02/27/2025 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS

        HB  26-STATEWIDE PUBLIC & COMMUNITY TRANSIT PLAN                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:05:31 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  HIMSCHOOT announced  that the  first order  of business                                                               
would be  HOUSE BILL NO.  26, "An Act  relating to the  duties of                                                               
the  Department  of  Transportation and  Public  Facilities;  and                                                               
relating to a statewide public and community transit plan."                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:05:50 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GENEVIEVE  MINA,  Alaska  State  Legislature,  as                                                               
prime  sponsor, presented  HB 26.   She  paraphrased the  sponsor                                                               
statement  [included  in the  committee  packet],  which read  as                                                               
follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     The  Alaska  Department  of Transportation  and  Public                                                                    
     Facilities     (DOT&PF)     stewards    the     state's                                                                    
     transportation system  as the  lead body  in developing                                                                    
     the   Statewide   Transportation  Improvement   Program                                                                    
     (STIP).  HB 26  aims to  support and  secure accessible                                                                    
     transportation  options for  all Alaskans  by improving                                                                    
     DOT&PF's public  engagement process and  broadening the                                                                    
     study of transportation options across the state.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     First,  HB   26  seeks   to  improve   DOT&PF's  public                                                                    
     engagement   process    in   statewide   transportation                                                                    
     planning.  Sufficient  collaboration   with  local  and                                                                    
     regional  entities  is  federally  required  to  secure                                                                    
     funding    for   transportation    and   infrastructure                                                                    
     projects. HB  26 codifies  this federal  requirement by                                                                    
     specifying  that DOT&PF  must  coordinate with  public,                                                                    
     Tribal,  and   community  transit  programs   in  their                                                                    
     development  of   Alaska's  comprehensive,  long-range,                                                                    
     intermodal  transportation plan  (e.g., STIP).  In this                                                                    
     case, these transit programs refer  to programs such as                                                                    
     Nome's   Tribal  Transit   Program,  Juneau's   Capital                                                                    
     Transit,   Tok's   Interior   Alaska  Bus   Line,   and                                                                    
     Anchorage's People Mover.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Second, HB 26 expands  DOT&PF's responsibility to study                                                                    
     alternative transportation  options by  including rural                                                                    
     and  remote areas.  DOT&PF  is statutorily  responsible                                                                    
     for  studying alternative  means  of transportation  in                                                                    
     Alaska, but  they are currently only  required to study                                                                    
     urban areas.  Alternative transportation  methods, such                                                                    
     as  public  transportation,  are  essential  for  those                                                                    
     without  a car  and who  cannot drive.  According to  a                                                                    
     2022  DOT&PF report  on The  Economic  Value of  Public                                                                    
     Transit  in Alaska,  Alaskan  communities benefit  from                                                                    
     transit due  to increased business sales,  reduction of                                                                    
     road congestion, less air  pollution, and better travel                                                                    
     times.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Public transit is often  the only transportation option                                                                    
     for  Alaskans with  disabilities, low-income  Alaskans,                                                                    
     youth, and  the elderly.  Securing federal  funding and                                                                    
     improving  access to  public and  community transit  is                                                                    
     essential  to connect  all Alaskans  to their  jobs and                                                                    
     communities.   HB  26   improves   the  annual   study,                                                                    
     reporting,  and  development   of  Alaska's  multimodal                                                                    
     transportation network.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:09:35 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REMINGTON PURNELL,  Staff, Representative Genevieve  Mina, Alaska                                                               
State  Legislature,  on  behalf  of  Representative  Mina,  prime                                                               
sponsor, presented the sectional analysis  for HB 26 [included in                                                               
the   committee  packet],   which  read   as  follows   [original                                                               
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1. AS. 44.42.020(a):                                                                                               
     Amends  subsections (3)  and (4)  in the  Department of                                                                    
     Transportation and  Public Facilities'  planning duties                                                                    
     to    "study    alternative    means    of    improving                                                                    
     transportation"  and  "develop a  comprehensive,  long-                                                                    
     range,  intermodal transportation  plan for  the state"                                                                    
     by  including  public,  tribal, and  community  transit                                                                    
     programs.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Amends  subsection  (5)  to the  Department's  duty  to                                                                    
     study  alternative modes  of  transportation by  adding                                                                    
     rural  and remote  areas to  its  scope, and  requiring                                                                    
     coordination   with   local  governments   and   tribal                                                                    
     entities in this process.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Adds subsection (17)  which creates a new  duty for the                                                                    
     Department to develop a  statewide public and community                                                                    
     transit  plan in  coordination  with local,  community,                                                                    
     and tribal entities.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT sought questions from committee members.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:10:45 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX  referred to the  zero fiscal note  and asked                                                               
what the bill plans to accomplish.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:11:37 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANDY MILLS,  Legislative Liaison, Department of  Transportation &                                                               
Public  Facilities  (DOT&PF),  said  the  fiscal  note  describes                                                               
activities  that the  department  already conducts,  such as  the                                                               
long-range  transportation plan,  area transportation  plans, and                                                               
the  statewide transit  plan.   He  added  that department  staff                                                               
already have  federal directives  to consider  all modes,  so the                                                               
fiscal  note reflects  that these  activities  are largely  being                                                               
accomplished already.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT opened invited testimony.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:14:10 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PATRICK  REINHART,  Executive  Director,  Governor's  Council  on                                                               
Disabilities  & Special  Education, Department  of Health  (DOH),                                                               
gave  invited  testimony  during  the  hearing  on  HB  26.    He                                                               
emphasized the importance of  public and community transportation                                                               
to people with disabilities and  expressed his hope that the bill                                                               
would encourage  a renewed focus  on these  issues.  He  spoke to                                                               
several problems  facing the  council, such  as fewer  numbers of                                                               
applicants  and  the failure  to  consider  the influx  of  rural                                                               
transportation  funds  for  starting   new  programs.    He  also                                                               
suggested that  DOT&PF share  information with  impacted agencies                                                               
and  partners,  which   in  years  past,  was   done  via  annual                                                               
conference.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:19:08 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MILLIE  RYAN, Board  President, Alaska  Mobility Coalition,  gave                                                               
invited testimony  during the hearing  on HB 26.   She emphasized                                                               
the  importance of  public transportation  to  many Alaskans  and                                                               
applauded the bill for  integrating community transportation into                                                               
the department's duties  and for developing a  five-year plan for                                                               
expanding transportation across the state.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX pointed out that  DOT&PF had stated that it's                                                               
already doing this work, and asked what the bill would change.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS. RYAN acknowledged that the  department's plans make reference                                                               
to  community transportation  and  transit;  however, there's  no                                                               
specific plan  that looks at  community transportation  in detail                                                               
and considers  how to coordinate  and expand the  availability of                                                               
opportunities with community partners  and providers.  She shared                                                               
a personal anecdote about her experience in Oregon.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
8:22:45 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HALL asked  about  the timeline  for Section  17,                                                               
which  creates  a  new  duty  for the  department  to  develop  a                                                               
statewide public and community transit  plan in coordination with                                                               
local, community, and Tribal entities.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA deferred to Mr. Mills.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:24:07 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MILLS   said  different  plans  span   different  timeframes                                                               
dependent on the  federal regulations.  In general,  there are 5-                                                               
year plans  on the  short side,  as well  as 10-year  and 20-year                                                               
plans.    He referred  to  AS  40.42,  noting  that many  of  the                                                               
articulated duties in HB 26  lack timeframes, and one would defer                                                               
to  the  federal program  to  set  a  timeframe  or renew  it  as                                                               
frequently as needed.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
8:26:09 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MEARS  observed that  the cost of  owning a  vehicle has                                                               
increased,  which may  increase the  broader need  for transport.                                                               
She asked whether data supports this observation.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA referred  to a report conducted  by DOT&PF in                                                               
May 2022  about the  economic value  of public transit in Alaska;                                                               
however, she  was unsure  whether it  included statistics  on the                                                               
cost of personal vehicles.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:28:04 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND  asked for the bill  sponsor's thoughts on                                                               
commuter rail  options and how  it might bring more  attention to                                                               
what,  right now,  has  been a  citizen's  advocacy process  that                                                               
struggles  to   get  standing   in  the   broader  transportation                                                               
planning.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MINA  speculated  that commuter  rails  may  fall                                                               
under  "alternative  modes"  and  deferred the  question  to  Mr.                                                               
Mills.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MILLS agreed  the "alternative  modes" is  broad enough  and                                                               
would allow the department to look  at a range of options without                                                               
being  limited  by  statute, which  is  beneficial  for  planning                                                               
purposes, and  would allow new  modalities to be  incorporated as                                                               
technology advances.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HOLLAND asked  how these  proposed changes  might                                                               
strengthen the discussion about  the Alaska Marine Highway System                                                               
(AMHS) and its integration as  a transportation solution in rural                                                               
communities.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA shared her belief  that AMHS is separate from                                                               
the definition of "transit planning."                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. PURNELL agreed that AMHS is not included in the definition.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. MILLS  confirmed that the  planning authority for  AMHS falls                                                               
under a different section of state statute.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:33:55 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HOLLAND commented  that  with  the separation  of                                                               
boards and funding, the importance  of AMHS to the transportation                                                               
infrastructure of Alaska  is missed.  He suggested  that the bill                                                               
could be  a vehicle  for elevating the  importance of  transit to                                                               
rural coastal communities and the necessity of AMHS.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:35:11 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX said  planning  seems to  be constrained  by                                                               
federal  funding.     He  asked  whether the  legislature  should                                                               
consider including nonprofit organizations in the conversation.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   MINA  affirmed   that  public   engagement  with                                                               
nonprofits,  such as  the Alaska  Mobility  Coalition (AMC),  and                                                               
other entities,  like the Governor's Council  on Disabilities and                                                               
Special Education, should  be included.  She cited  page 3, lines                                                               
7-9, which  stated that  the development  of a  statewide transit                                                               
plan  is  done  in  cooperation  with  public  community  transit                                                               
operators,  local government,  communities, and  Tribal entities.                                                               
She added  that the inclusion  of relevant stakeholders  would be                                                               
considered a friendly amendment.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
8:37:53 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked why the bill is needed.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MINA said  to ensure  that Alaska  is modernizing                                                               
DOT&PF's responsibilities to reflect  Alaskans' needs.  She added                                                               
that the state  would not want the department's  positive work on                                                               
transit   planning  to   go  away   if   leadership  or   federal                                                               
requirements were to change.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  REINHART  agreed on  the  importance  of codifying  DOT&PF's                                                               
planning efforts in  statute to ensure that  there are reasonable                                                               
expectations  around  the  development  of a  public  transit  if                                                               
leadership were to change.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  HIMSCHOOT  asked  how  the bill  would  interface  with                                                               
Tribal transportation plans.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA shared her  understanding that the department                                                               
is  federally   required  to  coordinate  with   Tribal  planning                                                               
organizations in its  long-range transportation planning efforts,                                                               
such  as   the  development   of  the   Statewide  Transportation                                                               
Improvement  Program  (STIP).   She  deferred  to Mr.  Mills  for                                                               
further explanation.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:42:00 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MILLS  confirmed  that  there   is  a  "three  C  policy"                                                                  
collaboration, coordination, and  consultation   that's federally                                                               
required of  the department with regard  to STIP.  He  added that                                                               
there is also  a Tribal team in many areas  of the department for                                                               
Tribal consultation on projects and planning activities.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  HIMSCHOOT asked  which  highway number  is assigned  to                                                               
AMHS.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MILLS  answered  M5  and  M11.    He  emphasized  that  many                                                               
communities make a  firm assertion that AMHS is  a highway system                                                               
falling under Title  19, so as to avoid any  exclusion of vehicle                                                               
transport on  vessels.  The department  experienced pushback when                                                               
testing  a  supplemental  service,  which he  likened  to  a  bus                                                               
service because  it only transported passengers,  reinforcing the                                                               
philosophical viewpoint  that AMHS  is an  extension of  the road                                                               
system.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT  asked Ms.  Chapman how  to best  partner with                                                               
Tribes  and whether  the bill  would change  or augment  anything                                                               
with regard to that government-to-government relationship.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:45:41 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JUDY CHAPMAN,  Deputy Director,  Division of  Statewide Planning,                                                               
Department  of  Transportation   &  Public  Facilities  (DOT&PF),                                                               
reiterated  that  Tribes  are   engaged  with  regularly  through                                                               
consultation  opportunities and  monthly conference  calls.   She                                                               
said the intent  is to fully engage with Tribes  and involve them                                                               
in the  statewide and  transit planning processes  as they  are a                                                               
valuable stakeholder.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX  asked   whether  there  are  jurisdictional                                                               
issues that should be taken into consideration.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. MILLS responded  that DOT&PF actively works  on projects with                                                               
local  nonprofit   organizations  (NPO)  whose   jurisdiction  is                                                               
codified  in   federal  regulation.    With   regard  to  transit                                                               
planning, conversations are had  with the community transit grant                                                               
recipients,   but  these   local  governments   have  their   own                                                               
committees on local transportation  improvement plans (TIP), much                                                               
like the  STIP for the  state.   He said he  is not aware  of any                                                               
jurisdictional issues.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT announced that HB 26 would be held over.