H-0989.2
HOUSE BILL 1663
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State of Washington | 64th Legislature | 2015 Regular Session |
By Representatives Pike, Wilson, Orcutt, Manweller, Zeiger, Hargrove, Vick, and Shea
Read first time 01/26/15. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
AN ACT Relating to certain legislators' participation on regional transportation planning organization transportation policy boards; amending RCW
47.80.040; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. Every legislator advocates for the needs of their constituents during the legislative session. The knowledge of what these needs are is valuable in other contexts as well, which is why every legislator is currently a member of the transportation policy board of the regional transportation planning organization that serves their legislative district. However, as nonvoting members, legislators' influence on transportation policy boards is more limited than it should be. The legislature finds that granting one legislator from each district voting status on the regional transportation planning districts' transportation policy boards will allow the needs of the constituents of every legislative district to be better heard and better met in organizations that play a fundamental role in shaping the transportation system of every region of the state.
Sec. 2. RCW 47.80.040 and 2003 c 351 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
Each regional transportation planning organization shall create a transportation policy board. Transportation policy boards shall provide policy advice to the regional transportation planning organization and shall allow representatives of major employers within the region, the department of transportation, transit districts, port districts, and member cities, towns, and counties within the region to participate in policy making. Any members of the house of representatives or the state senate whose districts are wholly or partly within the boundaries of the regional transportation planning organization are considered ex officio, nonvoting policy board members of the regional transportation planning organization, except that one legislator from each district that is wholly or partly within the boundaries of the regional transportation planning organization must be designated by the senator from that district as a voting board member. This does not preclude other legislators from becoming full-time, voting board members. Legislative members of the board are not considered for purposes of determining a quorum.
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