The Governor’s proposed transportation budget will be heard in the House and Senate Transportation Committees this week.

The Governor has proposed the following changes to the state’s transportation budget in response to the loss of state revenue associated with I-976:

• Additional bonding of approximately $150 million
• Delaying approximately $180 million in highway projects by seven months (these are delays, not cuts)
• Delaying approximately $60 million in multimodal spending (used for public transportation, rail projects, and WSDOT Local Programs) into 2021-23
• Balance transfers and other adjustments of approximately $60 million

The budget also includes some of the Governor’s priority transportation policies for the 2020 legislative session:

• A carbon fuel standard
• Funding for WSDOT to facilitate disadvantaged business certifications
• Emissions standards for Transportation Network Companies, such as Uber and Lyft
• A zero emissions vehicle standard to be administered by the Department of Ecology
• Funding for the state to expand electric vehicle infrastructure on state-owned land
• Noise reduction research on Washington state bridges

Dates to remember

The House will hear HB 2322 (the transportation budget bill) on Monday, January 13, at 3:30 pm.

The Senate will hear the same version on Tuesday, January 14, at 3:30 pm.