In 2011, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) collaborated on a report—Transportation Governance and Finance: A 50-State Review of State Legislatures and Departments of Transportation—designed to fill a gap in the existing knowledge base about transportation governance by examining the relationships between state legislatures and state departments of transportation (DOTs) in depth. The primary focus was on transportation funding and finance policy, with examination of other areas of transportation governance. This report was received very well by various transportation stakeholders.
The legislative and political environment for transportation funding and finance has evolved nationally and in the states since the 2011 report was completed. New federal legislation has been enacted and number of state legislatures also have adopted new financing mechanisms and other changes in how their transportation systems are to be managed. The use of tolls, the creation or modification of tolling authorities, and the relationship of DOTs and separately established tolling agencies have been topics of recent interest in several states.
The objectives of this research were to (1) produce an updated version of Transportation Governance and Finance: A 50-State Review of State Legislatures and Departments of Transportation, with new survey data to reflect the current environment; and (2) assist AASHTO staff with dissemination of the updated information. The new report, like its predecessor, will include state-by-state information on such topics as collaboration and communication between legislatures and DOTs, legislative oversight of the DOT, transportation planning and capital program management activities, and other relevant topics. The researcher team will assist AASHTO staff in presenting the report to association members and others.
The updated guide was developed and published by AASHTO as an electronic document. Information about the document--Transportation Governance and Finance: A 50-State Review of State Legislatures and Departments of Transportation, 2nd Edition--is available from AASHTO; click here. Dissemination efforts at AASHTO and other meeting were supported by the contractor through August 2017.
