S-5365.1

SENATE BILL 6398

BySenators Saldaña, Nguyen, Lovelett, Liias, and Wilson, C.

AN ACT Relating to transportation policy goals; amending RCW 47.04.280; and adding a new section to chapter 47.04 RCW.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 47.04.280 and 2016 c 35 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) It is the intent of the legislature to establish policy goals for the planning, operation, performance of, and investment in, the state's transportation system. The policy goals established under this section are deemed consistent with the benchmark categories adopted by the state's blue ribbon commission on transportation on November 30, 2000. Public investments in transportation should support achievement of these policy goals:

(a) ((Economic vitality: To promote and develop transportation systems that stimulate, support, and enhance the movement of people and goods to ensure a prosperous economy;

(f) Stewardship: To continuously improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of the transportation system.))Accessibility: To improve affordable access to the places and goods Washington residents, organizations, and businesses need to live, work, study, play, and pray;

(2) The powers, duties, and functions of state transportation agencies must be performed in a manner consistent with the policy goals set forth in subsection (1) of this section.

(3) These policy goals are intended to be the basis for establishing detailed and measurable objectives and related performance measures.

(4) It is the intent of the legislature that the office of financial management, in consultation with the transportation commission, establish objectives and performance measures for the department and other state agencies with transportation-related responsibilities to ensure transportation system performance at local, regional, and state government levels progresses toward the attainment of the policy goals set forth in subsection (1) of this section and the performance metrics established in section 2 of this act. The office of financial management shall submit objectives and performance measures to the legislature for its review and shall provide copies of the same to the commission during each regular session of the legislature during an even-numbered year thereafter.

(5) A local or regional agency engaging in transportation planning may voluntarily establish objectives and performance measures to demonstrate progress toward the attainment of the policy goals set forth in subsection (1) of this section or any other transportation policy goals established by the local or regional agency. A local or regional agency engaging in transportation planning is encouraged to provide local and regional objectives and performance measures to be included with the objectives and performance measures submitted to the legislature pursuant to subsection (4) of this section.

(6) This section does not create a private right of action.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 47.04 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Any transportation project or list of projects, in advance of inclusion in a budget authorization, must undergo an evaluation, guided by the goals identified in RCW 47.04.280. This analysis, which must be published and made publicly available on the department's web site, must be done by the department, and must include representatives from the active transportation division, the public transportation division, the multimodal planning division, and the Washington state ferries, in conjunction with the department of ecology, the interagency council on health disparities, the department of health and the department of commerce, and include a public input process that is inclusive of vulnerable populations in highly impacted communities, as identified by the department of health, in advance of consideration of the transportation project or list of projects by the legislature.

(2) Budget authorizations should not include projects that do not score above a threshold determined by the department.

(3) Any reductions to a transportation project or projects must undergo the same evaluation required in subsection (1) of this section.

(4) Project metrics associated with project review should be updated to reflect any changes to the goals identified in RCW 47.04.280.

(5) Any projects being evaluated should be included in a regional transportation planning organization's existing regional plan.

(6) The project evaluations required pursuant to subsections (1) and (3) of this section must consider the following metrics relative to the specific policy goal established in RCW 47.04.280:

(a) Accessibility:

(i) Metric: Alignment with land-use goals that bring the things people need closer together. The evaluation pursuant to this metric must further consider:

(A) The ability of pedestrians to use the built environment; and

(B) Support for the goals and requirements of chapter 36.70A RCW and county and city plans adopted under that chapter.

(ii) Metric: Improving the capacity of people of all abilities, both rural and urban to get to the places they need to be. The evaluation pursuant to this metric must further consider:

(A) Improvements in person throughput and the availability of transportation options to achieve improved movement for people of all abilities and needs;

(B) Increases in frequency, availability, and reliability of public transportation; and

(C) Provision of Americans with disabilities act accessible modes for all people.

(b) Safety:

Metric: Reduction in fatalities and serious injuries. The evaluation pursuant to this metric must further consider:

(i) Decreasing the number of traffic related fatalities on all roads to zero by 2030; and

(ii) Decreasing the frequency of motor vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian collisions.

(c) Environment and climate:

Metric: Projects that help Washington meet greenhouse gas reduction targets, do not encourage sprawl in accordance with the state growth management act, and aligns with Washington legal requirements to protect the environment. The evaluation pursuant to this metric must further consider:

(i) Achieving greenhouse gas emissions reductions required by RCW 70.235.020;

(ii) Achieving the goals in RCW 47.01.440 to reduce annual per capita vehicle miles traveled;

(iii) Reducing polluted stormwater runoff;

(iv) Reducing and mitigating air pollution from transportation sources; and

(v) Addressing impacts to fish habitat and other ecological needs.

(d) Health and resilience:

Metric: Promote and improve the health of people and communities. The evaluation pursuant to this metric must further consider:

(i) Promotion of healthy communities;

(ii) The ability of pedestrians to use the built environment;

(iii) Alignment with transportation related recommendations made by interagency council on health disparities;

(iv) Increasing opportunities for physical activity;

(v) Reduction of noise;

(vi) Emittance of toxics known to impact human health in transportation construction process and materials;

(vii) Reduction and removal of toxics known to impact human health in the transportation system; and

(viii) Prevention of displacement and increases in community connectedness.

(e) Equity and environmental justice:

(i) Metric: Equitable participation in system decision making by vulnerable populations and highly impacted communities.

(ii) Metric: Identifying and targeting system investments for the reduction of harm. The evaluation pursuant to this metric must further consider impacts on the accessibility, safety, environment and climate, health and resilience, and economic vitality goals identified in RCW 47.04.280 and the metrics created in this section in relation to:

(A) Vulnerable populations in highly impacted communities, as identified by the department of health; and

(B) Vulnerable populations as defined in RCW 19.405.020.

(f) Preservation:

Metric: Maintain and preserve a transportation system that meets current and future goals as identified in RCW 47.04.280. The evaluation pursuant to this metric must further consider:

(i) Overall preservation and operational needs and appropriate maintenance at the time needed; and

(ii) Usefulness of existing infrastructure relative to the metric created in this section.

(g) Economic vitality:

Metric: Support and enhance access to opportunity. The evaluation pursuant to this metric must further consider:

(i) Labor standards such as prevailing wage, and project labor agreements;

(ii) Support for workers' industries seeing less growth compared to those seeing more rapid growth;

(iii) Job creation in the short and long term;

(iv) Impacts to local businesses resulting from construction;

(v) Enhanced ability to bring goods to market from rural areas and students to training and educational opportunities;

(vi) Cost impacts for the full project life cycle, which must include, but is not limited to, maintenance; and

(vii) Transition to new employment for displaced workers in the transportation sector.

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