Title: An act relating to transportation accounts and revenue distributions.

Brief Description: Modifying transportation accounts and revenue distributions.

Sponsors: Senator Haugen.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Transportation: 2/2/06, 2/6/06 [DPS, DNP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6839 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Jacobsen, Vice Chair; Berkey, Eide, Kastama, Oke, Sheldon, Spanel, Swecker and Weinstein.

Minority Report: Do not pass.Signed by Senators Esser and Mulliken.

Staff: David Ward (786-7341)

Background: The sixteen-year transportation financial plan enacted by the Legislature in 2005 relies on numerous, ongoing budgetary transfers to support planned expenditures.

The 2005 transportation revenue bill (ESSB 6103) authorized the State Auditor to conduct performance audits for transportation-related agencies and appropriated $4 million for this purpose. However, on November 8, 2005, voters approved Initiative 900 (I-900) requiring the State Auditor to conduct performance audits of state and local governments, including "state and local transportation governmental entities and each of their agencies, accounts and programs...." I-900 dedicates a percentage of the state sales and use tax for this purpose.

ESSB 6103 also included language stating that if a regional transportation funding plan has not been adopted by 2007, the Legislature intends to reprioritize allocation of funding for projects identified in the 2005 financial plan.

Summary of Substitute Bill: Planned, future transfers in support of the 2005 financial plan are codified as statutory distributions. Two funds are also created in support of the financial plan including the Freight Mobility Multimodal Account and the Regional Mobility Grant Program Account. Both accounts are subject to appropriation and retain their own interest.

The authority in ESSB 6103 for the State Auditor to conduct performance audits for transportation-related agencies, and the $4 million appropriated for this purpose, is repealed. Language concerning legislative intent to reprioritize the state transportation financial plan if a regional transportation funding plan is not adopted by 2007 is also repealed.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: The bill as referred to committee was not considered.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: The bill contains several effective dates. Please refer to the bill.

Testimony For: None.

Testimony Against: None.

Who Testified: No one.