HOUSE BILL NO. 436

INTRODUCED BY D. HARRINGTON

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT ALLOCATING STATE FUNDS APPROPRIATED FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT TO RURAL PUBLIC TRANSIT PROVIDERS; AND AMENDING SECTION 7-14-102, MCA."

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

Section 1. Section 7-14-102, MCA, is amended to read:

"7-14-102. Allocation of state funds for public transportation. (1) (a) The department of transportation shall allocate each year one-half of the funds appropriated for the purposes of this section among the cities and urban transportation districts of the state that operate or contract for the operation of general public transportation systems.

(b) (i) A city or urban transportation district is eligible for an allocation based upon the ratio of its local financial support for public transportation to the total local financial support for all general public transportation systems in the state. Local financial support must be determined by dividing the city's or district's expenditure of local revenue for public transportation operations during the fiscal year by the mill value of the city or urban transportation district. Each applicant city and urban transportation district shall compute its expenditure of local revenue for public transportation operations for a fiscal year immediately following the end of the fiscal year and shall apply allocations received against that deficit.

(ii) A city or urban transportation district may not receive more than 50% of any year's expenditure of local revenue for public transportation operations as an allocation under this section.

(2) One-half of the funds appropriated for the purposes of this section must be allocated to the providers of rural public transit services, as provided in 49 U.S.C. 5311, based on the ratio of each provider's ridership in the previous fiscal year to the ridership of these providers of rural public transit services in the same period.

(3) The department of transportation may adopt rules for the keeping of accounts for and otherwise implementing this section."

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