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1996 SESSION

961892176
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 226
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the House Committee on Rules
on February 6, 1996)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Watts)
Establishing a joint subcommittee to study the creation of a Virginia Regional Transportation Authority.

WHEREAS, an integrated transportation infrastructure is essential to the quality of life and development of Virginia's economy; and

WHEREAS, that transportation network must be capable of moving people and goods in a reasonable period of time, at a reasonable cost, at an appropriate level of safety, and with the least practicable impact on the environment; and

WHEREAS, Virginia's transportation infrastructure may be inadequate and may become increasingly so; and

WHEREAS, the improvement of the transportation infrastructure is dependent upon adequate sources of revenue and strengthening jurisdictional and agency cooperation; and

WHEREAS, interstate cooperation in funding major transportation infrastructure needs to be expanded; and

WHEREAS, the quality of life and the development of Virginia's economy may be accelerated through improved regional cooperation and additional sources of transportation revenue; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to study the creation of a Virginia Regional Transportation Authority. The joint subcommittee shall be composed of nineteen members as follows: six members of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; three members of the Senate and one citizen who resides in Northern Virginia, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; four local Virginia county and city government elected officials, no more than one of whom represents any single jurisdiction; one member of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board from Virginia; one member of the Transportation Board from Virginia; two members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, one of whom resides in the Northern Virginia Transportation District; and the Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner. A member of the Virginia General Assembly shall serve as chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the joint subcommittee.

The joint subcommittee shall study the relationships and functions of existing transportation agencies and authorities and the need to create new agencies, restructure existing agencies, and/or combine existing agencies and authorities for Virginia. The joint subcommittee shall consider critical unfunded transportation needs in Virginia; funding mechanisms and revenue sources needed to meet those needs; the role of privatization and public-private financing; the need to participate in interjurisdictional and interstate agreements; multimodal planning; non-surface transportation; and the relationship of the transportation functions of the Commonwealth of Virginia and its agencies, the federal government and its agencies, and to other public entities and authorities.

The direct costs of this study shall not exceed $ 8,750.

The Division of Legislative Services shall provide staff support for the study. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall provide technical assistance for the study. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee, upon request.

The joint subcommittee shall submit a progress report concerning the need to create new, combine, and/or restructure existing, transportation agencies and authorities to more effectively meet the transportation needs of Virginia by December 1, 1997. The joint subcommittee shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and 1998 General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may withhold expenditures or delay the period for the conduct of the study.