FINAL BILL REPORT

                 ESHB 2343

                        PARTIAL VETO

                         C 165 L 96

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Funding transportation.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives K. Schmidt, R. Fisher, D. Schmidt and Thompson; by request of Office of Financial Management).

House Committee on Transportation

Senate Committee on Transportation

Background:  Appropriation authority is required for the expenditure of state funds.  State government operates on the basis of a fiscal biennium that begins on July 1 of each odd-numbered year.  A biennial transportation budget was enacted in the 1995 session to fund transportation agencies and programs from July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1997.

The Governor signed into law the 1995-97 transportation budget totaling just under $3.117 billion of appropriations from over 30 different funds and accounts.

Two-thirds of the moneys appropriated in the transportation budget are for capital programs, and one-third is for operating programs of the transportation agencies.

The motor vehicle fund is the primary funding source of transportation programs, providing for 45 percent, or $1.4 billion, of transportation appropriations in the 1995-97 transportation budget.

The Legislature provided fiscal year 1996 only funding for several transportation agencies' programs.

Summary:  Appropriation authority of the transportation agencies is increased by $171.2 million for the remainder of the 1995-97 biennium.  $171.2 million is appropriated to eight state agencies:  the Department of Transportation ($87.7 million), the Transportation Improvement Board ($39.1 million), the County Road Administration Board ($20.0 million), the Department of Licensing ($15.6 million), the State Patrol ($8.3 million), the Legislative Transportation Committee ($250,000), the Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program ($205,000), and the Transportation Commission ($87,000).

Partial Veto Summary:  The Governor vetoed six different items within the budget:  1) the prohibition of the Regional Transit Authority to compete for grants from the Central Puget Sound Transportation Account in fiscal year 97; 2) the prohibition for using an $800,000 increase in the Public Transportation Systems Account (PTSA) for grants to pay for studies or planning activities by local transit agencies; 3) a study by the Washington State Patrol to develop recommended policies for allowing private entities to access a person's driver license status; 4) a demonstration project between Department of Transportation and the Grant County Noxious Weed Board to examine weed control methods on state road rights of way; 5) the proviso requiring prior notification before the $2,000,000 reserved for passenger rail service activities could be spent; and 6) the proviso requiring prior notification before the $2,000,000 reserved for snow and ice removal could be spent.

Votes on Final Passage:

House     73 23

Senate    48 1 (Senate amended)

House     69 21 (House concurred)

Effective:  March 28, 1996