HJ623: Highways; joint subcommittee to study desirability, etc. of replacing administrative classification.
WHEREAS, for decades the highways of the Commonwealth have been administratively classified by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) as either primary, secondary, or urban system highways; and
WHEREAS, such administrative classification system oftentimes bears little relationship to the significance of a road, its location, its traffic volume, or its function; and
WHEREAS, a 2001 study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) recommended replacement of the current administrative classification system with a functional classification system whereby highways would be grouped according to whether they were of statewide significance, regional significance, or local significance; and
WHEREAS, the classification system recommended by JLARC is but one alternative to the administrative classification system presently used by VDOT; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to study the desirability, feasibility, and possible benefits of replacing administrative classification of highways with a functional classification system, building upon the analysis and recommendations put forward by JLARC in 2001. The joint subcommittee shall consist of 10 members appointed as follows: six members of the House of Delegates to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates and four members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. The joint subcommittee shall elect a chairman and vice chairman from among its membership.
In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall consider whether replacement of the present administrative highway classification system by a functional classification system would improve the assigning of scarce transportation maintenance and construction resources to projects whose undertaking would be of the greatest benefit to all the Commonwealth, how such a change would impact the statutory scheme of highway construction fund allocations, and whether such a change would be, on balance, both feasible and desirable.
Administrative staff support shall be provided by the Office of the Clerk of the House of Delegates. Legal, research, policy analysis, and other services as requested by the joint subcommittee shall be provided by the Division of Legislative Services. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee for this study, upon request.
The joint subcommittee shall be limited to four meetings for the 2007 interim, and the direct costs of this study shall not exceed $10,000 without approval as set out in this resolution. Approval for unbudgeted nonmember related expenses shall require the written authorization of the chairman of the joint subcommittee and the respective Clerk.
No recommendation of the joint subcommittee shall be adopted if a majority of the House members or a majority of the Senate members appointed to the joint subcommittee (i) vote against the recommendation and (ii) vote for the recommendation to fail notwithstanding the majority vote of the joint subcommittee.
The joint subcommittee shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2007, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2008 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall state whether the joint subcommittee intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and the report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.
Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may approve or disapprove expenditures for this study, extend or delay the period for the conduct of the study, or authorize additional meetings during the 2007 interim.