SENATE BILL REPORT
SHB 1125
As Reported By Senate Committee On:
Transportation, April 14, 1999
Title: An act relating to transportation funding and appropriations.
Brief Description: Funding transportation.
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: 4/13/99, 4/14/99 [DPA, DNP].
SENATE COMMITTEE ON
TRANSPORTATION
Majority Report: Do pass as amended.
Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Gardner, Vice Chair; Goings, Vice Chair; Benton, Costa, Eide, Horn, Jacobsen, Morton, Patterson, Prentice, Sellar, Sheahan, T. Sheldon, Shin and Swecker.
Minority Report: Do not pass.
Signed by Senators Finkbeiner, Johnson and Oke.
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 out of transportation funds to many smaller transportation agencies and general government agencies.
The 1997-99 transportation budget totaled $3 billion.
Summary of Amended Bill: The 1999 supplemental budget makes various supplemental appropriations that address emergent issues, takes advantage of windows of opportunity and credits budget under-runs back to transportation funds and accounts.
1999-01 Transportation Budget
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:
‑$236 million for design, right of way and construction of core HOV projects on I‑5, I‑405, SR 167, and SR 520
‑$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
‑$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.
‑$326 million for statewide highway capacity improvements
‑$170 million to improve the safety of state highways
‑$194 million for economic initiatives including all weather roads, improvements on the freight and goods system (SR 18) bridge height restrictions, etc.
‑$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 ‑ 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
$$96.7 million is provided for expanded passenger only ferry service from Southworth and Kingston to Seattle. This amount includes starting construction of terminal facilities and four passenger only boats (approximately 1.3 boats in this biennium)
Washington State Ferries ‑ Operating
Total Budget: $303 million
$$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
$$6.3 million is provided for a second round trip between Seattle and Vancouver B.C.
$$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: $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 and Supervision
Total Budget: $69.4 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 ‑ 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 ‑ 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
$$291,000 is provided for four temporary staff to complete the entry of the 1997 and 1998 accident reports into the Collision Reporting Accident and Statistical History System (CRASH) for use by WSP, DOL, DOT and other government agencies
$$877,000 is provided for the purchase of pursuit vehicles. This is in addition to the agency's existing program of replacing pursuit vehicles at 110,000 miles
$$222,000 is provided for the Mobile Computer Network Infrastructure
Capital
Total Budget: $2.3 million
$$833,000 is provided for minor works for Washington State Patrol facilities and the replacement of the Squak Mountain communication tower
$$615,000 is provided for the repaving of the Washington State Patrol's academy drive course
$$500,000 is provided for the Naselle detachment office which is a collocation with Department of Transportation
$$380,000 is provided to replace two existing aircraft
Department of Licensing
Management and Support Services
Total Budget: $11.4 million
$$540,000 is provided for a data integrity auditor, a quality initiative coordinator, performance based budgeting, and commute trip reduction program
Information Systems Division
Total Budget: $9.5 million
$$175,000 is provided for the search and query project
$$328,000 is provided for the transition to the Window's NT production environment
$$462,000 is provided for network system improvements
Vehicle Services Division
Total Budget: $ 59.7 million
$$150,000 is provided for two Vancouver staff to provide pro rate fuel tax services to the public
$$190,000 is provided for expanded audits of automobile dealers
$$133,000 is provided for the commercial vehicle network (CVISN)
$$130,000 is provided for the audit of licensing agents and sub‑agents to reduce the audit cycle from six to four years
Driver Services Division
Total Budget: $79.7 million
$$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 driver's license processing
$$265,000 is provided, in addition to existing motorcycle safety training funding, to reduce waiting lists for motorcycle training courses
$$500,000 is provided for temporary staff to reduce the backlog of accident reports due to the delay of the Collision Reporting Accident Statistical History Reporting System (CRASH) being implemented at the Washington State Patrol
Other Agencies
Traffic Safety Commission
Total Budget: $11.6 million
$$3.5 million from TEA‑21 incentive grants is provided to develop and implement a seat belt use campaign, a .08 blood alcohol law campaign, impaired driving programs, and crash data record improvement programs
$$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 ‑ Capital
$$4.9 million is provided for improvement projects at St. Edwards State Park, Ike Kinswa State Park, Beacon Rock State Park, Cama Beach State Park, Mt. Spokane State Park, Damon Point State Park, and Lake Sammamish State Park
Transportation Commission
$$807,000 is provided at current funding levels for the administration of the commission
Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program
Total Budget: $900,000
$$630,000 is provided to assist in the implementation of the Local Government Finance Reporting project and the Transportation Infrastructure Database and Reporting System
Transportation Improvement Board
$$237 million is provided for transportation improvements on state, city and county arterials
Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board
$$600,000 is provided for the administration of the board in prioritizing and overseeing state and local freight mobility projects
County Road Administration Board
$$108 million 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
$$1 million is provided for tort claims prior to 1990
Marine Employees Commission
Total Budget: $475,000
$$119,000 is provided for one additional FTE in anticipation of an increased workload due to the Marine Employees Commission being designated as the arbitrator for disputes between Washington State Ferries and the Inland Boatmen's Union of the Pacific
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 is 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 Department of Agriculture, the Utilities and Transportation Commission, the Board of Pilotage Commissioners, and State Parks and Recreation Commission ‑ Operations are funded at current levels.
Local Government
$$85 million is provided for the state program share of local freight mobility projects (contained in the WSDOT/ Trans Aid budget )
$$30 million is provided to cities and counties for corridor projects
$$25 million is provided for distribution to cities over 2,500
$$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
$$5 million is provided for county rural arterial preservation projects
$$5 million is provided for local roadway and pedestrian improvement projects related to school safety
Rural Economic Development
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 less than 2,500 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
Amended Bill Compared to Substitute Bill: Appropriations and agency funding levels were adjusted.
Appropriation: $3,994 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.
Testified: Sid Morrison, Department of Transportation (pro); Stan Finkelstein, Association of Washington Cities (pro); Mark Brown, City of Vancouver (pro); Jay Weber, County Road Administration Board (pro); Dan Snow, Washington State Transit Association (pro); Pat Jones, Washington Public Ports Association (pro); John Driebeck, Government Building Owners & Managers Association (pro w/amend.); David Allen, Transportation Choices Coalition (pro); Jack Whisner, Seattle resident (support of projects not funded); Willy O=Neil, Safe Passage Across the Narrows Now (support w/concerns); Ron Main, Sound Transit (pro).