HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1786

             As Reported By House Committee On:

               Transportation Policy & Budget

Title:  An act relating to transportation improvement board reporting requirements.

Brief Description:  Requiring the transportation improvement board to report to the legislative transportation committees.

Sponsors:  Representatives K. Schmidt, Fisher, Murray, Cooper, Mitchell, Hatfield, Sterk, Skinner, Blalock, Ogden, Robertson, DeBolt, Gardner, Johnson, Wood, Backlund, O'Brien, Scott, Zellinsky, Hankins, Chandler and Dyer.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Transportation Policy & Budget:  2/20/97, 3/4/97 [DPS].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION POLICY & BUDGET

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 25 members:  Representatives K. Schmidt, Chairman; Hankins, Vice Chairman; Mielke, Vice Chairman; Mitchell, Vice Chairman; Fisher, Ranking Minority Member; Cooper, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Backlund; Cairnes; Chandler; Constantine; DeBolt; Gardner; Hatfield; Johnson; Murray; O'Brien; Ogden; Radcliff; Robertson; Romero; Scott; Skinner; Sterk; Wood and Zellinsky.

Staff:  Gary Lebow (786-7304).

Background:  New projects to be funded by the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) are not available for legislative review prior to enacting an appropriation.  The TIB currently selects a prioritized list of projects to be funded in mid to late May.  The agency=s budget request is under legislative review from January to March or April, depending on the length of the session.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  Starting February 1, 1999, the TIB is required to submit lists of proposed projects to be funded in the agency=s budget request for legislative review prior to enactment of an appropriation.  Projects that are of an emergent nature or coincide with the federal funding cycle that are outside of the regular grant process will be reported to the House Transportation Policy and Budget Committee and the Senate Transportation Committee when they are selected.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  Projects outside of the normal grant process are allowed to be reported to the transportation committees of the House and Senate when they are selected.  This includes projects of an emergent nature and projects that are funded in conjunction with the federal funding cycle.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  This bill impacts the TIB application process, moving it up approximately six months.  TIB can live with that, but asked that the committees recognize and give consideration to projects that are of an emergent nature and projects that coincide with the federal funding cycle which are outside of the normal grant application process.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Mayor Al Ogdon, Transportation Improvement Board Chairman (pro/with concerns); Jerry Fay, Transportation Improvement Board (pro/with concerns); and Craig Olson, Association of Washington Cities (pro/with concerns).