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Committee hears HB345 to clarify department vs. commission roles over transit and pass-through funds
Summary
House Bill 345 was heard but not acted on; it would clarify that the Department of Transportation (not the Transportation Commission) administers most passthrough transit and rail grants, reflecting current practice, while the Commission retains responsibility for major highway project awards.
The House Transportation Committee held a hearing on House Bill 345, a statutory clarification that would reflect current practice by making explicit that the Department of Transportation administers Federal Transit Administration passthrough grants and similar programs while the Transportation Commission focuses on highway construction project prioritization and awards.
Sponsor Representative Jerry Schellinger said the bill ‘‘is essentially just a cleanup’’ to reflect how funds are actually distributed today and to clarify the language in section 60‑2‑129 of Montana code. Deputy Director Larry Flynn told members the bill codifies existing practice: MDT staff generally administer pass-through grants for transit, rail and similar programs and only when a grant resulted in an MDT‑led construction project would the Transportation Commission be involved in project approval and award.
Flynn said the change would avoid imposing a significant new workload on the five‑member Transportation Commission, which sets priorities and awards contracts for the federal highway program. Committee members asked questions about hierarchy, prior practice and rare scenarios where funds might land on the department to administer construction projects; Flynn said in such a rare case the commission would still review and approve those projects.
The hearing concluded with no executive action; committee members said they would return to additional bills when amendments are ready.
