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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 1142
January Session, 2019
AN ACT CONCERNING ST RATEGIC TRANSPORTATI ON PLANNING
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 be part of 2
the Executive Department. The commission shall consist of the 3
following members: (1) The Commissioner of Transportation; (2) the 4
Commissioner of Economic and Community Development; (3) three 5
appointed by the Governor, two of whom have expertise in tax policy 6
and economic development and one of whom has expertise in 7
transportation systems and such systems' relationship to economic 8
growth and quality of life in the state; and (4) one each appointed by 9
the speaker of the House of Representatives, the president pro tempore 10
of the Senate, the minority leader of the House of Representatives and 11
the minority leader of the Senate, each of whom have expertise in 12
transportation systems and such systems' relationship to economic 13
growth and quality of life in the state. The commission shall define the 14
overarching goals that shall guide state investment in transportation, 15
the financing thereof and related decision-making. Not later than 16
January 17, 2020, the commission shall submit a report, and fully 17
drafted proposed legislation to implement the commission's 18
recommendations included in the report, to the joint standing 19
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 20 Substitute Bill No. 1142
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relating to transportation and finance, revenue and bonding, in 21
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 22
(b) In writing the report, the commission shall consider and 23
undertake the following: 24
(1) Review the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and 25
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Capital Investment Plan, 26
Fiscal Years 2017-2021, and seek input and advice from said 27
department and authority in the development of the report; 28
(2) Hold at least one public hearing in each county of the state to 29
seek input from residents, business owners and other stakeholders in 30
the state's transportation system; 31
(3) Emphasize proactive decision-making and planning and develop 32
a transportation strategy that focuses on continuous preventive 33
maintenance of the state's transportation infrastructure; 34
(4) Seek to minimize the state's long-term transportation costs and 35
expenditures and recommend procedures to analyze the state's total 36
projected transportation costs over a continuous period of not less than 37
thirty years; and 38
(5) Consider how well the state's current and proposed future 39
transportation network suits the overall geography of the state and the 40
economic potential of the state's proximity to the Boston and New 41
York City metropolitan areas. 42
(c) The report shall include, but need not be limited to: 43
(1) (A) An assessment of the state's transportation assets currently in 44
a state of good repair and the estimated total cost and cost-per-mile, 45
categorized by asset type, of maintaining such assets in a state of good 46
repair for a period of not less than thirty years. Each asset type shall 47
include an assessment of the extent to which ongoing maintenance is 48
being conducted by the Department of Transportation; 49 Substitute Bill No. 1142
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(B) A plan to implement, maintain and finance reliability and 50
ongoing maintenance of such assets in a sustainable manner for a 51
period of not less than thirty years, including all associated expenses 52
and projected debt service costs; 53
(2) (A) An assessment of the state's transportation assets currently at 54
high risk of potential failure and the estimated total cost and cost-per-55
mile, categorized by asset type, to return such assets to a state of good 56
repair. Each asset type shall include a plan that prioritizes the 57
transportation assets most urgently in need of repair and sets forth a 58
schedule to implement emergency repairs on such assets over a period 59
of not less than ten years and includes all associated expenses and 60
projected debt service costs; and 61
(B) A plan to implement, maintain and finance reliability and 62
ongoing maintenance of such assets in a sustainable manner after 63
emergency repairs have been completed for a period of not less than 64
thirty years, including all associated expenses and projected debt 65
service costs; 66
(3) (A) An assessment of all other state transportation assets not 67
included in subdivision (1) or (2) of this subsection and the estimated 68
total cost and cost-per-mile, categorized by asset type, of maintaining 69
in or returning such assets to a state of good repair for a period of not 70
less than thirty years; and 71
(B) A plan to implement, maintain and finance reliability and 72
ongoing maintenance of such assets in a sustainable manner for a 73
period of not less than thirty years, including all associated expenses 74
and projected debt service costs; 75
(4) (A) A targeted list of recommended strategic expansions, 76
additions or other improvements to the state's transportation 77
infrastructure, with prioritization given to projects that will grow and 78
improve the state's economy and quality of life. Each recommended 79
project shall include the estimated total cost and cost-per-mile, 80 Substitute Bill No. 1142
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estimated costs of maintaining and financing reliability for such project 81
and all associated expenses and projected debt service costs; and 82
(B) A plan prioritizing by projected impact on the state's economy 83
and growth the projects recommended under subparagraph (A) of this 84
subdivision. Such plan shall set forth a list of projects recommended to 85
begin construction (i) during the 2021 to 2025 fiscal years, inclusive, (ii) 86
during the five fiscal years following, and (iii) during the fiscal years 87
thereafter; and 88
(5) (A) A comprehensive plan for sustainable funding for the 89
projects recommended pursuant to subdivisions (1) to (4), inclusive, of 90
this subsection. The plan shall take into consideration (i) the state's 91
current transportation revenues, (ii) other current state revenues the 92
commission recommends be rededicated to fund transportation, (iii) 93
new revenues generated through adjustments to existing tax rates or 94
tax structures or new taxes, fees or user fees. If proposing a new tax, 95
fee or user fee, the commission shall specify in detail how such 96
proposed tax, fee or user fee will be structured and implemented, the 97
method of collection, the applicable rate and the projected revenue 98
over a period of not less than ten years after the implementation of 99
such tax, fee or user fee, and (iv) all planned debt issuances or other 100
forms of financing, including bond authorizations or private-public 101
financing options, and including projected annual debt service costs or 102
equivalent and projected annual debt service costs or equivalent over 103
the life of the financing period. Such forms of financing may include 104
reprioritization, reduction, cancellation or elimination of current or 105
future bond authorizations that are unrelated to state transportation 106
projects, provided any such recommendation include the specific items 107
to be reprioritized, reduced, cancelled or eliminated; 108
(B) In considering ways to achieve sustainable funding under 109
subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, the commission shall weigh the 110
impact on state taxpayers of any funding mechanism proposed against 111
the economic and quality of life benefits projected to result from 112
funded transportation improvements. The report shall include the 113 Substitute Bill No. 1142
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findings of such consideration. 114
(d) (1) The report and proposed legislation submitted pursuant to 115
subsection (a) of this section shall include prescriptive, actionable 116
measures to be taken to implement the commission's 117
recommendations for the 2021 to 2025 fiscal years, inclusive, and shall 118
include plans and projections for the fiscal year following. 119
(2) The joint standing committees of the General Assembly having 120
cognizance of matters relating to transportation and finance, revenue 121
and bonding shall hold a joint public hearing on the report not later 122
than March 5, 2020. 123
(e) The commission shall continue to meet after it submits its report 124
and proposed legislation and shall issue a report not less than 125
biennially, evaluating the state's progress on implementation of the 126
initial report and plans included therein and making additional 127
recommendations for updates to the state's transportation policy and 128
plans. 129
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(a), a reference to the commission being part of the
Executive Department was added for clarity and the last sentence was
rewritten for consistency with standard drafting conventions; and
Section 1(d) was rewritten for consistency with standard drafting
conventions.
FIN Joint Favorable Subst.