Background:

The state-authorized Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation (ACCT) was 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 statewide transportation services for persons with special transportation needs, which means those persons, including their personal attendants, who, because of physical or mental disability, income status, or age, are unable to transport themselves or to purchase transportation.

The ACCT was made up of 14 voting members, 11 of whom were 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 were also four nonvoting members, one each from the two largest caucuses in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Since enactment, the ACCT was 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 were reauthorized until June 30, 2012.

In 2005 the federal Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) was enacted, which conditions receipt of certain federally funded public transportation grant projects on the establishment of locally developed, coordinated public transportation plans. The SAFETEA-LU guidance issued by the Federal Transportation Administration indicates that each plan should identify special transportation needs, prioritize services, and establish comprehensive strategies for meeting special transportation needs. The new federal requirement is addressed in the planning process of regional transportation planning organizations or metropolitan planning organizations.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

The ACCT is reauthorized and reestablished to consist of 15 voting members and four nonvoting legislative members. The 15 voting members are: the Secretary of the WSDOT or a designee; the Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) or a designee; the Superintendent of Public Instruction or a designee; the Director of the Health Care Authority or a designee; and 11 members appointed by the Governor, representing consumers of special needs transportation, pupil transportation, the Community Transportation Association of the Northwest, the Community Action Council Association, the State Transit Association, regional transportation planning organizations (RTPO) and metropolitan planning organizations, medicaid brokers, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Association of Counties. The four nonvoting legislative members include two members from the House of Representatives and two Senators, representing each caucus and the House of Representatives and Senate Transportation Committees or the House of Representatives Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means committees.

The ACCT meetings are required to be open to the public, with agendas published in advance, and minutes kept and made available to the public. The ACCT meetings must also be held in locations that are readily accessible to public transportation and at a time when public transportation is available. The WSDOT is required to provided necessary support to the ACCT as resources allow.

The ACCT's duties include the following: focus on results and projects that identify and address barriers to facilitating a statewide approach to coordinated transportation systems for persons with special needs; develop statewide guidelines for customer complaint processes; represent the needs and interests of persons with special transportation needs in statewide efforts for emergency and disaster preparedness planning; and submit an annual progress report to the Legislature beginning on December 1, 2015.

The focus of the ACCT is specifically 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.

Beginning July 1, 2014, and every four years thereafter, each RTPO is required to submit to the ACCT an updated plan that includes certain elements identified by the ACCT that are consistent with federal planning requirements. Every two years, each RTPO must submit to the ACCT a prioritized regional human service and transportation project list.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) This bill helps the aged, as well as other people with special needs, and has been requested by a number of localities. Moving Ahead for Progress in the 2lst Century encourages these types of activities, especially at the planning level.

Hopelink serves as a Medicaid broker, provides Dial-a-Ride Transit service and support, and last year served 2 million people.

The ACCT coordinates accessible, affordable transportation for people that do not otherwise have it. The ACCT also serves as a forum for consumers, providers, and state agencies to coordinate services and be made aware of emerging needs. Finally, the ACCT also encourages public private partnerships and innovative approaches to providing transportation services.

The ACCT currently meets on an ad hoc basis, but the implementing statutes are needed. It is the only forum where all the involved organizations and individuals can get together to discuss coordination issues. Lately the ACCT has been focused on veterans' issues, coordination plans, performance measures, and emergency management.

The DSHS has many responsibilities related to the transportation of individuals with special needs, so it needs to be at the table.

(Opposed) None.