(1) The department shall establish a bus and bus facilities grant program. The purpose of this competitive grant program is to provide grants to any transit authority for the replacement, expansion, rehabilitation, and purchase of transit rolling stock; construction, modification, or rehabilitation of transit facilities; and funding to adapt to technological change or innovation through the retrofitting of transit rolling stock and facilities.

(2)(a) The department must incorporate environmental justice principles into the grant selection process, with the goal of increasing the distribution of funding to communities based on addressing environmental harms and provide environmental benefits for overburdened communities, as defined in RCW 70A.02.010, and vulnerable populations.

(b) The department must incorporate geographic diversity into the grant selection process.

(c) No grantee may receive more than 35 percent of the amount appropriated for the grant program in a particular biennium.

(d) Fuel type may not be a factor in the grant selection process.

(3) The department must establish an advisory committee to carry out the mandates of this section, including assisting with the establishment of grant criteria.

(4) The department must report annually to the transportation committees of the legislature on the status of any grant projects funded by the program created under this section.

(5) For the purposes of this section:

(a) "Transit authority" means a city transit system under RCW 35.58.2721 or chapter 35.95A RCW, a county public transportation authority under chapter 36.57 RCW, a metropolitan municipal corporation transit system under chapter 36.56 RCW, a public transportation benefit area under chapter 36.57A RCW, an unincorporated transportation benefit area under RCW 36.57.100, or any special purpose district formed to operate a public transportation system.

(b) "Transit rolling stock" means transit vehicles including, but not limited to, buses, ferries, and vans.

Intent—Effective date—2022 c 182: See notes following RCW 70A.65.240.