Senate File 606 - Introduced



                                  SENATE FILE       
                                  BY  COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

                                  (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1359)


    Passed Senate,  Date               Passed House, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to revenue for the construction and maintenance
  2    of roads by establishing a TIME=21 fund for deposit of
  3    revenues credited by law to the fund, and requiring evaluation
  4    of revenue sources.
  5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  6 TLSB 2934SV 82
  7 dea/cf/24

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  312A.1  DEFINITIONS.
  1  2    As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise
  1  3 requires:
  1  4    1.  "Department" means the state department of
  1  5 transportation.
  1  6    2.  "Fund", or "TIME=21 fund", means the transportation
  1  7 investment moves the economy in the twenty=first century fund.
  1  8    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  312A.2  TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT
  1  9 MOVES THE ECONOMY IN THE TWENTY=FIRST CENTURY (TIME=21) FUND.
  1 10    A transportation investment moves the economy in the
  1 11 twenty=first century fund is created in the state treasury
  1 12 under the control of the department.  The fund shall be known
  1 13 and referred to as the TIME=21 fund.  The fund shall consist
  1 14 of any moneys appropriated by the general assembly and any
  1 15 revenues credited by law to the TIME=21 fund.  Moneys in the
  1 16 fund are not subject to section 8.33.  Notwithstanding section
  1 17 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or earnings on moneys deposited
  1 18 in the fund shall be credited to the fund.
  1 19    Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  312A.3  ALLOCATION AND USE OF FUNDS.
  1 20    Moneys in the TIME=21 fund shall be credited and used as
  1 21 follows:
  1 22    1.  Sixty percent for deposit in the primary road fund to
  1 23 be used exclusively for highway maintenance and construction,
  1 24 including purchase of right=of=way but not including project
  1 25 planning and design.  The following projects are eligible for
  1 26 funding under this subsection and shall have funding priority
  1 27 in the order listed:
  1 28    a.  Completion of projects on highways designated as access
  1 29 Iowa highways pursuant to 2005 Iowa Acts, chapter 178, section
  1 30 41.
  1 31    b.  Projects on highways in the commercial and industrial
  1 32 highway network that are included in the department's
  1 33 five=year plan, or in the long=range plan, for the primary
  1 34 road system.  Priority shall be given to projects in areas of
  1 35 the state that have existing biodiesel, ethanol, or other
  2  1 biorefinery plants.
  2  2    c.  Projects on interstate highways.
  2  3    2.  Twenty percent for deposit in the secondary road fund,
  2  4 for apportionment according to the methodology adopted
  2  5 pursuant to section 312.3C, to be used by counties for
  2  6 construction and maintenance projects on secondary road
  2  7 bridges and on highways in the farm=to=market road system.  At
  2  8 least ten percent of the moneys allocated to a county under
  2  9 this subsection shall be used for bridge construction, repair,
  2 10 and maintenance, with priority given to projects that aid and
  2 11 support economic development and job creation.
  2 12    3.  Twenty percent for deposit in the street construction
  2 13 fund of the cities, apportioned on the basis of population in
  2 14 the manner provided in section 312.3, to be used to sustain
  2 15 and improve the municipal street system.
  2 16    Sec. 4.  NEW SECTION.  312A.4  FUTURE REPEAL.
  2 17    This chapter is repealed June 30, 2028.
  2 18    Sec. 5.  NEW SECTION.  307.31  PERIODIC REVIEW OF REVENUES
  2 19 == EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCES.
  2 20    1.  The department shall periodically review the current
  2 21 revenue levels of the road use tax fund and the sufficiency of
  2 22 those revenues for the projected construction and maintenance
  2 23 needs of city, county, and state governments in the future.
  2 24 The department shall submit a written report to the general
  2 25 assembly regarding its findings by December 31 every five
  2 26 years, beginning in 2011.  The report may include
  2 27 recommendations concerning funding levels needed to support
  2 28 the future mobility and accessibility for users of Iowa's
  2 29 public road system.
  2 30    2.  The department shall evaluate alternative funding
  2 31 sources for road maintenance and construction and report to
  2 32 the general assembly at least every five years on the
  2 33 advantages and disadvantages and the viability of alternative
  2 34 funding mechanisms.  The department's evaluation of
  2 35 alternative funding sources may be included in the report
  3  1 submitted to the general assembly under subsection 1.
  3  2    Sec. 6.  TIME=21 REVENUE COMMITTEE.
  3  3    1.  The legislative council shall establish a study
  3  4 committee for the 2007 legislative interim to address the
  3  5 revenue needs of the TIME=21 fund created in this Act.  The
  3  6 membership of the committee shall consist of eight members of
  3  7 the general assembly as follows:
  3  8    a.  Four members of the senate, two appointed by the
  3  9 majority leader of the senate and two appointed by the
  3 10 minority leader of the senate.
  3 11    b.  Four members of the house of representatives, two
  3 12 appointed by the speaker of the house and two appointed by the
  3 13 minority leader of the house.
  3 14    2.  The committee may consider the revenue options proposed
  3 15 in the 2006 report prepared by the state department of
  3 16 transportation entitled "study of Iowa's current road use tax
  3 17 funds (RUTF) and future road maintenance and construction
  3 18 needs", as well as any other revenue options and related
  3 19 issues.  The committee shall report its findings and
  3 20 recommendations, including a proposal for funding the TIME=21
  3 21 fund, to the general assembly by January 1, 2008.
  3 22                           EXPLANATION
  3 23    This bill creates a new transportation investment moves the
  3 24 economy in the 21st century fund in the state treasury under
  3 25 the control of the department of transportation.  The fund is
  3 26 to be known as the TIME=21 fund.  The fund shall consist of
  3 27 revenues appropriated by the general assembly or credited by
  3 28 law to the fund.
  3 29    The bill allocates 60 percent of TIME=21 funds to the
  3 30 primary road fund, 20 percent to the secondary road fund, and
  3 31 20 percent to the street construction fund of the cities.
  3 32    The bill specifies that funds allocated from the TIME=21
  3 33 fund to the primary road fund shall be used for construction
  3 34 and maintenance projects on access Iowa highways, commercial
  3 35 and industrial network (CIN) highways that are included in the
  4  1 transportation department's five=year plan or long=range plan,
  4  2 and interstate highways.  Projects on access Iowa highways
  4  3 have the highest funding priority, followed by CIN highway
  4  4 projects, with preference given to projects in areas with
  4  5 existing biodiesel, ethanol, or other biorefinery plants.
  4  6 Funds used for construction may be used for purchase of
  4  7 right=of=way, but not for planning and design.
  4  8    The bill directs that TIME=21 funds allocated to the
  4  9 secondary road fund are to be used for construction and
  4 10 maintenance of secondary road bridges and for construction and
  4 11 maintenance of farm=to=market roads.  At least 10 percent of
  4 12 the moneys received by a county must be used for bridge
  4 13 construction, repair, and maintenance with priority given to
  4 14 projects that aid and support economic development and job
  4 15 creation.  The bill provides for allocation of TIME=21 funds
  4 16 to the street construction fund of the cities on a population
  4 17 basis, to be used to sustain and improve roads in the
  4 18 municipal street system.
  4 19    Provisions in the bill concerning the TIME=21 fund are
  4 20 repealed June 30, 2028.
  4 21    The bill requires the department of transportation to
  4 22 continue to study the revenue levels of the road use tax fund
  4 23 and report its findings and recommendations to the general
  4 24 assembly every five years, beginning December 31, 2011.  The
  4 25 department is also required to evaluate alternative funding
  4 26 sources for road maintenance and construction and report to
  4 27 the general assembly at least every five years on the
  4 28 viability of alternative funding mechanisms.
  4 29    The bill requires the legislative council to establish an
  4 30 interim committee composed of eight legislative members to
  4 31 study funding options for the TIME=21 fund and report the
  4 32 committee's recommendations to the general assembly by January
  4 33 1, 2008.
  4 34 LSB 2934SV 82
  4 35 dea:rj/cf/24