Senate Republican Caucus Succeeds in Securing Transparency Amendment in Transpo Bond Bill

Today the Senate Republican Caucus distributed the following press release regarding a transportation bond bill the Massachusetts State Senate passed on Thursday, March 6:

Senate Republican Caucus Succeeds in Securing Transparency Amendment in Transpo Bond Bill

Caucus Vows to Continue to Fight for Accountability and Responsibility in State Transportation System

Boston- On Thursday, March 6th, the Massachusetts State Senate debated a transportation bond bill that totaled more than $13 billion to assist in the financing of transportation projects throughout the Commonwealth.  Among the 237 amendments filed, Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), Assistant Minority Leader Robert Hedlund (R-Weymouth), Senate Minority Whip Donald Humason (R-Westfield), and Senator Richard Ross (R-Wrentham), the Ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Ways and Means succeeded in securing an amendment to S.2023, An Act financing improvements to the Commonwealth’s transportation system, that would instill needed transparency and allow for more accountability within two of the state’s major transportation agencies.

The amendment, which passed unanimously by a roll call vote of 38-0, requires the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to post an annual report to the MassDOT website of all financial activities.  It also requires the MBTA to post an annual itemized budget online, allowing anyone the opportunity to scrutinize and examine the expenditures made by the agency.

“Our state government spends billions of taxpayer dollars on a system of transportation that people depend on every day, said Senator Tarr.  “It makes sense to open the doors of accountability to allow people to see how their money is being spent, and compare those expenditures with the value they are getting when they drive on a roadway or ride on a train.”

While this amendment passed overwhelmingly, several other amendments aimed at increasing transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the state’s transportation system were offered unsuccessfully by the caucus, which will continue to pursue them in other venues.  They include:

•           Requiring the secretary of transportation to issue a five-year plan prioritizing the repair and maintenance of existing transportation infrastructure over expansion projects, also known as the Fix it First Plan;

•           Prohibiting the MBTA from undertaking expansion projects without first conducting a cost analysis and demonstrating that sufficient revenue exists or will be generated to operate and maintain the expansion project; and

•           Prohibiting the registrar from raising Registry of Motor Vehicle fees until after the secretary of transportation has reported on the status of a mandate requiring all state transportation employees’ salaries and benefits being funded through the operating budget, and not with bond money.

“In order to increase transparency within our state government and instill the system with greater integrity, it is paramount that measures like these are vigorously pursued at every opportunity, and the Senate Republican Caucus will continue to fight for a more transparent and efficient state government,” said Senator Tarr.

The transportation bond bill was engrossed by the Senate by a unanimous vote of 38-0.  The House previously passed its version of a transportation bond bill, and now the two chambers will work together to reach an accord.

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Senate to Debate a Transportation Bond Bill

Today the Massachusetts State Senate is expected to debate a $13.15 billion transportation bond bill.  Contained within the bill is a five-year $1.5 billion commitment to the Chapter 90 road fund dedicated to assist municipalities in repairing local roads, however, there are several costly items within the bond bill as well.  Two such items include $2.3 billion for the South Coast rail line project and $1.3 billion for the Green Line extension.

Members of the Senate have also filed 237 amendments that comprise both local projects and major policy changes.  Among those amendments are three initiatives that I have filed for today’s debate.  Those include:

·         Amendment #78, which would repeal the state’s 1993 anti-privatization law, aka the Pacheco Law;

·         Amendment #136, which would require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a five-year plan prioritizing the repair and maintenance of existing transportation infrastructure over expansion projects; and

·         Amendment #223, which would make the MBTA retirement fund subject to the accounting, recordkeeping, and oversight provisions of the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC).

To read the transportation bond bill and all 237 amendments in their entirety, please click here.  To follow along with today’s formal Senate Session, please click here to watch a live feed of the debate.  Senate debate is scheduled to commence at approximately 1:00pm.

Senate GOP Advocates for Release of Municipal Road Funding

The Senate Republican Caucus is calling on a transportation conference committee to expedite the release of $200 million in Chapter 90 funding for municipal road and bridge projects.

The funding was previously approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate as part of a $1.5 billion Transportation Bond Bill. Release of the funding has been delayed, however, due to policy differences in other parts of the bond bill that remain unresolved and are still being worked out in conference committee.

In a letter hand-delivered to Transportation Committee co-chairs Senator Thomas M. McGee and Representative William M. Straus and the four other conferees, the Caucus has requested that the bond bill be reported, in part, by releasing the Chapter 90 funding while negotiations continue on the other sections of the bond bill.

Under the Chapter 90 program, funding is allocated to cities and towns based on a formula that takes into account factors such as population, employment levels and the total number of miles of local roadways in the community. Although communities have already received notification of the funding amounts they can expect to receive, municipalities cannot sign project contracts until the Legislature delivers a bill authorizing the release of the funds to Governor Patrick for his signature.

CAUCUS SIGNED 2012.05.23 Chapter 90 Request Posted below is the letter that the caucus sent.

The Massachusetts Senate Passes Transportation Reforms

The Senate’s actions yesterday offered good news for our cities and towns and represent a step forward in addressing some of the Commonwealth’s most pressing transportation needs. Not only does the Transportation Bond Bill authorize $200 million in Chapter 90 funding for municipal road projects for our cities and towns, but it also encompasses several important transportation reforms championed by the Senate Republican Caucus, including:

     • Requiring the Secretary of Transportation to maximize efforts to reduce the use of capital funding to pay for state employee’s salaries, a practice that is costing taxpayers an additional $100 million to $125 million a year, and to develop a timeline for moving these employees’ salaries on to their agencies’ operating budgets by December 31, 2014;

     • Requiring the MBTA to file a report detailing its efforts to become more self-sufficient and less reliant on state subsidies and fare increases; and

     • Prohibiting the authority from expanding services until it has a plan in place to pay for those services and can certify that existing services will not be adversely impacted.

We are hopeful the House of Representatives and Governor Patrick will embrace these worthy proposals, and we look forward to exploring additional avenues for enacting much-needed reforms this session.

Senate GOP Caucus promotes transportation reforms

The Massachusetts Senate Republican Caucus has filed a series of transportation reform initiatives as part of a $1.5 billion Transportation Bond Bill scheduled for debate in the Senate this afternoon.

The bond bill – which authorizes state borrowing for construction, repairs and improvements to federal highways, roads, bridges and rail projects throughout the Commonwealth – also includes a $200 million authorization for cities and towns to pay for local roadway projects under the Chapter 90 program.
The Senate Republican Caucus strongly supports the release of Chapter 90 funding to our cities and towns, but we also see tomorrow’s debate as an opportunity to promote additional transportation reforms that will have a lasting impact. At a time when the MBTA is struggling to provide needed services and remain financially solvent, road and bridge projects are in tremendous need of funds, and commuters are suffering from high transportation costs, we can’t afford to ignore any opportunity to save money, reform the system, and prioritize spending for the most important transportation needs of our state.

The caucus filed amendments that would:

• Prohibit the MBTA from expanding services until the authority has a plan in place to pay for those services and can certify that the expansion will not adversely impact any existing services;

• Require the MBTA to file a report detailing its efforts to become more self-sufficient and less reliant on state subsidies and fare increases;

• Prohibit individuals who lack legal immigration status from obtaining a driver’s license;

• Establish a special commission to evaluate the feasibility of the continued operation of the Worcester Airport by the Massachusetts Port Authority, and to determine the most cost-beneficial means of maximizing the benefit to the citizens of the Commonwealth, including but not limited to the sale or lease of the facility;

• Direct the Attorney General to issue a report detailing the state’s potential sources of recovery on any present or reasonably foreseeable claims resulting from negligent or wrongful acts or omissions resulting from the Big Dig;

• Require the Secretary of Transportation to maximize efforts to minimize the use of capital funding to pay for state employee’s salaries while also developing a timeline for moving the salaries of all such employees on to their agencies’ operating budgets by December 31, 2014;

• Authorize and direct the Inspector General to conduct an audit of the state’s bond indebtedness relative to projects undertaken or scheduled to be undertaken as a result of legal judgments and court orders stemming from the Big Dig project;

• Direct the Secretary of Transportation to identify structurally deficient bridges and prioritize a schedule for addressing these deficiencies; and

• Require the Registry of Motor Vehicles to offer a discount program for owners of multiple commercial vehicles in order to generate additional revenues for the Commonwealth by encouraging businesses to register their vehicles in-state.