SENATE BILL REPORT

ESHB 1842

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.

Background: Transit Reporting Requirements. Each September, transit agencies in Washington are required to submit six-year transit development plans for that year and the ensuing five years, as well as system reports identifying public transportation services provided in the previous year and objectives for improvements. Similar reports are due to the Federal Transit Administration at the same time. Based on information that is submitted in the system reports, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) must prepare an annual report that summarizes individual public transportation systems. This report is due December 1 of each year to the Transportation committees of the Legislature and each state municipality.

Regional Mobility Grants. The regional mobility grant program provides $40 million per biennium to aid local governments in funding projects that reduce delays for people and goods and improve connectivity between counties and regional population centers. This includes projects such as intercounty connectivity service, park and ride lots, rush hour transit service, and capital projects that improve the connectivity and efficiency of the transportation system. The

amount of funding for the program increases to $50 million in the 2015-17 biennium.

Summary of Bill: The WSDOT is required to develop an annual report regarding transit agency coordination in counties with a population of 700,000 or more that border the Puget Sound, which currently includes King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. By December 1 of each year, the report must be made available to the Transportation Committees of the Legislature and each transit authority in those same counties.

By September 1 of each year, all transit authorities in a county with a population of 700,000 or more that borders the Puget Sound are required to report to the WSDOT on specific criteria relating to coordination efforts.

The regional mobility grant criteria are modified by adding coordination and integration to the criteria upon which the grants are awarded to the agencies in the central Puget Sound.

A new transit coordination grant program is created within the WSDOT, and expires in five years on July 1, 2020. Criteria for eligibility and grant application requirements, such as measurable outcomes, are established. Upon completion of the project, transit coordination grant recipients must report to WSDOT on various criteria. WSDOT must provide an annual report to the transportation committees of the Legislature on the transit coordination grants that were awarded, and the report must include data to determine if completed transit coordination grant projects produced the anticipated outcomes included in the grant applications.