HB
1393 is Community Transit’s top legislative priority during this 2015 legislative
session (see
the original blog post here). Passage of HB 1393 (or its Senate companion
bill SB 5326) would give the transit agency authorization to increase its sales
tax up to 0.3 percent upon voter approval.
A hearing in the House Transportation Committee for HB 1393
is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4 at the John L. O’Brien
Building, House Hearing Rm B. Community Transit Board of Directors Chair, Mike
Todd, will travel to Olympia to testify in favor of the bill, along with
supporters from throughout Snohomish County.
If the bill is passed by the full Legislature, Community
Transit’s board would be authorized to send a ballot measure to voters in the
service district asking their support for increased transit funding.
This Thursday, Feb. 5, the board will take action on a June
2015 service expansion plan that could bring back Sunday and holiday bus
service. However, current forecasts indicate that any new service hours added
in the next few years are likely to be taken up by schedule maintenance—adding
time to current trips because their actual travel time is getting longer.
New transit funding could be used for:
- a second Swift bus rapid transit line
- increased commuter service to Seattle and UW
- extended bus hours each day
- more trips throughout the county
If you are interested in learning more about HB 1393 and the
public hearing process in general, you might find these links of interest:
All about Committee
Hearings (along with some great tips on how the public can participate:http://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Testify.aspx
About House Bill 1393:http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1393&year=2015
Can’t attend the
hearing in person? You Can Watch Live:http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwliveplayer&eventID=2015020084
For Fun: the
Lyrics to Schoolhouse Rock’s, “I’m Just A Bill”
http://www.schoolhouserock.tv/Bill.html
http://www.schoolhouserock.tv/Bill.html
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