RECEIVE and COMMENT on draft 2020 Legislative Program.

The purpose of the legislative program is to set general principles to guide staff and Board responses to legislative or budgetary proposals. The program also notifies state representatives of the Transportation Agency’s position on issues of key importance to the Agency.

The recommended action has no direct financial impact.

The draft 2020 legislative program continues to focus on transportation funding and is limited to priorities that are likely to come up in the 2020 legislative session. Attached is the draft legislative program.

Items of particular interest to this Committee include:

    State:   

• 3S: Promote jobs-housing balance.
• 5S: Support reauthorization of public private partnership authority.
• 6S: Support legislation to reduce pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities by modifying speed trap laws that prioritize higher automobile speeds over safety considerations.
• 7S: Support legislation to devote a permanent share of Cap and Trade funding to the Active

  Transportation Program.

• 8S: Support streamlining project delivery, including simplifying grant program applications,

  raising encroachment permit thresholds, and accelerating project permit approvals.   

• 10S: Support transit-oriented development, complete streets, alternative commutes, multimodal transportation, and active transportation projects.
• 11S: Support member agencies.

    Federal:

• 1F(6&7): Support federal funding applications.
• 2F: Allow California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to substitute for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
• 5F: Support changing the timeline for updating the Regional Transportation Plan to align with the Regional Housing Needs Assessment.
• 6F: Support member agencies.

The Executive Committee discussed this draft legislative program on October 2, 2019, and on October 23, the Board approved releasing it to Committees for input. The Rail Policy Committee reviews the draft on November 4 and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Advisory Committee reviews it on November 6. Staff will also meet with partner agencies locally and statewide to discuss common issues. Following the Executive Committee's review of the draft program on January 8, 2020, the final program will come back to the Board on January 22, 2020 for adoption.