Transportation, Technology & Legislative Affairs - Senate

Thank you Mr chair committee I am as you can plainly see I'm not Senator Dismang so. this is. From a report in the director of a firm transportation is here if we have any questions on this this is Bill was recommended by the highway commission review and advisory subcommittee that that throughout these last couple years in the interim it does a few things number one it requires that are not and provide progress of. Towards a final recommendation report they require submission of contracts needed to implement the recommendations that are over fifty thousand dollars to this to the Highway Commission advisory subcommittee and provides it to subcommittee has the ability to allow members of the public time to comment on proposed rules and contracts related to implementation of recommendations and this is all as a result of the study that they did over a long period of time and developed these recommendations and and according to Senator Dismang part of transportation is in support of this that this bill these recommendations and so if we have any questions we can have greater come to table next to would you like to come down are you good where you're at Leicester's questions. Yeah if you would go on one now. This and come round come round of this. That year five. Is that whenever you sit down there identify yourself so members can ask questions or if you wanna make state okay this is Laurie I'm Laurie tutor this is Laurie. The director of the department of transportation glad to be here today and to answer any questions that we're we're fine with this bill. Senator hill. Mr would you would basically just kind of give us a quick run down how you think this will actually help the highway department. When we went to the sufficiency steady it was a great exercise of really looking at our processes in what we did you know how we handle things and so that efficiency review of the final report is a great compilation of things we can do to move forward and sat in and also that we're going in the right direction because a couple of the recommendations we were in some stage of implementing so it gave us a lot of confidence we're going in the right direction and this that. This right here just for proper provides transparency and accountability that we're going to implement all those great recommendations you just keep the legislature informed on how we're conducting our business you know it our environment at the department for me in my focus is continual improvement and also collaborating and being a partner with the legislature as we move forward because we want to do the best we can for the state in the highway system. The senator garner thank you just when I'm not saying under this bill I appreciate you all Taking up and voting on the wise rather moral down L. Reiter Union County well the sign to be replaced I know we often coming here and get on you all pretty hard but for this case I wanna give a special thank you that was done very well by killing your team and I appreciate it thank you very much senator. Senator Chesterfield yes motion at the property thank you is it any other questions Senator. Right said. Mr. You always have trouble with that I'll turn mine off maybe they're trying to tell me something I thank director tutor I want us it ends up to the question it's kind of a silly question but. This was self reflection on a public venue I want to applaud you and your staff I know you don't get to hear that very often in that job but having a hundred thirty five legislators trying to to improve your world is not a tough world or is a tough world is not unlikable place to be we definitely as legislators don't want a whole group of people coming in and telling us what we're doing wrong I'm trying to correct us so I'm gonna and that statement with the don't you agree as we have ask questions and I do applaud the efforts. I thank you very much that's a loaded question in front of this distinguished body. But I'm glad that I'm glad for that for you what you just said because it was very difficult and occasionally we just had to rally around say look it's going to be alright we're gonna make it through this it's all gonna turn out in the end and I think it has I think for at the end of it or moving forward and I feel very confident about the future so. The other questions singing none Motion by Senator Chesterfield second second by Senator Hill any discussion all right go ahead Senator just feel one moment and I'm not going to beat it to death at. Mr thank you I was a part of that process it was tedious. I thank you representative me I have a department in such class. It's asking me and I appreciate that so very much and I'm especially happy because we don't have that many females in these positions SO you made me very proud. as a woman and also because of your leadership and I appreciate it and I would appreciate it thank you thank you so much thank you senator Chesterfield Motions made and seconded all in favor say aye. All opposed Like sign thank you senator Eads and senator Dismang and director tutor create your. All. Next we will go to Senate bill five seventy nine. Bob if you got your breast the. In. Lord lord don't don't go too far just in case somebody has questions on this one so. If if if it be okay by Mr yeah no I think it questions yeah I don't know that we should welcome to to sit here where I have obviously worked with the but you know if if anyone has questions for the form transportation probably good for to be around at least. You're welcome to provide you will consider or not it's completely up to you. Okay as Senator Bob Ballinger some district five. What this legislation so where this was born out is actually bought a piece of property in north Madison County we're thinking about building but in order to have a spot for to run the leased lines and everything I knew the property was adjoining to it which was how it apartment property. As I went to the the process of checking in actual already been declared surplus property it was about an acre little more than acre property and so in order to acquire that property how the farm transportation is willing to sell it I was going to buy but one of the requirements that we had to do was actually have three appraisals on this property. So this property is probably worth a couple thousand dollars I I you know I would have to give three appraisals on it because it's such a unique different piece property located strange place but not a lot of comptes it the first couple people are called is about two thousand dollars apiece to do the appraisals. Now naturally the individual who passed legislation to require the three appraisals was me as a house member back in two thousand fifty. So the the it in the requirement for the president really wasn't in an effort to try to clear up the process before we had a first refusal you can actually go back to get somebody to sign off on a piece of property for the highway department to sell property at all and so then it would in doing the changing the process will be made better except for how stupid is that you have to have three appraisal well I have sent so that property so we're not not you know this is not going to benefit me at all but at least brought to my attention the problem that I helped create where if you're dealing with a small piece of property you can actually make the process too expensive to make it worthwhile acquiring and so the part transportation so it's on the property so what we've done that is within two things if the property is worth more than fifty thousand dollars instead of three license appraisals would drop it down to two and then there's also they have an appraiser in house so they'll still be three appraisals done on it one will be department transportation them to outside if it's a value that is valued by the Department transportations less than fifty thousand dollars then all you need is one appraise on. That's pretty simple. So as a as your testimony this is a lot less stupid approaches unless the purpose I don't know who that thank you can imagine me explaining to my wife's why I was well you know slowing down our construction of the language we turned out by a different place somewhere happy and all that stuff but you know it really was a cumbersome process thanks to done legislation. Is there any other questions from the committee. Hi my my highest quality is my liability recognize all of them I am so. If there's no other questions no one to speak for against the you want to say anything Director. Just thank you Senator Ballinger can make it a lot easier for us to dispose of surplus property at the department's asking to be a good thing. All right in center searches on this as well because he had a similar situation where someone's trying to clear clear offense line and and had surplus property but it was the same situation where the value of the property was not enough and it makes it. Senator English I think this is probably a very good example of why we ought to pay a whole lot more attention to the bills are passing because we really don't know what the impact is of some of these things and it sounded good at the time but it didn't turn out that way. Yeah out of million dollar piece property three appraisals wouldn't seem so so onerous although even in that it seems still to the belts the spenders and something else and no problem Sir anyway I I'm I'm close appreciate a good vote. The other questions seeing none what's will of committee motion by Senator Chesterfield second by Senator Tucker any discussion seeing nine Once once solely on all in favor say aye. All opposed All opposed Like sign. I would. Thank you senator thank you Director tutor the we have got we have going to pass over the autonomous vehicles until next time so Senate transportation's Journ.