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.Martin@ncleg.net
Rep Beasley: (919) 733-5654 Chaz.Beasley@ncleg.net
Rep Clark: (919) 733-5828 Christy.Clark@ncleg.net
Rep Russell (919) 733-7727 Ray.Russell@ncleg.net
Rep D. Jackson: (919) 733-5974 Darren.Jackson@ncleg.net
Rep Carney: (919) 733-5827 Becky.Carney@ncleg.net
Rep Meyer: (919) 715-3019 Graig.Meyer@ncleg.net
Rep Raymond Smith: (919) 733-5863 Raymond.Smith@ncleg.net
Rep Willingham: (919) 715-3024 Shelly.Willingham@ncleg.net
Rep. Frank Iler: (919) 301-1450 Frank.Iler@ncleg.net
Rep. Michele D. Presnel: (919) 733-5732 Michele.Presnell@ncleg.net
Rep. Phil Shepard: (919) 715-9644 Phil.Shepard@ncleg.net
Rep. John A. Torbett: (919) 733-5868 John.Torbett@ncleg.net
Rep. Chuck McGrady: (919) 733-5956 Chuck.McGrady@ncleg.net