FINAL BILL REPORT

                  HB 2945

                         C 177 L 98

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Notifying the legislature regarding transportation funding and planning.

Sponsors:  Representatives McCune and Cairnes.

House Committee on Transportation Policy & Budget

Senate Committee on Transportation

Background: Unanticipated Receipts.  When an agency receives funding that was not anticipated in its current budget but the agency wants to use the funds upon receipt for a specific purpose, the head of the agency must submit a request for an allotment amendment to the Governor.  A copy of the amendment request must also be simultaneously submitted to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC), Senate Ways and Means Committee and House Appropriations Committee.  Under these provisions, when an agency that receives funding from a transportation fund or account experiences an unanticipated receipt, neither the House and Senate standing committees on transportation nor the Legislative Transportation Committee (LTC) are provided notice of the request for an allotment amendment.

If the Governor approves the request for an allotment amendment, his approval statement is transmitted simultaneously to the head of the agency, JLARC, and the Senate Ways and Means and House Appropriations Committees.  If the approved amendment request impacts any transportation funds or accounts, there is no notification provided to the House and Senate standing committees on transportation or the LTC.

Information Technology Reports.  The Department of Information Services (DIS) prepares a state strategic information technology plan that establishes a statewide mission, and goals and objectives for the use of information technology.  Upon approval by the Information Services Board, copies of the plan are sent to the Governor and the chairs and ranking minority members of the appropriations committees of the Senate and House.

Additionally, the DIS prepares a biennial state performance report on information technology projects.  This report is distributed biennially to the Governor and the chairs and ranking minority members of the appropriations committees of the Senate and House.

In providing the oversight of agency information technology projects, the DIS evaluates projects at different stages and provides copies of its evaluations to the Office of Financial Management and the chairs, ranking minority members and staff coordinators of the appropriations committees of the Senate and House.

None of these reports is required by law to be submitted to either the House or Senate standing committees on transportation or the LTC.

Summary: Unanticipated Receipts.  Whenever an agency that receives funding from a transportation fund or account experiences an unanticipated receipt, the head of the agency must submit to the Governor a request for an allotment amendment, setting forth the facts constituting the need for the expenditure and the estimated amount to be expended.  The request for an allotment amendment must be simultaneously transmitted to the House and Senate standing committees on transportation, if the Legislature is in session.  During the legislative interim, the amendment request must be submitted to the LTC.

During a legislative session, if the Governor approves a request for an allotment amendment which has transportation funding implications, a copy of his approval statement must be transmitted simultaneously to the head of the agency, and to the House and Senate standing committees on transportation.  During the legislative interim, the Governor's approval statement must be transmitted simultaneously to the head of the agency and to the LTC.

Information Technology Reports.  The DIS is required, during the legislative session, to submit copies of the approved state strategic information technology plan to the chairs and ranking minority members of the transportation committees of the Senate and House.  During the legislative interim, the department must submit its state strategic plan to the LTC.

The DIS is required to submit, during the legislative session, copies of its biennial state performance report on information technology projects to the chairs and ranking minority members of the transportation committees of the Senate and House.  During the legislative interim, the department must submit its biennial performance report to the LTC.

Regarding DIS project evaluations, if a project receives funding from a transportation fund or account, copies of those projects' evaluations must be submitted, during the legislative session, to the chairs and ranking minority members of the transportation committees of the Senate and House.  During the legislative interim, the project evaluations must be submitted to the LTC.

Votes on Final Passage:

House923

Senate2821

Effective:  June 11, 1998