Freight mobility, transportation revenue forecast and bond authority still in action

While Legislators negotiate the biennial transportation budgets before this week’s final cutoff deadline, we bring you updates on other transportation related legislation under consideration this year.

Transportation revenue forecast

We’ve been tracking the movement of HB 1838, which originally proposed to make the state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) responsible for the revenue forecast for the transportation budget, thereby attempting to create better coordination and consistency between forecasts. Currently the transportation forecast is prepared by the Transportation Revenue Forecast Council.

Regular readers will remember the bipartisan bill was amended slightly as it moved through the House and Senate Transportation Committees. Find our previous coverage here and here.

Arriving at the Senate Ways & Means Committee, HB 1838 received a complete makeover in an amendment from Committee Chair Sen. Christine Rolfes (D–Bainbridge Island) just before the fiscal cutoff deadline. The amendment:

• Changes the membership of the ERFC to consist of:
  • The director of the Office of Financial Management
  • The director of the Department of Revenue
  • The State Treasurer
  • The chair and ranking member of the House Finance Committee
  • The chair and ranking member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
• Removes the adoption of the Budget Outlooks from the current duties of the ERFC and creates a Budget Outlook Council with the following members:
  • The director of the Office of Financial Management
  • The director of the Department of Revenue
  • The State Treasurer
  • The chair and ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee
  • The chair and ranking member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
• Creates a new Transportation Revenue Forecast Council, to adopt transportation revenue forecasts. Its members are:
  • The director of the Office of Financial Management
  • The director of the Department of Licensing
  • The State Treasurer
  • The chair and ranking member of the House Transportation Committee
  • The chair and ranking member of the Senate Transportation Committee
• Directs the ERFC director to support the work of the Budget Outlook and Transportation Revenue Forecast Councils.
• Adds staff from the House and Senate Transportation Committees and the Department of Licensing to the ERFC work group.
• Repeals existing statues related to the current process for transportation revenue forecasts.

HB 1383 passed out of Committee by a vote of 23-1 and moved to the Senate Rules Committee.

Freight mobility

HB 1084 is trucking towards the finish line. It passed out of the Senate by a near-unanimous vote with no amendments. The bill makes several changes to the state’s Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board. It removes the Board’s authority related to the selection and finance of freight projects, instead directing it to identify a six-year program of the highest priority freight mobility investments for the state and identify critical emerging freight issues. The bill also moves the Board’s focus towards impacts of freight transportation on overburdened communities.

HB 1084 was voted out of the Senate Transportation Committee by a near-unanimous vote and was passes to the Senate Rules Committee.

Connecting Washington

SB 5763 increases the state’s bond authority for Connecting Washington transportation projects by $4.3 billion, from the original $5.3 billion to $9.6 billion. The bill expresses the Legislature’s intent to support the completion of the majority of projects funded in the 2015 transportation package. Due to significant cost increases and supply shortages, among other challenges, additional bond revenue is needed to fulfill the state’s commitment.

SB 5763 passed out of the Senate by a strong majority vote and must clear the House by this Wednesday, April 12, to stand a chance at enactment.