H-1475.1

HOUSE BILL 2052


State of Washington	64th Legislature	2015 Regular Session

By Representatives Young, Fey, Caldier, Shea, Orcutt, Hayes, Scott, and Moscoso

Read first time 02/09/15. Referred to Committee on Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to a task force to evaluate the efficacy of contracting with a private enterprise to provide services and the collection of tolls on the Tacoma Narrows bridge; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that other states have leased land surrounding toll booths to concessionaires to create plazas that provide food, goods, or rest areas to drivers. Such private enterprises are allowed to build buildings and parking spaces and make modifications so that they can sell goods and services as long as they also collect the tolls for the road in an efficient manner. Because the Tacoma Narrows bridge has unique financing issues that may justify significant increases in tolls on the bridge in the future, the legislature intends to investigate a public-private partnership opportunity that is intended to minimize potential toll rate increases for the Tacoma Narrows bridge.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1)(a) A legislative task force on the Tacoma Narrows bridge public-private partnership is established, with members as provided in this subsection.

(i) The voting members are as follows: Two members from each of the two largest caucuses of the senate as appointed by the president of the senate and two members from each of the two largest caucuses of the house of representatives as appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(ii) The nonvoting members are as follows: The secretary of transportation or his or her designee, a member of the transportation commission or its designee, the state treasurer or his or her designee, and a representative from the Tacoma Narrows citizen advisory committee as invited by the cochairs of the task force.

(2) The primary sponsor of this act must convene the initial meeting of the task force by August 1, 2015, and must serve as a cochair. The senate cochair must be appointed by the majority leader of the largest caucus in the senate.

(3) The task force must review and take testimony on whether it would be cost-effective for the department of transportation to lease the property upon which the Tacoma Narrows bridge toll booths are located to the private sector to provide services and collect tolls. The task force should consider under what parameters businesses would be interested in engaging in such a public-private partnership and identify potential barriers to such a project. The task force should recommend specifications and language to be used by the department of transportation to offer such an opportunity for public bid.

(4) The task force must hold at least one work session in the community where the Tacoma Narrows bridge is located. The task force must report to the transportation committees of the legislature by November 15, 2015, with its findings. The report should identify which recommendations are supported by all the members of the task force.

(5) Staff support for the task force must be provided by senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research. The task force may contract with additional persons who have specific technical expertise if such expertise is necessary to carry out the duties of the task force.

(6) Legislative members of the task force must be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members, except those representing an employer or organization, are entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.