Amended in Assembly September 3, 2013

Amended in Assembly July 3, 2013

Amended in Senate April 15, 2013

Senate Bill No. 486

Introduced by Senator DeSaulnier

(Coauthor: Senator Liu)

February 21, 2013

begin delete An act to add Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 13985) to Part 4.5 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to transportation. end delete begin insert An act to add Section 98 end insert begin insert to the Streets and Highways Code, relating to transportation. end insert

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 486, as amended, DeSaulnier. begin delete Office of Strategic Assessment and Accountability. end delete begin insert Department of Transportation: performance measurement benchmarks. end insert

Existing law establishes the Transportation Agency in state government with various duties and responsibilities.

begin delete

This bill would create, within the agency, the Office of Strategic Assessment and Accountability, under the direction of the Deputy Secretary for Strategic Assessment and Accountability, which would be responsible for ensuring the ongoing performance measurement, transparency, and public accountability of the Department of Transportation.

end delete begin insert

This bill would require the Secretary of the Transportation Agency, in consultation with the Director of Transportation, to identify+ performance measurement benchmarks on which the department would be required to report in specified areas, including, among others, enhancement of public safety and environmental sustainability.

end insert

The bill would require the begin delete office end delete begin insert department end insert to issue reports measuring the department’s success in meeting begin insert these end insert performance benchmarks begin delete identified by the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Director of Transportation, end delete and to compile and make these reports publicly available, including on the Internet Web site of the begin delete agency end delete begin insert Transportation Agency end insert . The bill would require the secretary begin insert or his or her designee end insert , on or before July 1, 2014, and not less than quarterly thereafter, to report to the California Transportation Commission on the department’s performance.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(1) The Department of Transportation, the largest entity of its
kind in the nation, is responsible for maintaining a complex
transportation system, including more than 50,000 state highway
lane miles, 12,600 bridges, and thousands of related facilities.

(2) The department faces significant challenges in maintaining
this infrastructure, much of which is aging and in need of repair
or rehabilitation.

(3) In order for the department to effectively accomplish this
mission and to meet its strategic goals of improved safety,
enhanced mobility, efficient project delivery, effective stewardship,
and quality services, it must establish public trust, which requires
increased transparency, clear accountability, and effective
performance measurement.

(b) Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to establish an
office within the Transportation Agency to assist the department
in identifying or developing performance measurements that will
effectively assess the department’s progress toward its strategic
goals, and to ensure that this information is provided clearly and
transparently to the public on a regular basis.

begin delete

SEC. 2.  

Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 13985) is added
to Part 4.5 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to
read:

 

Chapter  1.5. Office of Strategic Assessment and
Accountability

 

13985.  

For purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall
have the following meanings:

(a)  “Agency” means the Transportation Agency.

(b) “Commission” means the California Transportation
Commission.

(c)  “Department” means the Department of Transportation.

(d)  “Director” means the Director of Transportation.

(e)  “Office” means the Office of Strategic Assessment and
Accountability.

(f)  “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Transportation
Agency.

13985.1.  

(a)  There is hereby created, within the agency, the
Office of Strategic Assessment and Accountability, which shall
be responsible for ensuring the ongoing performance measurement,
transparency, and public accountability of the department. The
office shall be directed by the Deputy Secretary for Strategic
Assessment and Accountability, who shall report to the secretary.

(b)  The secretary, in consultation with the director, shall identify
the performance measurement benchmarks on which the office
shall report in the following areas:

(1)  Enhancement of public safety.

(2)  System preservation and rehabilitation.

(3)  Efficiency and cost-effectiveness of project delivery.

(c)  The office shall issue reports that measure the department’s
success in meeting, at a minimum, the performance measurement
benchmarks identified pursuant to subdivision (b). The office shall
compile and make publicly available, including on the Internet
Web site of the agency, the reports issued during each three-month
reporting period.

(d)  On or before July 1, 2014, and not less than quarterly
thereafter, the secretary shall report to the commission on the
department’s performance, based on the reports made by the office
pursuant to this section.

end delete

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 98 is added to the end insert begin insert Streets and Highways Code end insert begin insert ,
to read: end insert

begin insert

begin insert 98. end insert   

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms shall
have the following meanings:

(1) “Agency” means the Transportation Agency.

(2) “Commission” means the California Transportation
Commission.

(3) “Department” means the Department of Transportation.

(4) “Director” means the Director of Transportation.

(5) “Secretary” means the Secretary of Transportation.

(b) The secretary, in consultation with the director, shall identify
performance measurement benchmarks on which the department
shall report in the following areas:

(1) Enhancement of public safety.

(2) System preservation and rehabilitation.

(3) Efficiency and cost-effectiveness of project delivery.

(4) Environmental sustainability.

(c) The department shall issue reports that measure the
department’s success in meeting, at a minimum, the performance
measurement benchmarks identified pursuant to subdivision (b).
The department shall compile and make publicly available,
including on the Internet Web site of the agency, the reports issued
during each three-month reporting period.

(d) On or before July 1, 2014, and not less than quarterly
thereafter, the secretary or his or her designee shall report to the
commission on the department’s performance, based on the reports
made by the department pursuant to this section.

end insert