Tennessee Passes Coordination Legislation
On May 17 Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed into law a piece of legislation to support and promote human service transportation coordination. Tennessee House Bill 549/Senate Bill 523 creates an interagency transportation coordination committee, to include representatives of state departments, to coordinate transportation efforts of state and local government. Read the full bill.
The "coordination committee" established by this bill will have representatives from Tennessee’s state departments of transportation, human services, children’s services, finance and administration, veterans affairs, and other state departments, as well as one member of the Senate Transportation Committee and one member of the House Transportation Committee. The coordination committee’s charge is as follows:
- To improve transportation coordination;
- To improve methods of delivery of passenger transportation;
- To improve effectiveness of service and improve overall financial efficiency;
- To improve universal mobility for Tennessee citizens and visitors; and
- To identify opportunities and barriers, and recommend solutions to improve transportation coordination.
According to the Tennessee Public Transportation Association, this legislation addresses recommendations put forth in a 2008 study by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). “The committee will create a 5-year strategic transportation coordination plan to guide its work,” the Association stated in a talking points memo about the bill, “And TDOT will present an executive summary of the committee’s work to the House and Senate Transportation Committees annually.” The bill was introduced in February of this year and moved swiftly through the state legislature, each time being approved unanimously. View the timeline for this legislation.
Jo Ann Hutchinson, United We Ride Coordination Ambassador to Region 4, says this legislation allows Tennessee to join many other states in demonstrating a leadership role to review coordination opportunities resulting in improved efficiencies for the millions of dollars spent on public and human services transportation. “Tennessee is to be commended for its leadership and persistence to get this important legislation passed,” she says. “As their UWR Ambassador, I have offered to work with them to implement this legislation or to provide any technical assistance they night need."
Governor Bill Haslam signing Tennessee’s transportation coordination
bill into law May 17, 2011.
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