HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 ESSB 6084

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                       Transportation

Title:  An act relating to transportation appropriations.

Brief Description:  Making transportation appropriations.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senator Vognild; by request of Office of Financial Management).

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Transportation, February 23, 1994, DPA.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  Signed by 26 members:  Representatives R. Fisher, Chair; Brown, Vice Chair; Jones, Vice Chair; Schmidt, Ranking Minority Member; Mielke, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Backlund; Brough; Brumsickle; Cothern; Eide; Finkbeiner; Forner; Fuhrman; Hansen; Heavey; Horn; Johanson; J. Kohl; Orr; Patterson; Quall; Romero; Sheldon; Shin; Wood and Zellinsky.

Staff:  Eugene Schlatter (786-7316).

Background:  Appropriation authority is required for the expenditure of state funds.  State government operates on the basis of a fiscal biennium that begins on July 1 of each odd-numbered year.  A biennial budget was enacted during the 1993 legislative session.

Summary of Amended Bill:  $122.4 million is added over the Governor's supplemental transportation budget.  Enhanced funding is provided for the regular category C program, including accelerated work on high occupancy vehicle lanes on non-interstate highways.

Amended Bill Compared to Engrossed Substitute Bill:  The House Transportation Committee budget contains the following changes:

a) $2.0 million for enhanced preliminary engineering--Department of Transportation (DOT); b) $0.05 million for design visualization--DOT; c) $0.15 million for public/private initiatives--DOT; d) $1.5 million for Regional Transit Authority planning--DOT; e) $0.4 million for a joint city-county-state study to evaluate the relationship between state transportation facilities and local comprehensive plans--DOT; f) $2.0 million reduction to the snow and ice program--DOT; g) elimination of the $1.1 million transfer from the Puget Sound capital construction account to the transportation fund--DOT; h) elimination of the safety education officer program in fiscal year (FY) 95, reducing the appropriation by $1.3 million--Washington State Patrol (WSP); i) elimination of the inspection unit in FY 95, reducing the appropriation by $0.25 million--WSP; j) $0.9 million reduction of the crime lab program--WSP; k) $0.1 million reduction of the state patrol academy staff--WSP; l) $0.1 million reduction of the property management program--WSP; m) $1.8 million reduction to the capital program--WSP; n) $0.4 million reduction in risk management--WSP; and o) $0.1 million reduction of pursuit officers--WSP.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date of Amended Bill:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For:  The budget will promote economic vitality and eliminate a number of dangerous transportation problems which beset the state.

Testimony Against:  Elimination of the Traffic Safety Commission is unnecessary.

Witnesses:  Kathy Friedt, Department of Licensing (pro); Sid Morrison, Department of Transportation (pro); Steve Lind, Washington Traffic Safety Commission (con); and Roger Bruett, Washington State Patrol (pro).