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Register for the 2020 Spring Maintenance Forum, Legislative Update, Job of the Week, From the Other Washington, Committee Season is coming - please plan, Transit in the News
Vol. 5, Issue 2: January 17, 2020
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2020 WSTA Legislative Priorities

The WSTA Legislative Priorities are agreed and approved on by the WSTA Board of Directors.
Download PDF: WSTA 2020 Legislative Priorities

  • Identify and seek legislative support to address the impacts of I-976.

  • Seek legislation to give public transit agencies flexibility with state-owned, funded, or leased Park & Rides. 

  • Support policies and legislation incentivizing zero-emission transit vehicles. 

  • Support legislation to protect the efficiency and effectiveness of bus operations in congested corridors. 

  • Support the inclusion of significant public transit expenditures in carbon reduction-related legislation.

  • Update, protect, maintain, and increase state funding programs to support public transit.

  • Ensure effective and efficient delivery of public transit.

Week 1 Legislative Update
by Michael Shaw, WSTA Lobbyist 

We are entering week 2 of the 2020 session.  New bills have been introduced in historic amounts for a short 60-day session, and many of us have struggled to keep up with them.   Committees are now scheduling hearings out to the 3rd and 4th week, which means bills not currently in the system have little chance of passing with the first bill cutoff on February 7th.
 
Several bills of interest that were introduced this week include:
  • HB 2461/ SB 6452– Including health in the state transportation system policy goals.
  • HB 2688/ SB 6398 – Expanding transportation policy goals.  (Requires that any state transportation funding project lists meet certain metrics).
Both of these bills are ambitious for a short session, particularly in light of the focus on addressing I-976.

The transportation leadership teams are routinely meeting to discuss how to deal with the I-976 impacts on their budget.  There is little appetite for backfilling the funding deficit with local options or additional state funding.   I expect this conversation to last all session.
 
There are a number of housing bills that use transit service frequency as a metric to be considered regarding application of the multi-family tax exemption and with regards to density of housing.  I will include those bills in the tracking list next week as some are still being filed.
 

WSTA Job of the Week

Finance Manager
Ben Franklin Transit

 

Perform highly complex accounting and financial analysis to provide accurate and timely financial reports to management, government agencies, and the public to support sound decision-making and ensure appropriate public disclosure and accountability. Ensure compliance of Agency policies, procedures and legal requirements.

 Click Here For More 

House Democrats to Release Infrastructure Proposal in Weeks Ahead

In a press conference yesterday morning, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that House Democrats will release a comprehensive infrastructure package following next week’s recess. In a press conference, the Speaker stated, "When we come back, that first week, we will be rolling out our infrastructure legislation, the work of more than one committee, but led by the [Transportation and Infrastructure] Committee, Peter DeFazio. It is, it’s pretty exciting, it is something we talked about during the campaign. It is something that the President talked about as a priority during the campaign." House leadership hopes to pass an infrastructure bill out of the Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee this spring, in hopes of having a vote by the full chamber sometime during the summer. The chamber will need to reconcile this forthcoming legislation with the America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act (ATIA) (S. 2302), which was passed by the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee in August 2019. That bill still needs to be combined with forthcoming titles from the other authorizing committees involved in the Senate. We will be sure to keep you updated as these developments unfold.

 
CLICK HERE

WSTA offers a comprehensive clearinghouse for transit jobs across the state.  Use our website to interactively locate an agency in the area you wish to work or scroll through the list agencies and jobs available.  

If you are a transit agency and have an opening - please use the submit button on the website.
 
Visit WSTA Committees web page, HERE, for information on each meeting listed below.

WSTA Board of Directors 1st Quarter Board Meeting & Legislative Conference
Feb 5 & 6
Olympia, WA

WSTA Operations Committee
March 4 - 6
Bellingham, WA

WSTA Vanpool Committee
March 13
Bremerton, WA 

WSTA HR Roundtable 
March 20
Vancouver, WA

WSTA Finance Officers Leadership Committee
March 25
Leavenworth, WA

Maintenance & Facilities Committee
March 31
Vancouver, WA

2020 Spring Maintenance Forum
April 1 - 2
Vancouver, WA
 

Full Events Calendar
can be found HERE
transit employees are encouraged to follow, engage and participate in the WSTA committee structure.  No need to be asked or nominated to join your counterparts around the state!

What Committee best fits you?  

Click HERE to find out! 


 
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Available for WSTA Transit Members: 
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