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'Noah’s Act' hearing spotlights school safety case and debate over delegating project approvals to MPOs
Summary
Representative Bob Carter’s House Bill 773 would reduce duplicative reviews of metropolitan transportation plans by allowing more decisions at the district level when MPO plans are compliant; committee heard emotional testimony from a child hit in a crosswalk and formal opposition from MDT and local public works.
Representative Bob Carter presented House Bill 773 — described in his testimony as “Noah’s Act” — to streamline transportation planning approval for metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and to reduce duplicative reviews while preserving federal and state safety standards.
The hearing featured emotional testimony from a Missoula family after their son Noah was struck in a crosswalk near his school. Noah and his mother described the collision, medical response and a frustrated community process that, they said, left local safety improvements delayed by intergovernmental review. Noah’s mother said the neighborhood had requested relatively modest safety measures (for example, a flashing sign at a crosswalk) but met prolonged administrative obstacles.
Missoula public works director Jeremy Keane and other local officials also testified in support of streamlining local decision-making for non‑operational safety improvements and crosswalk enhancements, while asking for clarifying amendments to ensure local‑agency input.
Montana Department of Transportation Director Chris Dorrington rose in respectful opposition, telling the committee he supports better local coordination and faster delivery of safety projects but that the bill as drafted would conflict with federally delegated responsibilities that rest with the state DOT for the National Highway System and could improperly reassign statutory authority to MPOs.
MDT technical staff and urban planning oversight staff testified as informational witnesses and described the federal framework for MPOs (Billings, Great Falls, Missoula, Helena, and Bozeman/Belgrade are the state’s five MPOs) and how federal funds and oversight factor into project selection and delivery.
Ending: After questions and discussion the sponsor acknowledged drafting and communication missteps and asked the committee’s patience; the committee later moved to table HB 773 during executive action.
