05/15/2025 01:30 PM Senate COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS

        HB  26-STATEWIDE PUBLIC & COMMUNITY TRANSIT PLAN                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:49:56 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   MERRICK  reconvened   the   meeting   and  announced   the                                                              
consideration  of  CS  FOR  HOUSE  BILL NO.  26(TRA)  am  "An  Act                                                              
relating to  the duties  of the  Department of Transportation  and                                                              
Public  Facilities;  and  relating   to  a  statewide  public  and                                                              
community transit plan."                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:50:11 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:51:00 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MERRICK reconvened the meeting.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:51:23 PM                                                                                                                    
HAHLEN BEHNKEN, Staff, Representative Genevieve Mina, Alaska                                                                    
State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, paraphrased the sponsor                                                                      
statement for HB 26:                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
          CSHB 26 (TRA), Version I  Sponsor Statement                                                                           
      "An Act relating to the duties of the Department of                                                                       
     Transportation and Public Facilities; and relating to                                                                      
        a statewide public and community transit plan."                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     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  who                                                                   
     do  not have  a car  or cannot  drive  and provide  more                                                                   
     options  for Alaskans  and visitors  to move around  our                                                                   
     state.  According  to  a  2022   DOT&PF  report  on  The                                                                   
     Economic  Value of  Public  Transit  in Alaska,  transit                                                                   
     delivers  benefits including  increased business  sales,                                                                   
     less  road congestion,  less air  pollution, and  better                                                                   
     travel times to Alaska communities.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     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,                                                                   
     schools,  healthcare, and  communities.  HB 26  improves                                                                   
     the  annual   study,  reporting,   and  development   of                                                                   
     Alaska's multimodal transportation network.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:53:38 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE   GENEVIEVE  MINA,   District   19,  Alaska   State                                                              
Legislature,  Juneau, Alaska,  added that  the Governor's  Council                                                              
on  Disabilities and  Special Education  and  the Alaska  Mobility                                                              
Coalition  requested  HB  26.  She  emphasized  that  people  with                                                              
disabilities  face gaps in  access to  public transportation.  She                                                              
said  HB  26 would  codify  the  practices  of the  Department  of                                                              
Transportation and  Public Facilities (DOTPF) while  ensuring that                                                              
those impacted  by public transit  are part of the  transit access                                                              
conversation.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:54:24 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MERRICK announced invited testimony on HB 26.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:54:38 PM                                                                                                                    
PATRICK  REINHART,  Executive  Director,   Governor's  Council  on                                                              
Disabilities and  Special Education,  Anchorage, Alaska,  said the                                                              
Governor's Council  on Disabilities  and Special Education  is one                                                              
of the founding  members of the Alaska Mobility  Coalition. He has                                                              
been  a disability  advocate in  Alaska  for 40  years. He  stated                                                              
that  transportation problems  are  a daily  challenge for  people                                                              
with disabilities  in Alaska. He noted  that the same is  true for                                                              
senior  citizens,  as  both populations  rely  heavily  on  public                                                              
transportation.  He  briefly discussed  public  transportation  in                                                              
communities around  the state, pointing out that  some communities                                                              
(e.g.  Anchorage)  have  robust   public  transit  systems,  while                                                              
others  have no  reliable  public  transit. He  briefly  discussed                                                              
human  services grants.  He  stated that  this  grant program  has                                                              
successfully started  many small public transit systems.  He noted                                                              
a  low  number  of current  human  service  grant  applicants.  He                                                              
surmised that  this is related  to a lack  of planning  for public                                                              
transit  in  small,  rural  communities.   He  added  that  it  is                                                              
difficult for  small communities  to apply  for the grants,  which                                                              
are a  combination of  state and federal  funding. He  opined that                                                              
better planning from  DOTPF and input from the  impacted community                                                              
would be beneficial.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
[1:57:46]                                                                                                                       
MR. REINHART  said DOTPF  recently received  an influx  of federal                                                              
funding  for rural  transit projects;  however, DOTPF  distributed                                                              
those funds  to existing  programs despite  community support  for                                                              
new  transit   programs.  He  asserted   that  this  was   a  lost                                                              
opportunity.  He emphasized  the importance  of planning.  He said                                                              
that a  state transit  conference  would be helpful  and could  be                                                              
part of  DOTPF's planning  process. He  emphasized the  importance                                                              
of making  this a statutory  requirement and of  communicating the                                                              
importance of public transportation in Alaska.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:00:25 PM                                                                                                                    
GERRY  HOPE,  Government   Relations  Director,  Sitka   Tribe  of                                                              
Alaska, Sitka, Alaska,  said HB 26 is a 2025  legislative priority                                                              
for  Sitka Tribe  of  Alaska. He  explained  that  Sitka Tribe  of                                                              
Alaska operates  public transit  in Sitka and  is a member  of the                                                              
Alaska Mobility  Coalition. He said  it is difficult to  get DOTPF                                                              
to recognize  challenges that  are not in  statute. He  noted that                                                              
HB  26 identifies  some  items  in  simple language.  He  directed                                                              
attention  to  HB 26,  page  1,  line 15,  which  adds  "including                                                              
public,  tribal,   and  community   transit  programs."   He  then                                                              
directed  attention  to HB  26,  page  2,  lines 5-6,  which  adds                                                              
language  to  create transit  systems  through  coordination  with                                                              
local governments  and tribal entities.  He emphasized  that these                                                              
are  critically important  changes  that would  make an  important                                                              
difference in the  way Sitka Tribe of Alaska works  with DOTPF. It                                                              
would also impact  the delivery of public transit  services within                                                              
communities across the state.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:02:55 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  MERRICK opened  public testimony  on HB  26; finding  none,                                                              
she closed public testimony.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:03:17 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE   MINA   stressed    the   importance   of   public                                                              
transportation   across  the  state.   She  noted  that   previous                                                              
amendments  to  HB  26 incorporated  different  facets  of  public                                                              
transportation,  including   ferries  and  potentially   including                                                              
commuter  rail. She  emphasized  the importance  of including  all                                                              
communities in Alaska.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:03:48 PM                                                                                                                    
[CHAIR MERRICK held HB 26 in committee.]