| | | | | | | | 
TRANSPORTATION AGENCY FOR MONTEREY COUNTY Memorandum | |
| | | | | | | | | To: | Technical Advisory Committee | | From: | Michael Zeller, Director of Programming & Project Delivery | | Meeting Date: | November 4, 2021 | | Subject: | 2022 Legislative Program |
| |
| | | | | | | | | RECOMMENDED ACTION: | RECEIVE and COMMENT on draft 2022 Legislative Program. |
| |
| | | | | | | | | 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. |
| |
| | | | | | | | | FINANCIAL IMPACT: | The recommended action has no direct financial impact. |
| |
| | | | | | | | | DISCUSSION: | The draft 2022 legislative program continues to focus on transportation funding and is limited to priorities that are likely to come up in the 2022 legislative session. Attachment 1 is the draft legislative program.
Items of particular interest to this Committee include:
State:
- 4S: Support funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, electric power storage capacity, and rebates for electric vehicle purchase.
- 6S: Support funding to increase broadband infrastructure capacity to help bridge the digital divide, including promoting new server farms in rural areas, and to encourage telecommuting to reduce vehicle miles traveled.
- 8S: Support efforts to reauthorize Public Private Partnership authority, public tolling authority, and design-build authority, expand mode eligibility, and allow for regional control of such projects.
- 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 streamlining project delivery, including simplifying grant program applications, raising encroachment permit thresholds, and accelerating project permit approvals.
Federal:
-
1F (5): Remove procedural obstacles that impede expenditure of authorized federal funding, including cash flow options for small and rural grantees.
-
1F (10): Support funding for resilient infrastructure projects.
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. |
| |
|