Stay tuned for the next Dispatch from Olympia coming up tomorrow. We have a big day today; the House Transportation Committee’s hearing on the Transportation package, and we need you to act today to improve mass transit in the Puget Sound Region.
The Senate has passed a Transportation package, which, lets to be honest, falls short.
They did not give Sound Transit the authority that was asked for to complete projects like light rail to Tacoma, Ballard, and Everett. The legislature should give the region the option to vote for the mass transit system we desperately need.
Worse, the package uses transit and clean fuels as political trading cards, it doesn’t fund nearly enough investments in transit, and it doesn’t come close to fixing our crumbling roads and bridges.
The House Transportation committee is hearing this package today. It’s their chance to fix it. To set the high water mark to go back to negotiations with the Senate.
We need you to contact your representatives in the House and ask them for:
- Full funding for Sound Transit to expand rail to communities all across the Puget Sound region.
- Increased state transit investments to reduce traffic and pollution.
- More transportation options and clean air. Remove the provision that pits transit funding against clean fuels.
Timing is everything. The hearing is scheduled for 3:30 today, take action now .
You can catch the live stream on TVW here. And be sure to check out The Stranger’s great coverage of what this hearing means for traffic in the region.
Thanks for everything you do. With your help we can make this proposal a package that works for all Washingtonians.
Senate
Returning Senators Steve Hobbs (44th) — Chair Rebecca Saldaña (37th) — Vice Chair Marko Liias (21st) Freshmen Senators Mona Das (47th) Joe Nguyen (34th) Emily Randall (26th)House
Returning Representatives Jake Fey (27th) — Chair Sharon Wylie (49th) — 1st Vice Chair Vandana Slatter (48th) — 2nd Vice Chair Javier Valdez (46th) — 2nd Vice Chair Beth Doglio (22nd) Mia Gregerson (33rd) Shelley Kloba (1st) Mike Pellicciotti (30th) Marcus Riccelli (3rd) Freshmen Representatives Debra Entenman (47th) Jared Mead (44th) Bill Ramos (5th) Sharon Shewmake (42nd)Hot issues for 2019
A cleaner transportation system
After the defeat of I-1631 at the ballot box, environmental, climate and social justice advocates, as well as electeds, are pursuing legislative options to build a cleaner, healthier state. Policies like a low-carbon fuel standard, a Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, or a legislated fee on carbon are already circulating as potential options for legislators to champion.
House Transportation Chair Jake Fey has stated an intention to pass a “green transportation” bill. In December he pulled together a variety of transportation, utility and industry stakeholders to discuss ideas. TCC will look to ensure this effort supports growing transit, transit electrification, and uses an equity lens.
A more just environment
With many strong progressive legislators, including new legislators of color, there is momentum to advance equity policies at the state level. Representative Mia Gregerson is leading the charge, with a bill that would create a new Office of Equity within the Office of the Governor to improve state services and improve outcomes across issues like health, education, and environment.
Senator Saldaña, along with our partners at Front & Centered, are specifically targeting environmental justice with a bill that would create a governing council to embed environmental justice principles into state agencies, including transportation. From the placement of roads and highways, to how stormwater is managed, the transportation sector has significant environmental impacts that disproportionately impact some communities over others — this bill is taking a step to recognize and correct for this.
A new transportation package
Finally, legislators and advocates will begin discussions around a new transportation package. The State’s last transportation package, Connecting Washington, passed in 2015. How to create a cleaner transportation system will continue to be a key theme of discussions around a new transportation package. TCC will look to grow investments for the multimodal account, which funds transit, walking and biking projects, and important grant programs like Safe Routes to School and special needs transit.
Budget negotiations
The State of Washington passes a new budget every two years, and this is a budget year. In late 2018, TCC advocated for increased investment in the State’s Commute Trip Reduction program, active transportation, and I-5 corridor planning. Governor Jay Inslee released his initial budget in December, reflecting several of our asks. The legislature will now take up budget deliberations, with opportunities to advocate for additional investments and policy direction. TCC’s top-of-mind is to ensure any work or planning involving new technologies (like autonomous and connected vehicles) studies the impacts on health and safety.
Our priorities
In addition to engaging in the big discussions around environment, equity, and funding this session, we’ll be supporting several other bills to help keep transit moving and better manage our current system:
- Bolstering High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) enforcement through increased penalties, in order to maximize efficiency of these lanes and ensure reliable trips for transit and carpools
- Expanding traffic camera statutes to include automatic enforcement of bus lanes and crosswalks (especially important for the Seattle Squeeze)
- Authorizing tolls on 405 and 167 to help manage congestion, improve transit reliability, and raise revenue for facility improvements
See our full list of priorities here. Download our priorities one-pager here.
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Stay engaged
Here are ways to stay engaged and participate in our state’s policy-making process.
- TCC Bill Tracker.The bills we are closely tracking along with status updates and actions.
- Sign up for our Action Alerts.Be the first to know when a bill is at risk and take action to keep our transportation moving.
