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2004 SESSION

047253732
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 78
Offered January 14, 2004
Prefiled January 14, 2004
Establishing a joint subcommittee to study Virginia's transportation maintenance and construction program and its funding. Report.
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Patron-- Hanger
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, an adequate, modern, safe, and efficient is essential to Virginia's economic prosperity, vital to improvement of air quality and the quality of life in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, recent years have seen severe cutbacks in highway construction in the Commonwealth as revenues dedicated to transportation construction and maintenance have proven ever more inadequate to meet demonstrated needs; and

WHEREAS, before the end of the decade, it has been estimated that current transportation-dedicated revenues will be inadequate even to provide matching funds required as a precondition to receipt of some forms of federal highway construction aid; and

WHEREAS, it is highly desirable that the General Assembly have the broadest and deepest possible understanding of all the dimensions of the Commonwealth's transportation situation before undertaking possibly far-reaching fundamental changes; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to study Virginia's transportation maintenance and construction program and its funding. The joint subcommittee shall consist of 10 members: four members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections and six members of the House of Delegates to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates. The joint subcommittee shall elect a chairman and vice chairman from among its membership.

In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:

Existing policies that drive funding and spending patterns;

All revenue sources and their appropriateness;

All allocation and distribution formulas currently in place;

Differences in funding for counties, cities, and towns;

Management structure of the Virginia Department of Transportation;

Decision-making structures for transportation construction projects; and

Means of holding officials of the Virginia Department of Transportation accountable.

Administrative staff support shall be provided by the Office of the Clerk of the Senate. Legal, research, policy analysis, and other services as requested by the joint subcommittee shall be provided by the Division of Legislative Services. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee for this study, upon request.

The joint subcommittee shall be limited to four meetings for the 2004 interim and four meetings for the 2005 interim, and the direct costs of this study shall not exceed $ 10,000 without approval as set out in this resolution. Approval for unbudgeted nonmember-related expenses shall require the written authorization of the chairman of the joint subcommittee and the respective Clerk. If a companion joint resolution of the other chamber is agreed to, written authorization of both Clerks shall be required.

No recommendation of the joint subcommittee shall be adopted if a majority of the Senate members or a majority of the House members appointed to the joint subcommittee (i) vote against the recommendation and (ii) vote for the recommendation to fail notwithstanding the majority vote of the joint subcommittee.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2004, and for the second year by November 30, 2005, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly of 2006. The executive summary shall state whether the joint subcommittee intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may approve or disapprove expenditures for this study, extend or delay the period for the conduct of the study, or authorize additional meetings during the 2004 or 2005 interim.