Determine Authorizing Strategy for Road Usage Charge (10)
Description:
An authorizing strategy determines how to make RUC succeed in the authorizing environment in a given state. Specifically, RUC requires legislators to consider and pass enabling legislation. The authorizing strategy may include the following:
- Forming a task force (see Creation and Convening of Task Force building block)
- Conducting a RUC pilot (see Pilot Design and Development building block)
- Collecting and incorporating public feedback (see Public Opinion Research building block)
- Educating the public and stakeholders about RUC and addressing public concerns (see Develop and Execute Communication Plan and Collateral building block)
- Crafting an acceptable RUC bill and developing sufficient support for the policy (see Support Policy and Legislation Development building block)
Details:
Typically, legislators or a transportation agency leads or informs the strategy needed to pass RUC-enabling legislation. This process is often performed in collaboration with the agency that will be administrating RUC. The authorizing strategy will likely cover several years and may involve task force meetings, research, and pilots before any legislation is passed. The strategy can be revisited regularly to make sure interested stakeholders are included.
Primary Use:
Work toward passing RUC-enabling legislation.
Best Practices/Lessons Learned:
- An authorizing strategy is most successful when it has the endorsement of one or more legislative and agency champions.
- Forming a task force for RUC is one of the most effective methods for collecting feedback on RUC and informing the strategy. The Creation and Convening of Task Force building block provides further discussion.
- RUC does not necessarily align with traditional partisan divides. The authorizing strategy should seek to keep the topic nonpartisan as RUC provides sustainable funding for transportation, which helps everyone.
- The authorizing strategy should consider urban and rural issues, as discussed in the Distributional Impacts Analysis building block.
- The authorizing strategy should also consider privacy issues, as discussed in the Privacy Protection building block.
- Heavy-duty vehicle RUC issues are distinct from passenger vehicle RUC issues and, therefore, should be evaluated separately, with focused outreach to relevant stakeholders.
State Government Context and Assumptions:
As with any legislation, champions in the legislature are critical to success. These champions can include legislative staff and other nonelected champions to help keep the process going, even when progress stalls.