Government Affairs

General Assembly Update

January 26, 2015

Omnibus Transportation Bill Under Consideration By The General Assembly

The General Assembly is considering an Omnibus Transportation Bill sponsored by Delegates Chris Jones and Tom Rust. HB 1887 would:

1.  Increase CTB independence by eliminating the ability of the Governor to remove CTB members, except for cause.
2.  Allocate an additional $50 million a year to transit operating capital. Approximately $27 million a year would come from highway funding…a provision that VTCA opposes.
3.  Provide $7-10M a year for the Transportation Infrastructure Bank to help local communities leverage resources to advance key projects.
4.  Allocates $3-5M annually for the existing Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund to address transportation needs of economic development projects.
5.  Creates a new formula for the allocation of highway funds, including a priority for on-going maintenance, an allocation for bridge and pavement rehabilitation and, percentages of construction money for projects of statewide, regional and local significance.

A District by District explanation of the impact of the new allocation formula can be found below:

Bristol District
Culpeper District
Fredericksburg District
Hampton Roads District
Lynchburg District
Northern Virginia District
Richmond District
Salem District
Staunton District