Title: An act relating to providing comprehensive membership of significant jurisdictions on the executive board of regional transportation planning organizations.

Brief Description: Providing comprehensive membership of significant jurisdictions on the executive board of regional transportation planning organizations.

Sponsors: Representatives Rolfes, Armstrong, Eddy, Appleton, Clibborn and Jarrett.

Brief History: Passed House: 3/10/07, 96-0.

Committee Activity: Transportation: 3/21/07, 4/02/07 [DPA, DNP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Marr, Vice Chair; Swecker, Ranking Minority Member; Berkey, Clements, Delvin, Holmquist, Jacobsen, Kastama, Kauffman, Kilmer, Sheldon and Spanel.

Minority Report: Do not pass.Signed by Senator Benton.

Staff: Kelly Simpson (786-7403)

Background: Under current law, certain regional transportation planning organizations (RTPO) must include specified voting representation on their executive boards. Currently, the only RTPO required to comply with this provision is the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) serving King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap Counties. The required representation includes the Washington Transportation Commission, the Washington State Department of Transportation, the four largest port districts within the region, and a certain percentage of transit agency representation.

Additionally, pursuant to language in the 2005-2007 state transportation budget, the PSRC's Executive Board must include voting representation of any incorporated principal city of a metropolitan statistical area within the region (as designated by the U.S. Census Bureau), and of any incorporated city within the region with a population greater than 80,000. This budgetary requirement expires with the end of the current fiscal biennium, July 1, 2007.

The 2005-2007 state transportation budget also required the PSRC to conduct a review of its executive board membership criteria to ensure that the criteria appropriately reflects a true and comprehensive representation of the PSRC's significant jurisdictions.

Summary of Bill: Certain RTPOs must add voting membership representatives for certain large cities to its executive board. The additional membership must be provided as follows: in the most populous county within the RTPO region, any city within that county that has a population greater than 3 percent of that county's population; and, in any other county within the RTPO's region, any city that has a population greater than 5 percent of the county in which the city is located.

Executive board voting membership is further modified to require that at least 50 percent of the weighted vote attributable to the county and city local elected officials who serve on the executive board also serve on transit agency boards or on a regional transit authority.

Currently, the only RTPO that would be immediately impacted by this legislation is the PSRC. If enacted, the bill would add voting membership on the PSRC's Executive Board for the same cities that were added as a result of the 2005 budget legislation: Bellevue, Renton, Kent, Bremerton, and Federal Way. It would also add membership for Bainbridge Island, Lakewood, Edmonds, and Lynnwood, increasing the total number of voting board seats to 36.

EFFECT OF CHANGES MADE BY RECOMMENDED AMENDMENT(S) AS PASSED COMMITTEE (Transportation): Requires the Puget Sound Regional Council to provide the following jurisdictions voting membership on its Executive Board: (1) any federally designated incorporated principal city; and (2) any incorporated city within the region with a population in excess of 80,000. Under current populations, this includes Bellevue, Renton, Kent, Bremerton, and Federal Way. The striking amendment codifies existing language enacted in prior transportation budgets.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

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

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: The PSRC board supports this bill. It would help prevent the board from coming back each session attempting to modify the PSRC executive board's composition.

Persons Testifying: PRO: Representative Rolfes, prime sponsor; Rick Olson, Puget Sound Regional Council.