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An Act To Increase Access to Transportation for Workforce and Other Essential Transportation Needs
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 23 MRSA §4209, sub-§2, ¶B, as amended by PL 2009, c. 130, §3, is further amended to read:
 
B. Development and maintenance of a permanent and effective public transportation system, with particular regard to riders who are low-income or elderly or who have disabilities and to meeting workforce needs;
Sec. 2. Requirements. The Department of Transportation shall encourage local volunteer driver networks funded in section 3 to work with regional transportation providers to leverage the providers' experience, mobility management systems, vehicles and other resources; seek financial assistance from municipalities and other sources; charge modest fares; and serve all interested residents. The Department of Transportation shall create a pilot purchase of service program in a selected region of the State funded in section 3 and coordinate the program with related efforts of the Statewide Independent Living Council. The Department of Transportation shall distribute the funding for regional transportation providers in section 3 using the same formula as current state public transportation funding is distributed: 50% distributed to urban areas following the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration formula and 50% distributed to rural areas following the standards governing the Federal Transit Administration formula grants for rural areas under 49 United States Code, Section 5311, which include the number of square miles in the service area, the population of the service area and the percentage of low-income individuals in the service area. Regional transportation providers shall give preference in the allocation of funding to addressing the needs of the workforce in their region.
Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
 
TRANSPORTATION, DEPARTMENT OF
 
Multimodal - Transit 0443
 
Initiative: Provides funding to support and expand local volunteer driver networks.

HIGHWAY FUND	2019-20	2020-21	
All Other	$500,000	$500,000	
			
HIGHWAY FUND TOTAL	$500,000	$500,000	

Multimodal - Transit 0443
 
Initiative: Provides funding to create a pilot purchase of service program in a selected region of the State to provide senior citizens and persons with disabilities vouchers to purchase their own transportation services.

HIGHWAY FUND	2019-20	2020-21	
All Other	$500,000	$500,000	
			
HIGHWAY FUND TOTAL	$500,000	$500,000	

Multimodal - Transit 0443
 
Initiative: Provides funding for regional transportation providers throughout the State, split evenly between rural and urban areas, to expand their services. Funding must be used to address regional workforce needs and other unmet transportation needs.

HIGHWAY FUND	2019-20	2020-21	
All Other	$9,000,000	$9,000,000	
			
HIGHWAY FUND TOTAL	$9,000,000	$9,000,000	

TRANSPORTATION, DEPARTMENT OF			
DEPARTMENT TOTALS	2019-20	2020-21	
			
HIGHWAY FUND	$10,000,000	$10,000,000	
			
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS	$10,000,000	$10,000,000	

SUMMARY
This bill requires the quinquennial locally coordinated plan for regional transit submitted by each regional public transportation agency to focus on meeting workforce needs.
This bill also provides funding to the Department of Transportation to support and expand local volunteer driver networks; to create a pilot purchase of service program in a selected region of the State to provide senior citizens and persons with disabilities vouchers to purchase their own transportation services; and for regional transportation providers throughout the State, split evenly between rural and urban areas, to expand their services, including addressing regional workforce needs.