Support Surface Transportation Infrastructure Development

The bill clarifies the scope of the high-performance transportation enterprise's (transportation enterprise) powers and duties to expand its capacity to execute its charge and more explicitly prioritize mitigation of traffic congestion and traffic-related pollution through the completion of multimodal surface transportation infrastructure projects as follows:

• Section 10 13 :
• Authorizes the transportation enterprise to impose a congestion impact fee, as a new user fee, in maximum amounts of up to $3 per day on the short-term rental of a motor vehicle that is powered by an internal combustion engine and up to $2 per day for a motor vehicle that is a battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that are that is subsequently adjusted for inflation, and, in conjunction with section 9 12 , requires the fee to be collected and administered in the same manner as an existing state daily vehicle rental fee;
• Clarifies that providing diverse multimodal transportation options, including rail projects, that reduce traffic congestion and degradation of existing surface transportation infrastructure is part of the transportation enterprise's statutory charge;
• Clarifies that project-specific limitations on the expenditure of the transportation enterprise's project-specific user fee revenue, which do not apply to congestion impact fee revenue, allow multimodal improvements in the same travel shed where the fees were paid;
• Requires the transportation enterprise to develop a new multimodal strategic capital plan that aligns with the 10-year transportation plan of the Colorado department of transportation (CDOT) and statewide greenhouse gas pollution reduction goals and priorities, complies with specified environmental standards adopted by the transportation commission, and prioritizes benefits to user fee payers and the reduction of adverse impacts on highways;
• Requires the transportation enterprise to complete an initial assessment of opportunities available through 2030 to leverage federal money made available to the state and to thereafter assess such opportunities on an ongoing basis; and
• Clarifies the scope of an existing requirement of approval from each directly affected metropolitan planning organization and other transportation planning regions for a proposed surface transportation infrastructure project that adds substantial capacity or significantly alters traffic patterns; and
• Requires the transportation enterprise to detail its work to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions and support the expansion of public transit in its annual report to the legislative committees with oversight over transportation; and
• Section 8 11 modifies an existing definition of "surface transportation infrastructure" to more clearly include multimodal transportation options and transportation of freight . Section 8 11 also modifies an existing definition of "user fee" to include the new congestion impact fee. and creates new definitions of "surface transportation infrastructure project network" (network) and "travel shed" to ensure, in conjunction with section 11 , that the transportation enterprise's user fee revenue can be spent with more flexibility, from a geographic standpoint, than is currently the case.

Section 3 4 authorizes the regional transportation district (RTD) to extend construction and operations of its northwest rail fixed guideway corridor beyond its boundaries, including an extension of the corridor to Fort Collins as the first phase of front range passenger rail service in order to gain the opportunity to access federal intercity rail service money, if all capital and operating expenses outside the district RTD are fully accounted for and already reimbursed to the district RTD by a public body. Section 3 also 6 requires the front range passenger rail district (rail district) , in cooperation with RTD, CDOT, and the transportation enterprise, and the front range passenger rail district (rail district), to provide to the transportation legislation review committee and the governor:

• A report containing an implementation plan, which must include, among other things, identification and evaluation of options for creating a separate legal entity or intergovernmental agreement as a business model, for construction and operations of the corridor to the legislative committees that oversee transportation and may also consider the creation of a Colorado rail authority to house some or all passenger rail services under one entity; and
• A report, which must also include the cooperation of any separate legal entity created, concerning a plan to begin providing front range passenger rail service no later than January 1, 2028 2029 .

Sections 4, 5, and 6 5, 7, 8, and 13, respectively and in conjunction with section 2, provide specific, explicit authorization to the RTD, the rail district, CDOT, and the transportation enterprise in accordance with an implementation plan developed as required by section 3 section 6 to enter into a standalone intergovernmental agreement with or create a separate legal entity with each other, to implement the completion of construction and operation of the RTD's northwest fixed guideway corridor, including an extension of the corridor to Fort Collins as the first phase of front range passenger rail service. Section 7 10 requires CDOT and the rail district to annually report to the legislative committees that oversee transportation legislation review committee and the governor regarding the status of the service development plan for front range passenger rail service between Trinidad, Pueblo, and Fort Collins and requires the plan to include descriptions of steps taken to maximize the chances of securing federal grant assistance and of how the project will create good-paying, high-quality, and safe jobs. Section 9 requires CDOT's transit and rail division to submit a report containing a development plan for rocky mountain rail service to the legislative committees that oversee transportation and the governor not later than December 31, 2024. Sections 1 and 2 3 make legislative findings and declarations. Section 15 appropriates $42,399 from the general fund to the department of revenue to implement the bill.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)