2020 legislative review
Transportation
Mike Ennis : Transportation , Infrastructure , Aviation , Telecom , Rural Jobs , Land Use
There were many significant transportation issues that kept lawmakers busy during the 2020 legislative session . Leaders had to wrestle with the fallout from voters passing I-976 , which cut $ 480 million in revenue from the transportation budget , and grapple with the low-carbon fuel standard , a priority for Gov . Jay Inslee and environmental groups . Lawmakers also proposed a road usage charge for the first time and another statewide transportation revenue package that included a cap-and-invest program . Neither of these bills passed .
Some lawmakers also tried to advance legislation that would have flipped the state ’ s transportation policy goals on its head . HB 2688 / SB 6398 would have rewritten the goals completely , removed freight mobility and traffic relief , and required the Washington State Department of Transportation ( WSDOT ) to score projects and award funding based on a threshold set by the department . The business community strongly opposed these bills . Removing freight mobility and traffic relief as transportation objectives would mean funding shifts to other priorities , leading to increased traffic congestion and delays . We also opposed stripping any discretion away from the Legislature in funding transportation projects . Granting authority on which projects get funded to an agency weakens public accountability and sets up a process by which WSDOT officials could amend the list after money is allocated by the Legislature . These bills did not pass , but they provide a glimpse into where some lawmakers want to take transportation policy in Washington state .
Heading into the 2021 legislative session , the business community will be working with lawmakers on how to approach filling another significant gap in the biennial budget . The Office of Financial Management estimates I-976 will reduce transportation revenues by another $ 680 million . House and Senate transportation leaders have indicated they will conduct listening tours this interim to gather input from the public on building a statewide transportation and reform package . AWB will also be working with our membership to solicit feedback on key budget principles and what a reform package should include .
infrastructure / transportation
ESHB 2322 supplemental transportation budget
Passed / AWB Supported
Rep . Jake Fey , D-Tacoma , introduced Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2322 , which makes supplemental transportation allocations for the remainder of the 2019-2021 fiscal biennium . With the passage of I-976 , lawmakers had to rebalance the transportation budget with
$ 480 million less revenue . AWB worked with lawmakers to accomplish a handful of budget principles . Those include fully funding maintenance and preservation programs , fully funding projects of regional and statewide significance , adopting a transportation budget quickly given the pause , and encouraging the governor to unpause projects . The $ 10.4 billion transportation budget fully funds the paused project list and maintains current funding levels for the maintenance and preservation programs . It does not utilize general fund dollars as Sen . Curtis King , R-Yakima , proposed , but it does assume a higher rate of cost underruns on projects than what was originally contemplated . It should also be noted that this is the first time the state transportation budget has crossed $ 10 billion . ESHB 2322 passed the House by a vote of 96 to 1 and the Senate by a vote of 48 to 0 . Gov . Jay Inslee issued a press release following the passage of the transportation budget indicating that he has directed WSDOT “ to move as expeditiously as possible to restart the paused projects .” Overall , the supplemental budget keeps the business community in relatively good shape through the remainder of 2020 .
32 association of washington business