SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 6321
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in
their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a
statement of legislative intent.
As Passed Senate, February 16, 2008
Title: An act relating to jurisdictional route transfers.
Brief Description: Transferring jurisdictional route transfer responsibilities from the transportation improvement board to the transportation commission.
Sponsors: Senators Marr, Swecker and Haugen; by request of Transportation Improvement Board.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Transportation: 1/28/08, 1/29/08 [DP].
Passed Senate: 2/16/08, 47-0.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Majority Report: Do pass.Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Marr, Vice Chair; Murray, Vice Chair; Swecker, Ranking Minority Member; Benton, Berkey, Delvin, Eide, Holmquist, Kastama, Kilmer, King, Pflug, Sheldon and Spanel.
Staff: Natalie Zukowski (786-7307)
Background: The Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) distributes grant money to cities and counties for transportation projects. Under current law, the TIB also receives petitions from cities, counties, or the state requesting route jurisdiction transfers. A route jurisdiction transfer is the conversion of a state highway into a local road, or the conversion of a local road into a state highway. The TIB must evaluate each request according to specified criteria and forward annually any recommended route jurisdiction transfers to the Senate and House transportation committees.
Summary of Bill: The responsibility for reviewing route jurisdiction transfer requests are reassigned from the TIB to the Washington State Transportation Commission.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
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: When the route jurisdiction transfer process was first introduced, it was placed with the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) because the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) were viewed as too closely linked. Now that the WSTC has a more independent role from WSDOT, this process seems best fit with the WSTC. The WSTC also has the responsibility of every other type of consideration of classification and designation of state highways. The WSTC voted unanimously to support this bill and feels it is an appropriate function of the WSTC.
Persons Testifying: PRO: Senator Marr, prime sponsor; Steve Gorcester, Executive Director, TIB; Reema Griffith, Executive Director, WSTC.