Agency legislative analyst Gus Khouri, Khouri Consulting, will attend the meeting to present an update on state legislative activities (attachment 1).
Federal transportation legislation is moving forward with a continuing resolution adopted in November that continues transportation appropriations funding through December 20, 2019. A five-year transportation authorization bill (America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act) is also awaiting action by the budget and transit committees. Staff will provide an update at the meeting.
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 legislative program continues to focus on transportation funding and is limited to priorities that are likely to come up in the legislative session.
One of the priorities will be pursued as Agency legislation in 2020: item 4S: Support measures to allow the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to allow Caltrans to adopt appropriate avoidance and mitigation measures to protect the Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander from potential impacts of the Highway 156 project. On December 13, 2019, the Monterey Herald reported on this issue (see web attachment).
Attachment 2 is the final legislative program, and Attachment 3 shows changes from the draft program.
Key changes between the draft program circulated by the TAMC Board and the proposed final program include:
State priorities:
- New item: 5S: Support resolution to recognize the Coast Route as an active rail corridor that can help the State meet transportation and greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
- Revised 7S: Support legislation to increase safety and reduce fatalities by modifying laws establishing speed limits to be based on safety considerations, with attention to enforcement of speed limits.
- New item: 11S: Support MST efforts to seek funding to implement the infrastructure needed to meet the deadlines of the Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) Regulation transition to a 100 percent zero emission bus fleet by 2040.
Federal priorities:
- Revised 1F: Support stabilizing and increasing transportation infrastructure funding sources to avoid the bankruptcy of the federal highway and transit trust funds in the multimodal transportation authorization bill:
2. Explore innovative funding mechanisms, such as a pay-by-the-mile user fee and, public private partnerships, or wholesale energy taxes.
4. Remove procedural obstacles that impede expenditure of authorized federal funding,
including cash flow options for small and rural grantees.
- Revised 2F: Allow the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to substitute for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, and expand the definition of Categorical Exclusions, while retaining environmental protections.
- Deleted 5F regarding Regional Transportation Plan update timeframe.
Staff presented the draft program at the TAMC Board meeting in October and the Rail Policy Committee, Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Advisory Committee, and Technical Advisory Committee in November. Staff also met with partner agencies locally and statewide to discuss items for the program. This Committee is now asked to review the final draft program and recommend adoption by the Board in January.