Committee hears broad support for bill to expand multimodal transit planning; ferry system seen as part of transit mix

The House Community and Regional Affairs Committee heard public testimony on March 18 in Juneau for House Bill 26, which would broaden the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities’ (DOT&PF) planning duties to emphasize public transit, community transportation and multimodal options.

Supporters — including tribal leaders, disability advocates and transit providers — told the committee the bill would improve mobility for people who do not or cannot drive and create planning structures that better incorporate community transit, paratransit and other alternatives. "This bill helps DOT and public facilities be more multimodal in their planning efforts," Representative Genevieve Mina said in opening remarks.

The bill’s backers described several practical benefits. Kim Champney, executive director of the Alaska Association on Developmental Disabilities, said accessible, coordinated transit could increase independence for people with disabilities and ease workforce pressures for service providers. "When are we gonna get self driving cars in Juneau?" Champney recounted a client's question to illustrate demand for alternative mobility solutions.

Jerry Hoper, government relations director for the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, told the committee the bill’s language is "fully supported by Sitka Tribe of Alaska" and that, as written, it covers transportation elements that already appear in statute — "railroads, pipelines, airports, aviation facilities... docks, floats" — and therefore can include the Alaska Marine Highway System in multimodal planning. "In a way, it is absolutely transit to look at the ferries from that lens," Hoper said, describing elders' difficulty boarding small aircraft and ferries in some communities.

Other witnesses included Millie Ryan, president of the Alaska Mobility Coalition; Patrick Reinhart, director of the Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education; Michelle Giroux, executive director of Hope Community Resources; and disability advocate Bridger Reed Lewis. Witnesses urged the committee to move HB 26 forward and emphasized gaps in community transit planning across the state.

The committee did not vote on the bill on March 18. The chair set an amendment deadline at noon the following day and said the committee will take up HB 26 on Thursday for further consideration.

Why it matters: Supporters said the proposal could expand mobility for seniors and people with disabilities, better align planning across ferry, local transit and paratransit services, and focus state planning resources on community transportation needs. Committee deliberations and any amendments will determine how broadly DOT&PF’s duties change and whether specific transit programs or funding directions are added.

Votes at this meeting: none on HB 26; the committee set an amendment deadline and scheduled further consideration for Thursday.