Z-0173.3  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1278

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      53rd Legislature     1993 Regular Session

By Representatives R. Fisher, Schmidt, R. Meyers, Brown, Jones, Johanson, Franklin, Horn and Wood; by request of Department of Transportation

Read first time 01/20/93.  Referred to Committee on Transportation.

Establishing procedures for allocation of transit funding.

    AN ACT Relating to transit funding; amending RCW 82.44.180; and adding a new chapter to Title 47 RCW.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 82.44.180 and 1991 c 199 s 224 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) The transportation fund is created in the state treasury. Revenues under RCW 82.44.020 (1) and (2), 82.44.110, 82.44.150, and the surcharge under RCW 82.50.510 shall be deposited into the fund as provided in those sections.

    Moneys in the fund may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from the fund may be used only for transportation purposes.

    (2) There is hereby created the central Puget Sound public transportation account within the transportation fund.  Moneys deposited into the account under RCW 82.44.150(2)(b) shall be ((expended)) appropriated to the department of transportation and allocated under section 2 of this act to public transportation projects within the ((three county)) region from which the funds are derived, solely for:

    (a) Planning;

(b) Development of capital projects;

(c) Development of high capacity transportation systems as defined in RCW ((81.104.010)) 81.104.015;

    (((b))) (d) Development of high occupancy vehicle lanes and related facilities as defined in RCW 81.100.020; and

    (((c))) (e) Public transportation system contributions required to fund projects under federal programs and those approved by the transportation improvement board.

    (3) There is hereby created the public transportation systems account within the transportation fund.  Moneys deposited into the account under RCW 82.44.150(2)(c) shall be ((available to)) appropriated to the department of transportation and allocated under section 2 of this act to public transportation projects submitted by the public transportation systems from which the funds are derived, solely for:

    (a) Planning;

(b) Development of capital projects;

(c) Development of high capacity transportation systems as defined in RCW ((81.104.010)) 81.104.015;

    (((b))) (d) Development of high occupancy vehicle lanes and related facilities as defined in RCW 81.100.020;

    (((c))) (e) Other public transportation system-related roadway projects on state highways, county roads, or city streets; and

    (((d))) (f) Public transportation system contributions required to fund projects under federal programs and those approved by the transportation improvement board.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new chapter is added to Title 47 RCW to read as follows:

    To help achieve the goals identified in the public transportation policy plan required by RCW 47.--.--- (section 1, chapter ---, Laws of 1993 (HB--)), the department shall allocate to transit agencies amounts appropriated from the central Puget Sound public transportation account created by RCW 82.44.180(2), and from the public transportation systems account created by RCW 82.44.180(3).  The department shall make the allocations in accordance with the following procedures:

    (1) By September 1, 1993, the department shall submit to the legislative transportation committee the management plan by which the allocation process will be governed, including identification of any local match requirements.

    (2) By October 1, 1993, transit agencies may apply to the department for funding from the appropriate account, for the types of projects identified in RCW 82.44.180 (2) or (3).  By July 1st of each even-numbered year thereafter, transit agencies may apply to the department for such funding in the ensuing biennium.

    (3) The department shall establish an advisory council of policy and technical experts to assist in the review and prioritization of requests from transit agencies.  Council representation shall include transit agencies of varying size and from various geographic regions of the state.

    (4) The department shall include in its biennial budget request submitted to the office of financial management and the legislative transportation committee the prioritized list of projects proposed to be funded from each account in the ensuing biennium.

    To the extent possible, the department shall allocate the amount appropriated by the legislature from each account to transit agency projects in the order of priority for each account.

    For the purposes of this chapter, "transit agency" means an agency that imposes a motor vehicle excise tax under RCW 35.58.273, and regional transit authorities.

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