SENATE BILL REPORT

                  SHB 1010

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

                 Transportation, April 1, 1997

Title:  An act relating to reimbursable transportation expenditures.

Brief Description:  Establishing procedures for federal transportation pass‑through moneys.

Sponsors:  House Committee on Transportation Policy & Budget (originally sponsored by Representatives Mitchell, Hankins, Cairnes, Skinner and Mielke).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Transportation:  3/31/97, 4/1/97 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Prince, Chair; Benton, Vice Chair; Wood, Vice Chair; Goings, Haugen, Heavey, Horn, Jacobsen, Morton, Oke and Rasmussen.

Staff:  Roger Horn (786-7839)

Background:  The Department of Transportation (DOT) serves as the conduit for federal transportation funds distributed to counties, cities, metropolitan planning organizations, and transit agencies.  DOT also provides 100 percent reimbursable transportation services for local jurisdictions and private entities.  Both federal pass-through and local reimbursable expenditures must be appropriated in DOT=s biennial budget.  According to its 1997-99 biennial budget request, DOT will pass through about $220 million of federal funding and provide $20 million in 100 percent reimbursable services to others in the coming biennium.

Summary of Bill:  Federal funds that are administered by DOT and are passed through to municipal corporations or political subdivisions of the state, and moneys that are received as total reimbursement for services provided by DOT to other entities, are removed from the transportation budget.  To process and account for these expenditures, a new nonappropriated treasury account, named the miscellaneous transportation program account, is created.  DOT is required to provide an annual report to the Legislative Transportation Committee and the Office of Financial Management on expenditures and full-time equivalents processed through this account.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect on July 1, 1997.

Testimony For: Creating a nonappropriated treasury account for processing 100 percent reimbursable federal and local projects off the state system would significantly reduce staff time and costs at the Department of Transportation by simplifying the processing of these revenues.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Bob Benson, WSDOT (pro).