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Minutes for SB375 - Committee on Ways and Means
Short Title
Providing for the FORWARD transportation program.
Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 18, 2020
Chairperson McGinn opened the hearing on SB 375. Adam Siebers, Office of the Revisor of Statutes provided an overview of the bill. (Attachment 2)
Aaron Klaassen, Legislative Research Department, provided information on KDOT funding sources (Attachment 3) and the history of State Highway Fund transfers. (Attachment 4)
Secretary Julie Lorenz, Kansas Department of Transportation, spoke as a proponent of the bill. This bill is the result of nearly two years of work between KDOT along with industry and community leaders, legislators and many other stakeholders to improve the way we move people, freight and technology. We will build on the successes of T-WORKS and will complete those projects first. KDOT is not asking for any more money and this program will deliver more with the revenue we already have. What's new in this bill is greater flexibility and speed. There are seven key features in this legislation including this being a rolling program and requiring local consults every two years, which will holds KDOT accountable. There is also additional consideration for construction when communities can provide a local match. They also intend to speed up projects through alternative delivery. This bill is not just about highways but about broadband infrastructure as well as transit, aviation, rail and bicycle/pedestrian projects. For the first time, we prioritized preservation spending. Kansans want a program that works for both rural and urban areas and FORWARD does that. (Attachment 5)
Lee Ann Seiler, Hodgeman County Economic Development, testified in support of the bill. She expressed concern specifically with Highway 156 between Hanston and Jetmore and the number of accidents and fatalities there because of the lack of shoulders and deteriorating edges. There are children being bused and driving along this stretch of road and it is also used to transport wind turbine blades. They need rumble strips and shoulders so they at least can have space to get off the road in case of issues such as flat tires. (Attachment 6)
Blake Benson, Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, stood in overwhelming support for the FORWARD plan. This is a collaborative plan and their primary reason for supporting this is that it provides for economic development. Expanding Highway 69 to four lanes would create over 4,000 new jobs and help them compete with neighboring communities in Missouri. Pittsburg is emerging as a regional medical hub for Southeast Kansas and going from two lanes to four lanes is literally a matter of life and death. It would also enhance our rail opportunities. (Attachment 7)
Ken Brock, Chairman of the Highway 69 Association, spoke as a proponent of the bill. His Association wants to build a four lane highway from Kansas City to I-44. Seventy six miles of this stretch is already complete but 40 miles remain. An average of two people per year lose their lives on the two lane portion of this road. It is also important that we finish that last portion for economic reasons and for Pittsburg State University but nothing is more important than saving the lives of two local people every year. (Attachment 8)
Thomas Brown, Mayor of McPherson, testified in favor of the bill. He attended several of the meetings held by KDOT and he was impressed by the way the process worked. This is a comprehensive plan that has ground, air and rail. We are fortunate to be in position to bring the Heartland Flyer and Southwest Chief into better prominence. The federal government will help us but we need to keep the ball moving in order to make this happen. He also feels that the flexibility this plan has is important. (Attachment 9)
Gary Beachner, President, Beachner Grain, Inc., spoke in support of the bill. He runs a 33 year-old family owned company and they depend on highways and rails every day to provide transportation to markets around and outside the state. Kansas crop production continues to grow and the transportation infrastructure needs to grow as well. The health and safety of bridges is also highly important. Railroad infrastructure is vital to their ability to transport the state's grain production. (Attachment 10)
Jim Sipes, Kansas Farm Bureau, testified as a proponent of the bill. Farm Bureau members rely on a well thought out and even stronger constructed series of highways. This bill benefits all areas of the state. Agriculture and agricultural related industries require a quality transportation system and rural fatality rates are more than double that in urban areas. There are more than 11,300 bridges across the state in fair or poor condition and this plan prioritizes preservation work. It is important that we do not fall behind in investing in our infrastructure. (Attachment 11)
Max Dibble, Phillips County Commissioner, was a member of the task force and spoke in support of this bill. This bill is promises-made, promises-kept by completing T-WORKS projects first. People are willing to work to make improvements possible including reducing the scope of projects. This program covers not only roads, bridges and interchanges but aviation, rail and walking/biking paths and it's important that we take care of all these areas. (Attachment 12)
Gary Janzen, City Engineer and Assistant Director Public Works and Utilities in Wichita, stood as a proponent of the bill. Wichita is a regional center of business, education and healthcare. This is not just about adding new interchanges. They want to do what they can to enhance quality of life and safety through improvements so people don't spend so much time in traffic. They support alternative delivery methods that will provide more efficient and cost effective delivery to communities. They will be at a disadvantage for recruiting and retaining businesses as long as the transportation funding and project pipeline remains empty. (Attachment 13)
Brett Letkowski, Principal and Senior Vice President, TransSystems, Wichita, testified in favor of the bill. Strong transportation infrastructure is critical to developing and expanding commerce. The Wichita Chamber formed a coalition from across a ten-county region to form the South Central Kansas Transportation Coalition. The Coalition identified the region's most significant projects. These are primarily for safety and economic development. His Coalition appreciates the more frequent local consultations included in the bill. (Attachment 14)
Adam Stodola, Kansas Society of Professional Engineers and American Council of Engineering Companies of Kansas, spoke in support of the bill. We need to improve the overall health, safety and efficiency of the system. In addition to that this would allow for preservation, modernization and expansion projects. The overall structure of the program will help us improve the system. Flexibility and responsiveness is necessary to keep up with evolving needs of Kansas. (Attachment 15)
Tuck Duncan, Executive Director, Kansas Public Transit Association, testified as a proponent of the bill. This is a transportation plan not just a road plan. He's hoping this is the first step over the next decade and not the last step. We have desperate needs in rural areas for public transportation and this is about people being able to get to medical appointments and work. This is also about rural revitalization. (Attachment 16)
Chuck Adams, Mid-America Regional Council, stood in favor of the bill. This program is broadly consistent with the transportation goals and priorities of the Kansas City region. His organization supports the key elements of the program including coordination with local officials, preservation of the transportation system, a flexible and rolling program, and a focus on safety. Additionally, there is a commitment to fund multimodal transportation investments, especially transit. Less than 10% of jobs in his region are accessible through public transportation, which limits access to skilled labor. He encouraged the legislature to further strengthen the program by doubling the minimum funding dedicated to public transportation. (Attachment 17)
Debra Fischer-Stout, Northern Flyer Alliance, testified in support of the bill. Her organization is especially supportive of the clearly identified and first ever inclusion of a passenger rail program development including the Heartland Flyer extension and maintenance of the Southwest Chief. Studies have shown that the return on investment of the extension of the Heartland Flyer to be at least 3 to 1. Also ridership is anticipated to double. (Attachment 18)
Jason Watkins, Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce, spoke as a proponent of the bill. His area has some very significant transportation needs particularly the North Junction in Sedgwick County. The traffic in that area is dangerous and also stifles productivity. He is supportive of the alternative delivery language as well as the language that eliminates sweeps. The Chamber also appreciates the aviation aspects of the bill to assist airports with safety improvements. (Attachment 19)
Scott Smith, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, testified in support of the bill. One of the major issues for economic growth and quality of life is a well-maintained and safe transportation network. The bill creates an innovative, flexible and responsive program, where programs are selected every two years. The program also commits to funding multimodal transportation improvements particularly public transit. This will play an ever-increasing role in our workforce access and being able to develop the region's economy. (Attachment 20)
Erik Sartorius, League of Kansas Municipalities, stood as a proponent of the bill. There is a pressing need to maintain existing transportation infrastructure, to improve it for the next generation and to get the right mix for all road users. This is not a panacea but does a good job of maintaining the structures that have worked in the past and bringing innovation to other aspects. The program as an encouraging process of dealing with stakeholders on a more frequent basis. This will provide new flexible tools for local governments to partner with the state. It also accommodates the diversity of needs for cities throughout Kansas including aviation and public transit. The program needs to balance the desire for partnership with cities' ability to pay. (Attachment 21)
Bruce Chladny, Kansas Association of Counties, spoke in favor of the bill. This bill is very much desired and approved by the 104 counties he represents. The benefits of this program positively impact local counties, stimulate local development and revitalization and create a transportation system that supports the way Kansans want to live. (Attachment 22)
Bridgette Williams, Heavy Constructors Association of Greater Kansas City, testified as a proponent of the bill. Her organization enthusiastically supports this bill. Her board believes this is absolutely the right process for the state. Regionalism is an issue in Kansas City. Many of her contractors are based in Missouri but live in Kansas and employ workers from Kansas. For them to be able to sustain a comprehensive transportation program, alternative delivery is a key component. (Attachment 23)
Tom Whitaker, Kansas Motor Carriers Association, Kansas spoke in strong support of the bill. Kansas trucking employs over 71,000 people and 46% of companies run just one truck. Kansas needs trucks to move freight and trucks need highways so his organization supports this bill. (Attachment 24)
Written testimony in support of the bill was submitted by:
Andy Sanchez, AFL-CIO (Attachment 25)
Shawn Steward, AAA (Attachment 26)
Johnson County Kansas (Attachment 27)
Taggart Wall, City of Winfield (Attachment 28)
Carl Gerlach, City of Overland Park (Attachment 29)
Curtis Sneden, Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce (Attachment 30)
John Idoux, CenturyLink (Attachment 31)
Whitney Damron, City of Topeka (Attachment 32)
Suzanne Loomis, City of Newton (Attachment 33)
Randy Stookey, Kansas Grain and Feed Association, Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association and Renew Kansas Biofuels Association (Attachment 34)
Tim Danneberg, City of Olathe (Attachment 35)
Tim McKee, Olathe Chamber of Commerce (Attachment 36)
Bonnie Lowe, Lawrence Chamber of Commerce (Attachment 37)
Tim Ross, GBA (Attachment 38)
Shahira Stafford, Kansas Cooperative Council (Attachment 39)
Pete Meitzner, Sedgwick County (Attachment 40)
Mary Jane Stankeiwicz, Kansas Rural Independent Telecommunication Coalition and State Independent Telephone Association (Attachment 41)
METL--Manhattan, Emporia, Topeka and Lawrance Chambers of Commerce (Attachment 42)
Steve Sloan, Midwest Minerals, spoke as a neutral conferee. There is a lot of great work done on this bill but we need to make sure we can deliver on it. There is concern about whether the funding for the program can be delivered over the next ten years without either new revenue or protection of existing revenue. He supports strict language that sales tax deposited in the highway fund can only be used only for transportation purposes. He also supports adding language that would trigger a motor fuels tax increase if transfers out of the highway fund continue after 2024. Closing the bank of KDOT is great first step but we need to take action to protect the funding. (Attachment 43)
Marynell Popst, Reece Construction, testified neutral to the bill. Her company is a bridge building contractor. She is in support of the program but has some concerns as as small business owner regarding protection of funding. The program is great if fully funded but they need some sort of protection that the money is actually going to be put toward the program. The other piece she is concerned about is the alternative delivery aspect. Alternative delivery, by its nature, tends to go to larger out-of-state contractors and she is concerned about what that will mean for small family-owned businesses. (Attachment 44)
Chad Girard, CRH Americas Materials, Inc., stood as a neutral conferee. They are very supportive of the comprehensive plan but don't think there is enough protection in the current plan. They were also supportive of T-WORKS but then funds were siphoned out. Due to lack of funding a commitment by the state, parts of his company were moved from Kansas to other states. If the promises of the program are fulfilled he believes they can bring some of those jobs back. (Attachment 45)
Chairperson McGinn continued the hearing on SB 375.
Chairperson McGinn adjourned the meeting at 12:04 pm. The next meeting will be February 19, 2020.
