SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 5028

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 Reported by Senate Committee On:

Transportation, January 29, 2009

Brief Description: Transferring jurisdictional route transfer responsibilities from the transportation improvement board to the transportation commission.

Majority Report: Do pass.

Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Marr, Vice Chair; Swecker, Ranking Minority Member; Becker, Benton, Berkey, Delvin, Eide, Jacobsen, Jarrett, Kastama, Kauffman, Kilmer, King, Ranker and Sheldon.

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 (WSTC).

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 TIB. Now, this process seems to best fit with the WSTC because it also has the responsibility of every other type of consideration of classification and designation of state highways. The WSTC feels it is an appropriate function of the WSTC.

Persons Testifying: PRO: Steve Gorcester, Executive Director, TIB; Richard Ford, Transportation Commissioner, WSTC.