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SPONSOR: |
Carraro |
DATE TYPED: |
2/18/03 |
HB |
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SHORT TITLE: |
Highway Rest Area Maintenance Funding |
SB |
611 |
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ANALYST: |
Reynolds-Forte |
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APPROPRIATION
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Appropriation
Contained |
Estimated
Additional Impact |
Recurring or
Non-Rec |
Fund Affected |
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FY03 |
FY04 |
FY03 |
FY04 |
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See
Narrative |
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(Parenthesis
( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Relates
to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act
Responses
Received From
State
Highway and Transportation Department
SUMMARY
Synopsis
of Bill
SB611 adds new
language to the Highway Beautification Act which 1) prohibits the State Highway
and Transportation Department from using state or federal dollars to supervise,
maintain or operate a safety rest area, and 2) gives the Department the
authority to contract with private food providers to supervise, maintain or
operate the safety rest areas and/or to operate a private restaurant at the safety
rest area.
SB611 also changes the
name of the state highway commission to the state transportation commission. This brings the law into compliance with the
recently passed constitutional amendment.
The bill has a July 1,
2003 effective date.
If state funds cannot
be used to clean, operate or maintain these rest areas, and there are not “private
food providers” who are willing to operate and maintain the rest areas, the
Department will not be able to use their funds or staff to clean or maintain
the rest area.
Approximately $4
million is contained in the State Highway and Transportation Department’s
maintenance program budget for FY04 in the General Appropriation Act for
maintenance and improvements of rest areas.
If there are not qualified providers to do the work, these funds will
need to be redistributed for other purposes within the Department if SB611 is
enacted.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
The Department
currently has contracts in place with private contractors, which provide labor,
equipment and materials required to clean, maintain and make minor repairs to
the rest areas. Any of these contracts
which do not meet the “private food provider” requirement in the bill will need
to be terminated. New contracts will
need to be established.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
Major utility
infrastructure is not currently available at the rest areas.
POSSIBLE QUESTION
1. If there is no “”private food provider” interested in operating a particular rest area, will the rest area need to be closed?