Urgent action needed on House Bill 77 affecting transportation funding for bike and walk projects

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Bicycle Alliance Chapel Hill

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Jun 22, 2020, 4:32:25 PM6/22/20
to Bike Chapel Hill - BikeChapelHill.com
BACH members, and people who value public spending for bike and pedestrians projects. We need your HELP!

The North Carolina Legislature is working on House Bill 77 which changes how the Department of Transportation operates and guts funding for non car projects.

While the bill does include some important transparency and accountability reforms it is also full of problems.
 
The bill would see across the board cuts to DOT programs, but some of the hardest cuts would come to the integrated mobility division which oversees bike, pedestrian and transit projects.  The division would be left with just $17 million.  There are also cuts to transit programs and Powell Bill funds.
 
The bill also amounts to a power grab of the Board of Transportation by the General Assembly.  The bill would give 6 out of 20 seats on the Board to the NCGA, and require that 3 of the Governor’s appointments are from the opposite party.
 
Most important, the bill would completely transform the Board from a board focused on policy to one focused on fiscal accountability.  We would lose all the subject matter at large seats, including the environmental seat.  The board members would be required to have backgrounds in finance to be on the Board. 
 
Further, the Board would now have significantly more power – approving the DOT spend plan.  The Board of Transportation used to have significant power in the past and it was broadly abused.  That is why the power was removed and the more policy board was created.
 
This bill will pass the Senate today.  We urge you to contact House members and ask them not to concur on the bill on next week.  The bill should go to conference where it can be fixed.
 
Here are some House members to contact.  Please spread the word:
  
Rep Martin: (919) 733-5773          Grier....@ncleg.net
Rep Beasley: (919) 733-5654        Chaz.B...@ncleg.net
Rep Clark: (919) 733-5828             Christ...@ncleg.net
Rep Russell  (919) 733-7727          Ray.R...@ncleg.net
Rep Carney: (919) 733-5827          Becky....@ncleg.net
Rep Meyer: (919) 715-3019           Graig...@ncleg.net
Rep Raymond Smith: (919) 733-5863         Raymon...@ncleg.net
Rep. Michele D. Presnel: (919) 733-5732 Michele....@ncleg.net
Rep. John A. Torbett: (919) 733-5868 John.T...@ncleg.net
 
 
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