Z-0755.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5754

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senators Haugen, Winsley and Oke; by request of The Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation

Read first time 02/01/2001.  Referred to Committee on Transportation.

Reviewing transportation administration practices.

    AN ACT Relating to a review of transportation administration practices; and creating new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  (1) The joint legislative audit and review committee shall conduct a performance review of the administrative practices of the Washington state department of transportation.  The purpose of the review is to clarify operational costs and to identify administrative or operational inefficiencies that can be improved.

    (2) At a minimum, the review should include the following elements:

    (a) Scale and size of accounting and management information systems division staffs;

    (b) Possible duplication of functions among regions and offices;

    (c) Possible application of computer and Internet technology for administration purposes;

    (d) Scale and size of other departmental support programs, including functions for highway management and facilities; finance and administration; transportation planning, data, and research; and other agency charges.

    The review must be completed no later than October 31, 2002.  The joint legislative audit and review committee may contract for specialized expertise as necessary to achieve the purposes of this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The transportation accountability board, created in House Bill No. ...., shall conduct a thorough review of administrative practices of each county, each city with a population of five thousand or greater, and each transit district.  The purpose of the review is to clarify operational costs and to identify administrative or operational inefficiencies that can be improved.

    The transportation accountability board must develop a plan for conducting the review.  The board may consider using consultant support or contracting out the performance reviews as necessary to achieve the purposes of this section.  The board shall submit its proposed plan to the governor and the transportation committees of the house of representatives and the senate no later than October 31, 2001.

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