Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Transportation Committee

HB 2725

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Expands the voting membership of the Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation (ACCT) by two members: (1) a representative from a tribal government; and (2) a representative from the Department of Social and Health Services.
Allows the ACCT to add nonvoting members as determined by the council.
Limits the support provided to the ACCT by the Washington State Department of Transportation to the amount that resources allow.
Places the focus of the ACCT on projects to which members of the ACCT are willing to donate time, with an emphasis on coordinated transportation, cost and ride sharing, performance measures, mobility management, and addressing underserved populations.
Removes the termination date for the ACCT and limits the section that repeals the ACCT statutes to: (1) the requirements for local coordinating coalitions; and (2) a completed work group.

Background:

The Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation (ACCT) is a council of state agencies, transportation providers, consumer advocates, and legislators, which was created in 1998 in order to advance and improve accessibility to and coordination of special needs transportation services statewide. The council is made up of 14 voting members, 11 of whom are appointed by the Governor according to certain statutory prescriptions, with the remaining three consisting of the Superintendant of Public Instruction, the Secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), and the Director of the Health Care Authority, or their designees. There are also four non-voting members, one each from the two largest caucuses in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Since enactment, the ACCT has been reauthorized several times. In 2007 the Legislature reauthorized the ACCT until June 30, 2010, and modified and streamlined the ACCT's duties. In 2007 the Legislature also directed the Joint Transportation Committee to study legal and programmatic changes and best practices necessary for providing effective coordination of special needs transportation. That study, finalized in January 2009, resulted in a number of recommendations, including the need to strengthen the ACCT's role as a statewide oversight authority and to establish the necessary infrastructure that responds to local circumstances and needs.

In 2009 the ACCT was reauthorized until June 30, 2011, and all related sections of the Revised Code of Washington until June 30, 2012.

Summary of Bill:

The voting membership of the ACCT is expanded by two members: (1) a representative from a tribal government; and (2) a representative from the Department of Social and Health Services. The ACCT is also allowed to add nonvoting members as determined by the ACCT.

The support provided to the ACCT by the WSDOT is limited to the amount that resources allow.

The focus of the ACCT is directed to the projects on which members of the ACCT are willing to donate time, with an emphasis on:

coordinated human services transportation;
cost and ride sharing;
performance measures;
mobility management; and
addressing underserved populations.

The termination date for the ACCT is eliminated. The section that repeals all of the ACCT statutes is limited solely to: (1) the requirements for local coordinating coalitions; and (2) a completed work group.