The California Transportation Commission on Aug. 2025 approved the final proposal prepared under Assembly Bill 744 to expand statewide access to transportation data, modeling and analytic tools.

Staff described the proposal as the product of nearly two years of stakeholder outreach, surveys and workshops with metropolitan planning organizations, regional transportation planning agencies, rural counties and state transportation and housing agencies. The report concluded that tools commonly used across agencies include GIS (Esri/ArcGIS), travel demand models (Bentley Cube, TransCAD) and mobility analytics (Replica, INRIX/StreetLight). Staff identified common adoption barriers: limited technical staff, budget constraints, procurement complexity and concern about data redundancy.

Recommendation and why it matters: Commission staff recommended a hybrid implementation option that pairs a competitive funding program with an option for centralized procurement. Under that model, eligible agencies could obtain state funds through a competitive process and either procure tools directly or opt into a centrally procured master contract; consortium applications would be allowed so smaller or resource-limited jurisdictions could share costs and licenses.

Public comment and stakeholder reaction: Staff said the 30-day public comment period (June 13July 13) produced letters that largely supported the flexible hybrid approach; no letters opposing the hybrid option were received. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about coverage for small and rural agencies and whether the hybrid approach had broad support; staff said that feedback from the rural counties task force and MPOs favored the hybrid design.

Next steps: Staff will submit the final AB 744 proposal to the Legislature by September and remain engaged as the Legislature considers funding and authorizing language. The proposal recommends (a) an appropriation to expand statewide access, (b) procurement flexibility to avoid a one-size-fits-all mandate, and (c) continued stakeholder governance during implementation.

Budget/question from public comment: Staff received written public questions asking where funding would come from and how much would be required. The proposal did not include a specific appropriation; it recommended that the Legislature allocate funding and enable flexible procurement mechanisms. Commissioners approved the final proposal by motion.

Public testimony at the meeting included representatives from regional agencies who expressed support for the hybrid approach, saying it would help smaller agencies access modeling and analytic tools they otherwise could not afford.