BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: Sb 486
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: desaulnier
VERSION: 8/20/14
Analysis by: Eric Thronson FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: August 27, 2014
SUBJECT:
State transportation planning
DESCRIPTION:
This bill modifies the state's transportation planning process
to align it better with the regional transportation planning
process and to add increased opportunity for public input in the
state's transportation plans.
ANALYSIS:
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) is responsible
for advising and assisting the administration and the
Legislature in formulating and evaluating state policies and
plans for California's transportation programs. A large part of
this responsibility currently includes approving various
programs of transportation projects funded by state and federal
funds and proposed by both the state and regional transportation
planning entities.
Existing law requires regional transportation planning agencies
to develop transportation priorities through an inclusive,
exhaustive transportation planning process that orchestrates a
longer term vision, represented by the Regional Transportation
Plan (RTP). Then the regional entities conduct further public
input processes to determine a short-term list of specific
projects based on the region's reasonably expected revenues.
This project list, the Regional Transportation Improvement
Program (RTIP), sets forth the highest priority projects
intended to implement the region's long-term vision.
Existing law requires the California Department of
Transportation (Caltrans) to develop a five-year Interregional
Transportation Improvement Plan (ITIP) consisting of projects
improving interregional movement of people, vehicles, and goods.
Existing law does not outline a public input process for
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Caltrans as it develops the ITIP.
Every two years Caltrans submits the ITIP, and the regional
transportation entities submit their RTIPs, to CTC for inclusion
in the State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP). The STIP
is a five-year program of future state transportation funding
allocations for state highway improvements, intercity rail, and
regional highway and transit improvements. Existing law
allocates 75% of STIP funds to counties by formula for projects
in the RTIP, while the ITIP receives 25% of these funds. Before
adopting the STIP, the CTC must hold two public hearings to
reconcile any objections by any region to the ITIP and any
objections by Caltrans to any RTIP.
In addition, every two years Caltrans prepares and submits to
the CTC a State Highway Operation and Protection Program
(SHOPP). The SHOPP is the state's program for repairing and
reconstructing the state highway system. Projects generally
include pavement and bridge rehabilitation, major
reconstruction, and safety improvements. Currently, Caltrans
spends about $2.3 billion annually from state fuel excise taxes
and federal funds for the SHOPP, making it the state's largest
transportation program.
Existing law requires Caltrans to develop a California
Transportation Plan by December 31, 2015, and every five years
thereafter. The California Transportation Plan must include the
following:
A policy element that describes the state's
transportation policies and system performance objectives
consistent with stated legislative intent
A strategies element that incorporates the broad system
concepts and strategies synthesized from adopted RTPs
Recommendations to the Legislature and the governor to
achieve the plan's broad system concepts, strategies, and
performance objectives
This bill modifies the state's transportation planning process
to align it better with the regional transportation planning
process and to add increased opportunity for public input in the
state's transportation plans. Specifically, this bill:
Requires Caltrans to submit to the CTC for approval an
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Interregional Transportation Strategic Plan (ITSP),
consistent with the California Transportation Plan, to
provide concise policy guidance for managing the state's
interregional transportation system.
Limits the ITIP to include only projects consistent with
the ITSP.
Requires the CTC to hold public hearings on the draft
ITIP, and Caltrans to consider the public input in
developing its final ITIP, before the CTC adopts the final
plan and includes it in the STIP.
Defines an Asset Management Plan as a document assessing
the health and condition of the state highway system
through which Caltrans may determine the most effective way
to apply the state's limited resources.
Requires Caltrans to develop an Asset Management Plan to
guide selection of projects included in the SHOPP.
Requires the CTC to adopt targets and performance
measures for the Asset Management Plan that reflect state
transportation goals and objectives, and then to review and
approve the Asset Management Plan developed by Caltrans.
Provides that the CTC may adopt the SHOPP only if it
finds the program to be sufficiently consistent with the
Asset Management Plan and other legislatively determined
funding priorities.
Requires Caltrans to report quarterly to CTC on the
capital and support expenditures for all recently completed
major SHOPP projects, as well as develop a plain-language
performance report to increase transparency and
accountability of the SHOPP.
Allows the CTC to establish guidelines for the
preparation of subsequent California Transportation Plans
following the first plan due in 2015.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . The genesis of this bill is, at least in part, a
recently released report issued by the State Smart
Transportation Initiative (SSTI). The California
Transportation Agency commissioned SSTI to assess Caltrans'
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performance and to make recommendations for improvement.
In its report, SSTI concludes that Caltrans is significantly
out of step with best practices in the transportation field
and with many of the state's policy expectations. SSTI cites
numerous areas in which Caltrans' performance is inconsistent
and sometimes directly at odds with the state's overarching
policies.
SSTI asserts that California would be better served by a state
transportation department that is better aligned with
California's overarching policy goals, particularly those
related to sustainability. The author introduced this bill to
do just that: better align Caltrans' planning processes with
state priorities to ensure the state's transportation
investments reflect these priorities.
Specifically, this bill aims to use CTC meetings as a way to
facilitate public input to influence Caltrans' development of
the ITIP and SHOPP, as well as create the opportunity for CTC
and the public to influence the long-range planning documents
from which Caltrans selects projects. In this way, the
state's transportation planning processes tends to model the
regional transportation planning process and creates more
transparency and accountability.
2.Concurrence hearing . This bill is back in the Senate on
concurrence and has been referred to this committee pursuant
to Senate Rule 29.10 because Assembly amendments deleted all
contents of the bill as passed by the Senate. At the 29.10
hearing, the committee may not amend the bill further and may
only hold the bill or return the bill to the Senate floor.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 79-0
Appr: 12-0
Trans: 14-0
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on
Monday,August 26, 2014.)
SUPPORT: California Association of Councils of Governments
Self-Help Counties Coalition
OPPOSED: None received.
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