Transportation funds: disadvantaged small communities.

(1) Existing law generally provides for programming and allocation of funds for transportation capital improvement projects through the state transportation improvement program process administered by the California Transportation Commission. Existing law requires 25% of available funds to be programmed and expended on interregional improvement projects nominated by the Department of Transportation, and 75% of available funds to be programmed and expended on regional improvement projects nominated by regional transportation planning agencies or county transportation commissions, as applicable, through adoption of a regional transportation improvement program. This bill would require no less than 5% of funds available for regional improvement projects to be programmed in the regional transportation improvement program for disadvantaged small communities, as defined. In programming these moneys, the bill would require regional transportation agencies and county transportation commissions to prioritize funding congestion relief and safety needs. (2) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.