This bill amends RCW 47.80.030 to require regional transportation planning organizations (RTPOs), working with the Washington State Department of Transportation, public and high capacity transit providers, ports, and local governments, to develop, adopt, and periodically update a regional transportation plan. Required plan elements include use of a least cost planning methodology; identification of existing or planned transportation facilities, services, and noncapital programs (including major roadways, transit, nonmotorized facilities, multimodal/intermodal facilities, marine ports, airports, and railroads); emphasis on facilities, services, and programs that meet specified regional criteria; jointly developed level of service standards for state highways and state ferry routes (excluding facilities of statewide significance as defined in RCW 47.06.140); a financial plan showing expected public and private resources and recommending innovative financing; assessment of regional development patterns and capital needs; a proposed regional transportation approach including capital investments, service improvements, and transportation demand management (with special concurrency and measurement requirements for regional growth centers under RCW 36.70A.070); coordination between high capacity and other transit providers where appropriate; and, for RTPOs that contain a county meeting the criteria in RCW 36.70A.095, provisions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled (applied to the RTPO with the larger population when a county is in two RTPOs). The bill also requires RTPOs to review their regional transportation plan biennially and forward the adopted plan and biennial review documentation to the state department of transportation, and it makes all regional projects, programs, and transportation demand management measures that affect regional facilities or services subject to consistency with the regional plan and adopted regional growth and transportation strategies. This is a procedural change to existing law establishing planning, coordination, and standard-setting requirements; it does not create a new crime or change criminal penalties. The text does not provide statutory definitions for terms used (for example, RTPO, least cost planning methodology, and regional growth centers), does not include the contents of the referenced RCWs (47.06.140, 36.70A.070, 36.70A.095), does not specify methods or metrics for measuring greenhouse gas or vehicle miles traveled reductions, and does not specify how to determine which RTPO has the larger population when a county is in two RTPOs. The bill was read for the first time on 01/30/26.

If enacted, regional transportation planning organizations (RTPOs) will face clearer and expanded planning duties: they must work with the state Department of Transportation, transit and high capacity providers, ports, and local governments to create and routinely update more detailed regional transportation plans that use a least cost approach, set jointly developed level of service standards for state highways and ferries, include financial plans and assessments of development patterns, and address coordination among transit providers. That will increase workload and coordination needs for RTPO staff and their member jurisdictions, require more technical analysis or consultant help, and make future local projects and programs subject to consistency with these regional plans, which could change which projects move forward and how they are financed. The bill also adds targeted performance expectations for RTPOs that include certain counties to pursue reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled, and requires biennial plan reviews to be sent to the department. These requirements likely raise costs and planning complexity for affected RTPOs, local governments, transit agencies, ports, and the department, while creating uncertainty about compliance because the law does not define the least cost methodology, the exact GHG/VMT metrics, or how to determine the larger-population RTPO when a county lies in two regions.