1-1 By: Van de Putte (Senate Sponsor - Madla) H.C.R. No. 79 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 14, 1997; 1-3 April 16, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Health 1-4 and Human Services; May 7, 1997, reported favorably by the 1-5 following vote: Yeas 11, Nays 0; May 7, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, Transportation for clients of government services in 1-8 Texas is currently provided through 43 separate programs in 19 1-9 state and federal agencies, causing significant duplication of 1-10 effort as well as complicating individual access to services; and 1-11 WHEREAS, Demand for community public transit is outpacing the 1-12 annual allocation of over $1.6 billion in state, federal, and local 1-13 funds; presently, an estimated 31 percent of Texans are considered 1-14 transportation disadvantaged, primarily the disabled and the 1-15 growing populations of the elderly and the poor; and 1-16 WHEREAS, The increasing number of those in need paired with a 1-17 trend of decreasing federal, state, and local funding could leave 1-18 millions of Texans stranded at home or facing major barriers in 1-19 accessing the public transportation system to buy groceries, to go 1-20 to a doctor's appointment, or to travel to state and federal 1-21 service agencies for assistance; and 1-22 WHEREAS, Community transportation brokerages, established to 1-23 administer all regional transportation services through one local 1-24 broker, provide more efficient and effective service to many 1-25 communities across the United States at a lower cost than 1-26 traditional methods; the federal government decision in 1986 to 1-27 encourage states to develop integrated transportation delivery 1-28 networks further speaks to their demonstrated benefits; and 1-29 WHEREAS, The office of client transportation services of the 1-30 Health and Human Services Commission, in consultation with the 1-31 Agency Transportation Coordinating Council, concluded, after a 1-32 series of statewide focus group meetings, that community 1-33 transportation brokerages could effectively meet the needs of 1-34 Texans; and 1-35 WHEREAS, Brokerages have the potential to meet the public 1-36 transit requirements of both urban and rural populations as well as 1-37 the agencies serving Texas by maximizing available resources, 1-38 simplifying administration and client tracking, consolidating 1-39 efforts to identify transportation shortfalls, establishing common 1-40 rate components for transit services, and assisting in targeting 1-41 and addressing barriers to use by specific client groups; now, 1-42 therefore, be it 1-43 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-44 hereby officially express its support of the ongoing Community 1-45 Transportation Coordination Pilot Programs and encourage the Texas 1-46 Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas Department of 1-47 Transportation, and the Agency Transportation Coordinating Council 1-48 to further their efforts to maximize and coordinate available 1-49 transportation funding and services through the existing network of 1-50 general public transportation providers in the state and by 1-51 developing a method for providing client transportation services in 1-52 those areas of the state not currently served by public 1-53 transportation; and, be it further 1-54 RESOLVED, That the results of the pilot programs and other 1-55 coordination-related activities facilitated by the Health and Human 1-56 Services Commission, the Texas Department of Transportation, the 1-57 Agency Transportation Coordinating Council, and participating 1-58 public transit systems be reported to the 76th Texas Legislature 1-59 when it convenes in January 1999; and, be it further 1-60 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official 1-61 copy of this resolution to the commissioner of health and human 1-62 services, the Texas Transportation Commission, and the members of 1-63 the Agency Transportation Coordinating Council.