House RTAC omnibus (HB 2304) moves forward after hours of rural project testimony
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Summary
Lawmakers advanced a roughly $473 million RTAC/ARTEC appropriation and a broad group of local transportation bills after two‑minute pitches from dozens of county and city officials on safety, freight, school‑bus routes and economic development.
The House Transportation Infrastructure Committee advanced House Bill 2304 — the annual RTAC (regional transportation advocacy council) omnibus — and dozens of related project appropriation measures after extensive testimony from rural and regional officials who urged state support for locally vetted priorities.
Staff described HB 2304 as an approximately $473 million state general‑fund appropriation to ADOT for distribution to a set of regionally selected highway and infrastructure projects. Kevin Adams of the Rural Transportation Advocacy Council told the committee the package aggregates regional priority projects that have been vetted by MPOs and councils of governments and provides options for one‑time revenues to move local priorities forward.
Dozens of mayors, county supervisors and MPO executives used two‑minute appearances to describe priority projects in their districts, from a $36 million SR‑89 widening in Yavapai County and a $16 million Procter & Gamble access project in Pinal County to school‑bus‑route safety studies, solar streetlights on Navajo routes, intersection reconstructions in Casa Grande and Sedona roundabout projects. Testimony repeatedly linked projects to evacuation routes, freight access to the Inland Port of Arizona, emergency response, and the state’s ability to compete for federal grants when local match or planning studies exist.
Representative Sosee — whose district includes Navajo Nation communities — and multiple Navajo Nation speakers urged attention to school bus routes, unpaved corridors and safety problems that have forced extreme pickup schedules and long bus rides. Several speakers asked the committee to support a separate school‑bus‑route study appropriation and soil‑stabilization pilot projects that would make rural districts more competitive for federal grants.
Following the public testimony, vice chair moved a single mass motion to assign a due‑pass recommendation to the lengthy list of appropriation bills. The roll call recorded the mass motion as adopted 7‑0. The committee’s action recorded a single 'due pass' recommendation for the grouped measures including HB 2304 and numerous local appropriation bills. Members emphasized these appropriations are not guarantees but enable jurisdictions to pursue projects in budget negotiations.
What happens next: The bills will move to appropriations and then to the House floor where funding allocations will be negotiated in the larger budget process.
