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Lawmaker tables bill on DOT prioritization; fiscal staff demos data tools to help analyze transportation backlog
Summary
Representative Zach Worth moved to table HB172 after describing flaws in his draft bill aimed at changing DOT prioritization. DOT offered to provide training, and the Legislative Fiscal Division demonstrated MARA interactive tools showing local transportation spending and models to analyze backlog and costs.
Representative Zach Worth opened House Bill 172 and acknowledged the bill was flawed and that no amendment could fix its core problems; he said he intended to table the bill and use the process as an educational moment about how the Department of Transportation prioritizes projects.
Larry Flynn of the Montana Department of Transportation offered to return with staff to provide training on the project nomination and prioritization process. David Smith of the Montana Contractors Association provided informational remarks on behalf of contractors who build roads and bridges.
Nick Van Brown of the Legislative Fiscal Division then presented MARA (data) tools for legislators. Van Brown demonstrated interactive dashboards that show local government revenues and expenditures, public works spending and school budget lines including transportation. He highlighted that public‑works and roads are a major local cost, that state transportation aid has been flat, and that local property taxes have been used to meet rising transportation costs. Van Brown said the fiscal office is beginning to integrate DOT pavement and bridge data to model backlog and cost scenarios.
In executive action later in the meeting the committee moved to table HB172; the motion passed by voice vote and HB172 was placed on the committee’s table.
