Revise laws related to metropolitan planning orgs and transportation planning
Summary
HB 773, titled “Noah’s Act,” revises Montana transportation planning law to reduce duplicative review of certain projects that have already been approved through metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and reviewed by the Montana Department of Transportation. The bill states that long-range transportation plans adopted by MPOs and approved by the department and commission should satisfy state transportation review requirements for projects implementing those plans. It also provides that some urban street and department roadway projects in MPO districts would not need further Transportation Commission review if they implement a state-reviewed MPO plan and are approved by the relevant district administrator.
The bill further shifts approval authority for certain nonoperational safety improvements and smaller projects away from the Transportation Commission and toward department district administrators, including in communities without an MPO where the department would set a project-size threshold by rule. It defines “metropolitan planning organization” for purposes of the new section and amends existing statutes governing highway priorities and contract letting to make those provisions subject to the new exceptions. The measure is framed as a streamlining bill intended to preserve compliance with federal and state standards while allowing more local and regional decisionmaking.
Impact
HB 773 would have amended sections 60-2-110 and 60-2-111, MCA, and added new provisions to Title 60, chapter 2, part 1, creating a statutory framework that limits when the Transportation Commission must re-review projects already covered by approved MPO plans. In practical terms, it would have reduced the commission’s role in certain urban and locally planned transportation projects, increased the authority of department district administrators, and allowed the Department of Transportation to establish by rule the scale of projects that can be approved without commission action in non-MPO areas. The bill would have affected MPOs, the Department of Transportation, the Transportation Commission, local governments, and project sponsors for urban street, roadway, safety, and related transportation projects.
Sentiment
The available record suggests generally favorable sentiment in committee toward the bill’s streamlining goals, as reflected by the 14-0 vote on the motion to table in the House Transportation Committee. The bill text itself emphasizes efficiency, reduced redundancy, and local control, and there are no recorded committee transcripts showing opposition or extended debate in the provided materials. However, the bill ultimately died in process, indicating that despite unanimous committee action on the procedural vote shown, it did not advance to enactment.
Contention
The main policy tension in HB 773 is between reducing administrative duplication and preserving oversight by the Transportation Commission. Supporters appear to favor giving MPOs and district administrators more authority to approve projects already covered by approved plans, arguing that additional commission review slows implementation and wastes resources. Potential concerns would likely come from those who value centralized review, uniform statewide oversight, or commission involvement in highway and urban street decisions, especially where the bill narrows the commission’s role and delegates more discretion to district administrators and rulemaking by the department.