FINAL BILL REPORT

                 ESHB 1125

PARTIAL VETO

                         C 1 L 99 E1

                     Synopsis as Enacted

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).

House Committee on Transportation

Senate Committee on Transportation

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:

Department of Transportation

Efficiency Savings

$$22 million in savings is realized due to the implementation of various efficiency measures throughout the agency.

State Highways

$$1.23 Billion is provided for state highway improvements:

$HOV's: $248 million for design, right of way and construction of core HOV projects on I‑5, I‑405, SR 167, and SR 520, and SR 16;

$Corridor Program:  $114 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.

$$606 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 ‑ Capital:  Total Budget = $285.2 million

$$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 5 passenger‑only boats (approximately 1.3 boats in this biennium).

Washington State Ferries ‑ 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 ‑ 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 ‑ Capital:  Total Budget = $93 million

$Nearly $49 million is provided for track improvements to improve train service and leverage partnership funding.

$$3 million is provided to purchase up to six additional passenger cars to increase capacity on existing train sets.

$$15 million is provided for the King Street maintenance facility.

$$6 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 = $71 million

$$22.5 million is provided for facility construction.

$$1.4 million is provided for Year 2000/ disaster business plans.

$The department is authorized to use certificates of participation to acquire and remodel a facility for the Southwest regional headquarters.

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 = $29.5 million

$$2.9 million is provided for the additional low cost enhancements and the service patrol program.

Traffic Operations ‑ Capital:  Total Budget = $9.6 million

$$7.6 million is provided for traveler information investments and commercial vehicle operations.

Transportation Management:  Total Budget = $110.8 million

$$7.5 million is provided for information technology projects.

Transportation Planning, Data, and Research:  Total Budget = $30.5 million

$$4.5 million is provided for statewide travel forecasting and statewide transportation planning and traffic counts.

Public Transportation:  Total Budget = $24.4 million

$$10.1 million is provided for the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program.

$$1.5 million is provided for additional CTR tax credits.

$$750,000 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 ‑ Capital:  Total Budget = $161.9 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.

$$20 million is provided for county corridor congestion relief.

$$5 million for a small city (2,500 population or less) pavement preservation programs.

$$5 million for a city fish passage barrier removal and habitat restoration program.

$$5 million for enhanced safety for schools, which includes sidewalks, signals and channelization.

Washington State Patrol

Field Operations:  Total Budget = $160.9 million

$$1.4 million is provided for the emergency communication system.

$$1.6 million is provided for 18 new Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Troopers.

Support Services Bureau:  Total Budget = $67.9 million

$$1 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.

$$617,000 is provided for 8 new communication staff.

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 = $11.3 million

Vehicle Services Division:  Total Budget = $59.2 million

$$528,000 is provided to increase audit functions.

Information Systems Division:  Total Budget = $9.5 million

$$1.1 million is provided for technology infrastructure.

Driver Services Division:  Total Budget = $79.4 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 = $11.5 million

$$3.5 million from TEA‑21 incentive grants for safety programs.

$$25,000 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 ‑ Capital:  Total Budget = $2.7 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.

Utilities and Transportation Commission:  Total Budget = $111,000

$One year funding is provided and second year funding levels will be determined by the findings of an interim study on the transportation functions currently performed by the UTC.

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 = $111 million

$Funding is provided for capital projects, which includes $8 million for projects related to the freight and goods system on county roads.

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

$Board of Pilotage Commissioners

$State Parks and Recreation Commission ‑ Operating

$Marine Employees Commission

Votes on Final Passage:

     House  83 13

Senate 47 2 (Senate amended)

House(House refused to concur)

Senate(Senate receded)

Senate480(Senate amended)

First Special Session

House960

Senate461(Senate amended)

House(House refused to concur)

Senate462(Senate amended)

House960(House concurred)

Effective:May 27, 1999

Partial Veto Summary:  Approximately $7 million was vetoed out of the 1999-01 transportation budget, including $4 million for HOV lanes on SR 16 and $1.5 million for development of a new class of auto/passenger ferries.