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TRANSPORTATION AGENCY FOR MONTEREY COUNTY Memorandum | |
| | | | | | | | | To: | Technical Advisory Committee | | From: | Michael Zeller, Director of Programming & Project Delivery | | Meeting Date: | November 5, 2020 | | Subject: | 2021 Legislative Program |
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| | | | | | | | | RECOMMENDED ACTION: | RECEIVE and COMMENT on draft 2021 Legislative Program. |
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| | | | | | | | | SUMMARY: | 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. |
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| | | | | | | | | FINANCIAL IMPACT: | The recommended action has no direct financial impact. |
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| | | | | | | | | DISCUSSION: | The draft 2021 legislative program continues to focus on transportation funding and is limited to priorities that are likely to come up in the 2021 legislative session. Attached is the draft legislative program.
Items of particular interest to this Committee include:
State:
- 1S. Preserve funding for transportation projects, maximize formula funding to regions, and preserve regional discretion and priority-setting.
- 2S. Pursue competitive grant or bond funding for highway safety, traffic congestion relief, trade corridors, passenger rail, and public transportation for Monterey County projects.
- 3S. Promote jobs-housing balance and alternative transportation modes as ways to reduce vehicles miles traveled, while maintaining statewide equity between urban and rural areas.
- 4S. Support funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and rebates for electric vehicle purchase.
- 5S. Explore replacement funding mechanisms for transportation investments, such as a pay-by- the-mile user fee, public private partnerships, or wholesale energy taxes.
- 6S. Support funding to increase broadband infrastructure capacity to help bridge the digital divide and to encourage telecommuting to reduce vehicle miles traveled.
- 9S. 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.
- 10S. Support legislation to devote more funding to the oversubscribed Active Transportation Program.
- 11S. Support streamlining project delivery, including simplifying grant program applications, raising encroachment permit thresholds, and accelerating project permit approvals.
- 14S. Support legislation that promotes transit-oriented development (such as via redevelopment or opportunity zones), complete streets, alternative commutes, multi-modal transportation, and active transportation projects.
Federal:
- 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.
- 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.
- 3F. Advocate for the Federal Communications Commission to regulate broadband/internet access as a utility to enable the increase of broadband infrastructure capacity to help bridge the digital divide and to encourage telecommuting.
In October, the Executive Committee discussed this draft legislative program and the Board approved releasing it to Committees for input. The Rail Policy Committee and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Advisory Committee reviews it in November. Staff will also meet with partner agencies locally and statewide to discuss common issues. Following the Executive Committee's review of the draft program in January, the final program will come back to the Board in January for adoption. |
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