FINAL BILL REPORT

                 ESHB 2067

                         C 394 L 93

                     Synopsis as Enacted

 

Brief Description:  Encouraging commute trip reduction programs.

 

By House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives R. Fisher, Wolfe, Anderson, Schmidt, Locke, Pruitt, Kremen, Springer and Eide; by request of Department of General Administration).

 

House Committee on Transportation

Senate Committee on Transportation

 

Background:  The commute trip reduction law requires state agencies to reduce the number of their employees traveling by single-occupancy vehicle to their work sites.  The Legislature has required an interagency task force to recommend policies that would encourage state employees to walk, bike or use any one of several ride-sharing alternatives for their daily commute.

 

Summary:  State employees may use state-owned or leased vehicles for ride sharing as part of the commute trip reduction program required by the state Clean Air Act.

 

All money collected from rental or parking spaces at state-owned or leased property must be deposited in the State Capitol Vehicle Parking Account.  Money deposited in the account must first be used for pledged purposes.  The unpledged portion of the money may be used to operate state-owned and leased parking facilities, support commute trip reduction programs related to the state Clean Air Act, and pay for the lease of and capital investment in state parking facilities.  The Office of Financial Management will distribute funds from the account after considering the recommendations of the director of General Administration and the Interagency Task Force for Commute Trip Reduction.

 

State agencies may use public funds for programs that encourage employees to use carpools, vanpools and public transit.

 

Parking fees may not exceed the local market rate of comparable privately owned rental parking.

 

The department must create a regional committee consisting of representatives from state agencies, state employees and state employee bargaining units to advise the director of general administration on parking rental fee rates.  In the event that parking rental fees for state-owned or leased property become part of a collective bargaining agreement and there is a conflict between the agency and the collective bargaining unit, the collective bargaining agreement prevails.

 

All state higher education institutions are exempt from the requirement of this bill.

 

Votes on Final Passage:

 

House  92 5

Senate 44 0 (Senate amended)

House            (House refused to concur)

 

Conference Committee

 

Senate 38 5

House  93 1

 

Effective:  July 25, 1993