HOUSE BILL REPORT
SHB 1125
As Amended by the Senate
Title: An act relating to transportation funding and appropriations.
Brief Description: Funding transportation for the 1999-01 biennium.
Sponsors: House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Fisher, K. Schmidt, Radcliff, O'Brien, Fortunato, Eickmeyer, Hankins, Cooper, Murray, Wood and Mitchell; by request of Governor Locke).
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Transportation: 1/21/99, 3/31/99 [DPS].
Floor Activity:
Passed House: 4/2/99, 83-13.
Senate Amended.
Passed Senate: 4/19/99, 47-2.
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Brief Summary of Substitute Bill
$Adopting the 1999-01 Transportation Budget.
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 24 members: Representatives Fisher, Democratic Co-Chair; K. Schmidt, Republican Co-Chair; Cooper, Democratic 1st Vice Chair; Ericksen, Republican Vice Chair; Hankins, Republican Vice Chair; Buck; G. Chandler; DeBolt; Haigh; Hatfield; Hurst; Lovick; McDonald; Mielke; Mitchell; Murray; Ogden; Pflug; Radcliff; Romero; Schindler; Schual-Berke; Skinner and Wood.
Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 1 member: Representative Morris.
Staff: Brad Lovaas (786-7307).
Background:
The transportation budget provides appropriations to the major transportation agencies C the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Washington State Patrol (WSP), the Department of Licensing (DOL), the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB), and the County Road Administration Board (CRAB). It also provides appropriations to many smaller transportation agencies and appropriates transportation funds and accounts to general government agencies.
The 1997-99 transportation budget totaled $3 billion.
Summary of Bill:
Department of Transportation
Efficiency Savings
$22 million in savings is realized due to the implementation of various efficiency measures throughout the agency.
State Highways
$1.17 Billion is provided for state highway improvements:
HOV's: $236 million for design, right of way and construction of core HOV projects on I-5, I-405, SR 167, and SR 520;
Corridor Program: $116 million for design, right of way and construction of corridor projects including SR 509, SR 519, SR 522, SR 525, SR 395 North-South Corridor Spokane;
Freight Mobility: $85 million for Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board (FMSIB) identified freight mobility projects on the state highway system (including WSDOT share) including SR 519 intermodal access, I-90 snowshed, completing SR 509 to I-5 etc.;
Capacity: $326 million for statewide highway capacity improvements; $50 million to support the SR 16 Narrow's Bridge public/ private initiative for a new Narrow's Bridge.
Safety: $170 million to improve the safety of state highways;
Economic Initiatives: $194 million for economic initiatives including all weather roads, improvements on the freight and goods system (SR 18) bridge height restrictions, etc.; and
Environmental: $43 million for environmental projects including fish passage barriers, storm water runoff, wetland banking and noise walls.
$605 million is provided for highway preservation to repave roadways, repair and rebuild bridges, repair unstable slopes, etc.
$256 million is provided for the maintenance of state highways, including snow and ice removal, patching roadways, pavement striping, maintaining traffic signals, etc.
Washington State Ferries B Capital: Total Budget = $286.7 million
$1.5 million is provided for the millennium class ferry design.
$18 million is provided for accelerated terminal preservation.
$96.7 million is provided for expanded passenger-only ferry service from Southworth and Kingston to Seattle. This amount includes starting construction of terminal facilities and 4 passenger-only boats (approximately 1.3 boats in this biennium).
Washington State Ferries B Operating: Total Budget = $303 million
$1 million is provided for expanded Bremerton auto ferry weekend service.
$2.1 million is provided for weekend passenger-only service.
$3.2 million is provided for expanded passenger-only service from Southworth and Kingston to Seattle.
Rail B Operating: Total Budget = $33.1 million
$6.3 million is provided for a 2nd round trip between Seattle and Vancouver B.C.
$17.6 million is provided to continue the two state sponsored round trips between Seattle and Portland and one round trip from Seattle to Vancouver B.C.
Rail B Capital: Total Budget = $96.8 million
Nearly $50 million is provided for track improvements to improve train service and leverage partnership funding.
$4 million is provided to begin purchase of an additional train set.
$15 million is provided for the King Street maintenance facility.
$7 million is provided for light-density freight rail line loans and grants.
$9.4 million is provided to renovate King Street Station.
Highway Management and Facilities/ Plant Construction & Supervision
Total Budget = $69.5 million
$22.5 million is provided for facility construction.
$2.8 million is provided for Year 2000/ disaster business plans.
Aviation: Total Budget = $4.4 million
$1.5 million is provided for safety inspections, airport assistant grants, aviation planning, and equipment maintenance and replacement.
Traffic Operations: Total Budget = $29 million
$2.9 million is provided for the additional low cost enhancements and the service patrol program.
Traffic Operations B Capital: Total Budget = $9.6 million
$7.6 million is provided for traveler information investments and commercial vehicle operations.
Transportation Management: Total Budget = $110.9 million
$7.5 million is provided for information technology projects.
Transportation Planning, Data, and Research: Total Budget = $31 million
$5 million is provided for statewide travel forecasting and statewide transportation planning and traffic counts.
Public Transportation: Total Budget = $25.1 million
$9.5 million is provided for the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program.
$2 million is provided for additional CTR tax credits.
$1 million is provided for the Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation (ACCT) grant program.
$4.5 million is provided for rural mobility projects.
$2.7 million is provided for the high capacity planning grants.
Trans Aid B Capital: Total Budget = $151.9 million
$85 million is provided for freight mobility projects.
$1.4 million is provided for the Tibbets Creek project.
$10 million is provided for Columbia River dredging.
$300,000 is provided for the Chehalis Basin Flood Management Study.
$6.7 million is provided for the State Infrastructure Bank.
$30 million is provided for corridor congestion relief.
Washington State Patrol
Field Operations: Total Budget = $158.9 million
$1.4 million is provided for the emergency communication system.
Support Services Bureau: Total Budget = $68.8 million
$1.9 million is provided, in addition to the agency's existing technology replacement funding, for replacing identified outdated technology.
$877,000 is provided for replacement of pursuit vehicles at 110,000 miles.
Capital: Total Budget = $2.3 million
Funding is provided for minor works, repaving of the drive course, and the Naselle detachment office.
Department of Licensing
Management and Support Services: Total Budget = $11.4 million
Vehicle Services Division: Total Budget = $59.7 million
Information Systems Division: Total Budget = $9.5 million
$790,000 is provided for technology infrastructure.
Driver Services Division: Total Budget = $79.7 million
$445,000 is provided for license service office counter upgrades.
$2.4 million is provided for the replacement of the outdated automated testing system.
$2.9 million is provided for a new improved, secure driver's license.
$2 million is provided for 25 new licensing service office staff to reduce wait time.
$553,000 is provided to upgrade the licensing service offices' lobby management system to assist the public in more timely processing of driver's licenses.
Other Agencies
Traffic Safety Commission: Total Budget = $11.6 million
$3.5 million from TEA-21 incentive grants for safety programs.
$150,000 is provided for the implementation of a bicycle and pedestrian safety education program related to the Cooper Jones Act of 1998.
State Parks and Recreation B Capital: Total Budget = $4.9 million
Funding is provided for improvement projects on State Park roadways.
Transportation Commission: Total Budget = $807,000
Funding is provided at current funding levels for the administration of the commission.
Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program: Total Budget = $900,000
$630,000 is provided to assist in the implementation of the Local Government Finance Reporting project and the Transportation Infrastructure Database and Reporting System.
Transportation Improvement Board: Total Budget = $237 million
Funding is provided for transportation improvements on state, city and county arterials.
Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board: Total Budget = $600,000
Funding is provided for the administration of the board in prioritizing and overseeing state and local freight mobility projects.
County Road Administration Board: Total Budget = $108 million
Funding is provided for capital projects, which includes $5 million for projects related to the freight and goods system on county roads.
Special Appropriations to the Governor: Total Budget = $1 million
Funding is provided for tort claims prior to 1990.
Marine Employees Commission: Total Budget = $475,000
$119,000 is provided for one additional FTE in anticipation of an increased workload.
Senate Transportation Committee: Total Budget = $2.4 million
Funding is provided to the Senate Transportation Committee for operations and staffing.
Funding is provided to conduct a Road Jurisdiction Study in which a task force of House and Senate Transportation members will be formed to study the issues surrounding the redesignation of state and local routes.
House Transportation Committee: Total Budget = $2.4 million
Funding is provided to the House Transportation Committee for operations and staffing.
The following agencies are funded at current levels:
Department of Agriculture
Utilities and Transportation Commission
Board of Pilotage Commissioners
State Parks and Recreation Commission - Operating
Local Government
A total of $190 million in 1999 - 2001
$85 million is provided for the state program share of local freight mobility projects (contained in the WSDOT/ Trans Aid budget ).
$30 million is provided to cities and counties for corridor projects.
$25 million is provided for distribution to cities of over 2,500 population.
$25 million is provided for distribution to counties.
$10 million is provided to capitalize the State Infrastructure Bank.
$5 million is provided for pavement programs in cities of less than 2,500 population.
$5 million is provided for county rural arterial preservation projects.
$5 million is provided for local roadway and pedestrian improvement projects related to school safety.
Rural Economic Development
A total of $65.8 million in 1999 -2001
The following appropriations are contained within WSDOT and CRAB budgets
$19.3 million is provided to accelerate the retrofitting of height restricted bridges and highways that are closed to freeze thaw restrictions.
$15 million in Federal Surface Transportation Program Funds is targeted for rural economic development.
$10 million is put into the State Infrastructure Bank to capitalize the account. The Bank will provide these funds as low interest loans and will serve as a revolving account for cities and counties.
$7 million is provided to the Freight Rail program in loans or grants to preserve or restore rail lines.
$5 million in additional funds is provided to CRAB (County Road Administration Board)- Rural Arterial Program for a county freight and goods transportation system.
$5 million is dedicated to a Small Cities Pavement Program for cities of less than 2,500 population for street improvements.
$4.5 million in the Rural Mobility Grant Program leverages local dollars to preserve and enhance rural public transportation, including links to rural communities.
Other transportation investments, such as the state program for freight mobility will assist in getting rural communities products to urban markets. In addition, state highway preservation funding, and Transportation Improvement Board and County Road Administration Board funding provides substantial investments in rural communities.
EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S): Adjusts funding levels and appropriations to transportation agencies for the 1999-2001 biennium.
Appropriation: $3,886 billion is appropriated in the 1999-01 transportation budget.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.