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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1142
January Session, 2019
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Referred to Committee on FINANCE, REVENUE AND
BONDING
Introduced by:
(FIN)
AN ACT CONCERNING ST RATEGIC TRANSPORTATION PLANN ING
AND THE FINANCING THEREOF.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a 1
Strategic Transportation Planning Commission, which shall consist of 2
the following members: (1) The Commissioner of Transportation; (2) 3
the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development; and (3) 4
seven appointed by the Governor, two of whom have expertise in tax 5
policy and economic development and five of whom have expertise in 6
transportation systems and such systems' relationship to economic 7
growth and quality of life in the state. The commission shall define the 8
overarching goals that shall guide state investment in transportation, 9
the financing thereof and related decision-making. Not later than 10
January 17, 2020, the commission shall submit a report and fully 11
drafted proposed legislation to implement the commission's 12
recommendations included in the report. 13
(b) In writing the report, the commission shall consider and 14
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undertake the following: 15
(1) Review the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and 16
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Capital Investment Plan, 17
Fiscal Years 2017-2021, and seek input and advice from said 18
department and authority in the development of the report; 19
(2) Hold at least two public hearings to seek input from residents, 20
business owners and other stakeholders in the state's transportation 21
system; 22
(3) Emphasize proactive decision-making and planning and develop 23
a transportation strategy that focuses on continuous preventive 24
maintenance of the state's transportation infrastructure; 25
(4) Seek to minimize the state's long-term transportation costs and 26
expenditures and recommend procedures to analyze the state's total 27
projected transportation costs over a continuous period of not less than 28
thirty years; and 29
(5) Consider how well the state's current and proposed future 30
transportation network suits the overall geography of the state and the 31
economic potential of the state's proximity to the Boston and New 32
York City metropolitan areas. 33
(c) The report shall include, but not be limited to: 34
(1) (A) An assessment of the state's transportation assets currently in 35
a state of good repair and the estimated total cost and cost-per-mile, 36
categorized by asset type, of maintaining such assets in a state of good 37
repair for a period of not less than thirty years. Each asset type shall 38
include an assessment of the extent to which ongoing maintenance is 39
being conducted by the Department of Transportation; 40
(B) A plan to implement, maintain and finance reliability and 41
ongoing maintenance of such assets in a sustainable manner for a 42
period of not less than thirty years, including all associated expenses 43
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and projected debt service costs; 44
(2) (A) An assessment of the state's transportation assets currently at 45
high risk of potential failure and the estimated total cost and cost-per-46
mile, categorized by asset type, to return such assets to a state of good 47
repair. Each asset type shall include a plan that prioritizes the 48
transportation assets most urgently in need of repair and sets forth a 49
schedule to implement emergency repairs on such assets over a period 50
of not less than ten years and includes all associated expenses and 51
projected debt service costs; 52
(B) A plan to implement, maintain and finance reliability and 53
ongoing maintenance of such assets in a sustainable manner after 54
emergency repairs have been completed for a period of not less than 55
thirty years, including all associated expenses and projected debt 56
service costs; 57
(3) (A) An assessment of all other state transportation assets not 58
included in subdivision (1) or (2) of this subsection and the estimated 59
total cost and cost-per-mile, categorized by asset type, of maintaining 60
in or returning such assets to a state of good repair for a period of not 61
less than thirty years; 62
(B) A plan to implement, maintain and finance reliability and 63
ongoing maintenance of such assets in a sustainable manner for a 64
period of not less than thirty years, including all associated expenses 65
and projected debt service costs; 66
(4) (A) A targeted list of recommended strategic expansions, 67
additions or other improvements to the state's transportation 68
infrastructure, with prioritization given to projects that will grow and 69
improve the state's economy and quality of life. Each recommended 70
project shall include the estimated total cost and cost-per-mile, 71
estimated costs of maintaining and financing reliability for such project 72
and all associated expenses and projected debt service costs; 73
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(B) A plan prioritizing by projected impact on the state's economy 74
and growth the projects recommended under subparagraph (A) of this 75
subdivision. Such plan shall set forth a list of projects recommended to 76
begin construction (i) during the 2021 to 2025 fiscal years, inclusive, (ii) 77
during the five fiscal years following, and (iii) during the fiscal years 78
thereafter; and 79
(5) (A) A comprehensive plan for sustainable funding for the 80
projects recommended pursuant to subdivisions (1) to (4), inclusive, of 81
this subsection. The plan shall take into consideration (i) the state's 82
current transportation revenues, (ii) other current state revenues the 83
commission recommends be rededicated to fund transportation, (iii) 84
new revenues generated through adjustments to existing tax rates or 85
tax structures or new taxes, fees or user fees. If proposing a new tax, 86
fee or user fee, the commission shall specify in detail how such 87
proposed tax, fee or user fee will be structured and implemented, the 88
method of collection, the applicable rate and the projected revenue 89
over a period of not less than ten years after the implementation of 90
such tax, fee or user fee, and (iv) all planned debt issuances or other 91
forms of financing, including bond authorizations or private-public 92
financing options, and including projected annual debt service costs or 93
equivalent and projected annual debt service costs or equivalent over 94
the life of the financing period. Such forms of financing may include 95
reprioritization, reduction, cancellation or elimination of current or 96
future bond authorizations that are unrelated to state transportation 97
projects, provided any such recommendation include the specific items 98
to be reprioritized, reduced, cancelled or eliminated; 99
(B) In considering ways to achieve sustainable funding under 100
subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, the commission shall weigh the 101
impact on state taxpayers of any funding mechanism proposed against 102
the economic and quality of life benefits projected to result from 103
funded transportation improvements. The report shall include the 104
findings of such consideration. 105
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(d) (1) The commission shall submit the report and proposed 106
legislation under subsection (a) of this section to the joint standing 107
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 108
relating to transportation and finance, revenue and bonding. The 109
report and proposed legislation shall include prescriptive, actionable 110
measures to be taken to implement the commission's 111
recommendations for the 2021 to 2025 fiscal years, inclusive, and shall 112
include plans and projections for the fiscal year following. 113
(2) Said committees shall hold a joint public hearing on the report 114
not later than March 5, 2020. 115
(e) The commission shall continue to meet after it submits its report 116
and proposed legislation and shall issue a report not less than 117
biennially, evaluating the state's progress on implementation of the 118
initial report and plans included therein and making additional 119
recommendations for updates to the state's transportation policy and 120
plans. 121
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Statement of Purpose:
To establish a Strategic Transportation Planning Commission to guide
state investment in transportation.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]