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2007 SESSION

074666424
HOUSE BILL NO. 2854
Offered January 10, 2007
Prefiled January 10, 2007
A BILL to amend and reenact § 33.1-391.5 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 33.1-13.02, relating to additional financial reporting by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
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Patron-- Moran
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Referred to Committee on Transportation
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 33.1-391.5 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted, and that the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 33.1-13.02 as follows:

§ 33.1-13.02. Department to prepare and disseminate supplemental annual financial reports.

The Virginia Department of Transportation shall prepare and disseminate to the General Assembly and post on its public website detailed, in-depth information on local, regional, and statewide transportation spending, including but not limited to the following data:

1. Total expenditures of federal transportation funds in each county and city;

2. Total expenditures of state transportation funds in each county and city;

3. Statewide totals for federal, state, and local funds expended for highways;

4. Statewide totals for federal, state, and local funds expended for transit;

5. Total funds expended on intercity passenger and freight trains; and

6. Total funds expended in each federal and state programmatic category.

§ 33.1-391.5. Responsibilities of Department.

A. The Department shall have the following general responsibilities:

1. Determine present and future needs for, and economic feasibility of providing, public transportation, transportation demand management, and ridesharing facilities and services and the retention, improvement, and addition of passenger and freight rail transportation in the Commonwealth;

2. Formulate and implement plans and programs for the establishment, improvement, development and coordination of public transportation, transportation demand management, and ridesharing facilities and services, and the retention and improvement of passenger and freight rail transportation services and corridors in the Commonwealth, and coordinate transportation demand management and innovative technological transportation initiatives with the Department of Transportation;

3. Coordinate with the Department of Transportation in the conduct of research, policy analysis, and planning for the rail and public transportation modes as may be appropriate to ensure the provision of effective, safe, and efficient public transportation and passenger and freight rail services in the Commonwealth;

4. Develop uniform financial and operating data on and criteria for evaluating all public transportation activities in the Commonwealth, develop specific methodologies for the collection of such data by public transit operators, regularly and systematically verify such data by means of financial audits and periodic field reviews of operating data collection methodologies, and develop such other information as may be required to evaluate the performance and improve the economy or efficiency of public transit or passenger and freight rail operations, transportation demand management programs, and ridesharing in the Commonwealth;

5. Provide training and other technical support services to transportation operators and ridesharing coordinators as may be appropriate to improve public transportation, ridesharing, and passenger and freight rail services;

6. Maintain liaison with state, local, district and federal agencies or other entities, private and public, having responsibilities for passenger and freight rail, transportation demand management, ridesharing, and public transportation programs;

7. Receive, administer and allocate all planning, operating, capital, and any other grant programs from the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and other agencies of the United States government for public transportation, passenger and freight rail transportation, transportation demand management, and ridesharing purposes with approval of the Board and to comply with all conditions attendant thereto;

8. Administer all state grants for public transportation, rail transportation, ridesharing, and transportation demand management purposes with approval of the Board;

9. Promote the use of public transportation, transportation demand management, ridesharing, and passenger and freight rail services to improve the mobility of Virginia's citizens and the transportation of goods;

10. Represent the Commonwealth on local, regional, and national agencies, industry associations, committees, task forces, and other entities, public and private, having responsibility for passenger and freight rail, transportation demand management, ridesharing, and public transportation;

11. Represent the Commonwealth's interests in passenger and freight rail, transportation demand management, ridesharing, and public transportation and coordinate with the Department of Transportation in the planning, location, design, construction, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, purchase, and rehabilitation of facilities and services that affect or are used by passenger and freight rail, transportation demand management, ridesharing, or public transportation;

12. Coordinate with the State Corporation Commission on all matters dealing with rail safety inspections and rail regulations which fall within its purview;

13. Prepare and review state legislation and Commonwealth recommendations on federal legislation and regulations as directed by the Secretary of Transportation; and

14. Promote public transportation, ridesharing, and passenger and freight rail safety.

B. Additionally, the Department shall report to the General Assembly funds rescinded and transferred, whenever the Commonwealth is directed by the Federal Highway Administration to rescind funds from the federal highway accounts and on a quarterly basis whenever it transfers funds between federal accounts. Total rescisions and transfers during the year shall also be reported in conjunction with the annual reports filed by the Department. The data shall be portrayed in easily understood charts and tables and shall be included in financial reports disseminated to the General Assembly in January of each year and posted to the Department's public website.