AN ACT Relating to the transportation planning coordination act of 1989; and adding a new chapter to Title 47 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that:

(1) The transportation system in Washington is owned and operated by numerous, separate jurisdictions;

(2) The transportation system should function as one interconnected and coordinated system for the economic and social well-being of the state;

(3) Transportation planning, at all jurisdictional levels, should be coordinated with local land use and economic development planning;

(4) Local jurisdictions and the state should cooperate to achieve state-wide and local transportation goals; and

(5) It is in the state's best interest to establish a coordinated transportation planning program in the urban and rural areas of the state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The legislature hereby authorizes creation of regional transportation planning organizations within the state. Each regional transportation planning organization shall be formed through the voluntary association of local governments within a county, or within geographically contiguous counties. Each organization shall:

(1) Encompass at least one complete county;

(2) Have a population of at least one hundred thousand, or contain a minimum of three counties; and

(3) Have as members all counties within the region, and at least sixty percent of the cities within the region representing a minimum of seventy-five percent of the cities' population.

The state department of transportation must verify that each regional transportation planning organization conforms with the requirements of this section.

In urbanized areas, the regional transportation planning organization is the same as the metropolitan planning organization designated for federal transportation planning purposes.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) Each regional transportation planning organization shall:

(a) Develop and adopt a regional transportation plan that is coordinated with local land use and economic development plans, and local and state transportation plans;

(b) Designate a lead planning agency to coordinate preparation of the regional transportation plan. The lead planning agency may be a regional council, a county or city agency, or a Washington state department of transportation district;

(d) Forward the adopted plan, and documentation of the biennial review thereof, to the state department of transportation.

(2) All transportation projects within the region must be consistent with the regional transportation plan.

(3) In order to ensure state-wide consistency in the regional transportation planning process, the state department of transportation shall:

(a) In cooperation with regional transportation planning organizations, establish minimum standards for development of a regional transportation plan; and

(b) Facilitate coordination between regional transportation planning organizations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. 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, ports, and member cities and counties within the region to participate in policy making.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Biennial appropriations to the department of transportation to carry out the regional transportation planning program shall set forth the amounts to be allocated as follows:

(1) A base amount per county for each county within each regional transportation planning organization, to be distributed to the lead planning agency;

(2) An amount to be distributed to each lead planning agency on a per capita basis; and

(3) An amount to be administered by the department of transportation as a discretionary grant program for special regional planning projects.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Sections 1 through 5 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 47 RCW.