Bill > H3100

This bill directs the board of directors of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to conduct a thorough assessment of the state's entire surface transportation system, covering its capacity, safety, and overall condition. This assessment will involve analyzing current and planned spending for both operations and capital projects, including those of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and regional transit authorities, and will project revenue from all sources for surface transportation from fiscal year 2016 through fiscal year 2026. The assessment must account for maintenance, legally mandated expansion projects, and federally required long-range transportation plans, as well as recent capital plans from the MBTA and MassDOT, while also evaluating the impact of projected transportation spending on the Commonwealth's debt policies, such as its debt limit and bond caps. Based on this assessment, the board will then recommend operational and governance reforms, cost savings, and potential new revenue sources to address any identified deficiencies, considering how these recommendations might affect debt policies. To ensure public input, the assessment and recommendations will be developed after at least six public hearings held across the Commonwealth, and the final assessment, recommendations, and any necessary draft legislation will be published online, delivered to state officials, and filed with legislative committees within six months of the bill's effective date.