Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Transportation Committee
HB 1219
Brief Description: Concerning public transportation benefit area governing bodies.
Sponsors: Representatives Pollet, Bronoske, Ramel, Berry and Riccelli.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Modifies the governing board (board) requirements for public transportation benefit areas, to convert the mandated nonvoting labor representative into a voting member of the board from a labor organization.
  • Removes the ability of the chair or co-chairs of the board to exclude the labor representative from attending executive sessions that do not implicate negotiations with labor organizations.
Hearing Date: 2/1/23
Staff: David Munnecke (786-7315).
Background:

Public Transportation Benefit Area.
A public transportation benefit area (PTBA) is a type of municipal corporation created to provide regional transportation service to all or a portion of a county or multiple counties.  It is authorized to construct, own, and operate a regional transportation system within its jurisdictional boundaries in accordance with specified statutory requirements.  The creation of a PTBA requires the convening of a public transportation improvement conference attended by an elected official from each city and county falling within the jurisdiction of the proposed PTBA.  The governance of a PTBA is provided by a governing body consisting of not more than nine (or 15 if the PTBA is multi-county) elected officials from the governments of the cities and counties participating in the PTBA.


Labor Organization Recommended Members.
A public transportation system owned or operated by specified categories of public transportation entities must include in its governing body a nonvoting member recommended by the labor organization or organizations representing its employees.  This requirement is applicable to governing bodies of the public transportation systems of the following types:

  • a metropolitan transit commission;
  • a county transportation authority; and
  • a PTBA.

 

The governing body of one of the specified public transportation systems must exclude the nonvoting labor representative member from attending any portion of an executive session held for the purpose of discussing negotiations with labor organizations.  The chair or co-chair may exclude the nonvoting member from attending any other executive session.  Such a member must comply with all bylaws and policies of the governing body of the transit entity to which they are appointed.


A PTBA is exempt from the requirement that a nonvoting member be appointed to its governing body, if the authority has no employees represented by a labor union.
Summary of Bill:

The requirements for the governing board (board) of a PTBA are modified, in order to convert the mandated nonvoting labor representative of the board into a voting member of the board from a labor organization. 


The ability of the chair or co-chairs of the board to exclude the labor representative from attending executive sessions that do not implicate negotiations with labor organizations is removed.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.