By Kevin Haas, Legislative Chair

Recap of the 2010 Special Legislative Session

The Oregon Legislative Assembly convened February 1, 2010 for a short 25-day Special Session that ended on February 25, 2010. This Special Session was the second test run for what lawmakers hope will be annual sessions. Lawmakers sent a ballot measure to voters that will be decided on November 2, 2010 whether or not to make annual sessions permanent, with limits of 160 days in odd-numbered years and 35 days in even-numbered years. Oregon is one of five states where lawmakers still meet every-other-year, and there is no limit on the session length. Recent every-other-year sessions have averaged six months, although the 2003 and 2005 sessions ran into August and were the two longest in state history.

Even though the 2010 Special Legislative Session only lasted 25 days, there were a few Bills and Resolutions related to transportation that were passed. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) closely tracks legislation related to transportation and publishes a Legislative Summary report after every Legislative Session. The document provides summaries of most transportation bills, with effective dates, and in some cases an ODOT staff person responsible for implementing the bill. A link to the 2010 Legislative Summary Report from ODOT is provided below. If you have any questions or comments concerning Bills or Resoultions, please don't hesitate to contact me via email or by phone at 503-986-3580.

2010 Legislative Summary Report

Recap of the 2009 Legislative Session

The 75th Oregon Legislative Assembly convened January 12, 2009 and adjourned on June 29, 2009. For the first time in several years transportation funding took center stage with the Legislature looking to jump start a slumping economy by addressing a backlog transportation infrastructure improvements. House Bill 2001 was the landmark transportation bill passed during the 2009 Legislative Session increasing transportation funding at a level close to $300 million annually over current levels. A link to the 2009 Legislative Summary Report from ODOT is provided below.

2009 Legislative Summary Report

Links to Oregon Legislative Assembly Committee Agendas & Schedules

You can track all of the activities of the Oregon State Legislature including committee agendas and schedules on their web site at www.leg.state.or.us. Many of the documents linked from this web page require Adobe Reader to be installed on your computer. Adobe Reader is a free download and is available at www.adobe.com.

National Legislative Issues

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a final rule on the 2009 Edition of the MUTCD on December 16, 2009. ODOT is in the process of working with the Oregon Traffic Control Devices Committee (OTCDC) to adopt the 2009 MUTCD as the official MUTCD for the State of Oregon. This process can take up to 2 years as several ODOT/OTCDC subcommittees review various Parts of the 2009 MUTCD and develop the Oregon Supplement to the 2009 MUTCD. You can view the latest information on the status of Oregon adopting the 2009 MUTCD at the ODOT web site linked below.

ODOT/OTCDC MUTCD & Oregon Supplement to the MUTCD - This link provides access to a web page providing status updates on Oregon adoption of the 2009 MUTCD.

MUTCD Federal Register Notices - Information on Notices of Proposed Amendments (NPAs) and Final Rules (FRs) regarding the MUTCD.

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)

The most recent federal authorization for Federal surface transportation programs (SAFETEA-LU) expired in 2009. President Obama's administration and the US Congress have yet to set a timetable for a new federal transportation funding bill so it's anyone's guess as to what kind of reauthorization package we will see and when it will be introduced in Congress. The funding mechanisms of SAFETEA-LU are continuing under several stop-gap resolutions passed by Congress to continue federal funding of transportation until a new bill is introduced and debated. Until we hear more news on reauthorization, you can click on the link below to get background information on the SAFETEA-LU funding package.

SAFETEA-LU - Information on the current federal authorization for Federal surface transportation programs for the 5-year period 2005-2009.