction plan for state agencies.  The plan must consider and recommend policies applicable to all state agencies including but not limited to parking, parking charges, employee incentives for commuting by other than single-occupant automobiles, flexible and alternative work schedules, alternative work sites, and the use of state-owned vehicles for car and van pools.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  The Department of Transportation (DOT) may subsidize its employees' use of state-owned vehicles for commuter ride sharing as long as this use is economical and advantageous to the state.

The department must conduct this demonstration project in cooperation with the Department of General Administration.  The results will be used in developing a trip reduction plan for state agencies as required by the recently passed transportation demand management legislation.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The intent of the DOT project is to demonstrate the effectiveness of employee use of department-owned, rather than state-owned, vehicles.

The demonstration project will be limited to the new district 1 headquarters in North Seattle and is intended to coincide with the district's relocation from south Bellevue in August 1992.

The DOT must submit progress reports to the interagency commute trip reduction task force every six months after the implementation of the demonstration project.

The demonstration project will terminate no later than June 30, 1994.

Fiscal Note:  Requested January 30, 1992.

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

Testimony For:  The department will be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of transportation demand management (TDM) measures and begin the implementation of TDM requirements as outlined in 2SHB 1671 enacted in 1991.  The most auspicious time to implement TDM measures is immediately after the relocation of the district 1 headquarters.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Ron Anderson, Department of Transportation.