Senate Committee of Reference Report
Committee on Transportation & Energy
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All text that will be removed from the bill will be indicated by strikethrough as follows:
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This is text that is removed from law. -
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April 8, 2026
After consideration on the merits, the Committee recommends the following:
SB26-150 be amended as follows, and as so amended, be referred to the Committee of the Whole with favorable recommendation:
Page 1, Line 1Amend printed bill, page 7, lines 6 and 7, strike "(3)(c) and (3)(d)" and
Page 1, Line 2substitute "(3)(c), (3)(d), and (3)(e)".
Page 1, Line 3Page 7, strike lines 12 through 27 and substitute:
Page 1, Line 4"(c) On or before December 31, 2026, the district shall
Page 1, Line 5contract with an independent third-party entity to conduct a
Page 1, Line 6comprehensive paratransit service study and shall submit the
Page 1, Line 7study to the house of representatives transportation, housing,
Page 1, Line 8and local government committee and the senate transportation
Page 1, Line 9and energy committee. Within ninety days of completing the
Page 1, Line 10study, the district shall present the study to a joint meeting of
Page 1, Line 11the house of representatives transportation, housing, and local
Page 1, Line 12government committee and the senate transportation and
Page 1, Line 13energy committee. The district shall require that the
Page 1, Line 14independent third-party entity provide quarterly updates on
Page 1, Line 15the progress of the study to the board. The study must include:
Page 1, Line 16(I) A needs assessment of the population, needs, and
Page 1, Line 17service gaps for riders in the district with disabilities that
Page 1, Line 18includes an analysis of rider-level and trip-level data,
Page 1, Line 19including the distribution of trip frequency, identification of
Page 1, Line 20high-utilization riders, changes in ridership patterns following
Page 1, Line 21the January 1, 2026, fare and subsidy changes, impacts of those
Page 1, Line 22changes on frequent and high-need riders, and reduction of
Page 1, Line 23access to service due to loss service or economic hardship from
Page 1, Line 24fare changes;
Page 1, Line 25(II) A cost-benefit assessment with long-term projections
Page 1, Line 26between cost reductions and service availability or access of
Page 2, Line 1paratransit service delivery models for access-a-ride and
Page 2, Line 2access-on-demand, including integrated, hybrid, stand-alone,
Page 2, Line 3and alternative service scenarios, and including analysis of
Page 2, Line 4changes to fare levels, subsidies, and service limits. The
Page 2, Line 5assessment must include peer agency comparisons and use
Page 2, Line 6standardized cost definitions and methodology, analysis of cost
Page 2, Line 7per trip and per rider, and identification of key cost drivers,
Page 2, Line 8such as distinctions between fixed and variable costs;
Page 2, Line 9(III) A definition of measurable performance metrics
Page 2, Line 10related to access, reliability, equity, and cost-effectiveness;".
Page 2, Line 11Page 8, strike lines 1 through 6.
Page 2, Line 12Page 8, before line 7 insert:
Page 2, Line 13"(IV) An assessment of opportunities to collaborate with
Page 2, Line 14local and regional partners to address service gaps;
Page 2, Line 15(V) Engagement with paratransit users, riders with
Page 2, Line 16disabilities, service providers, and other key stakeholders and
Page 2, Line 17documentation of how stakeholder input informed findings;
Page 2, Line 18(VI) An assessment of system performance, including
Page 2, Line 19reliability metrics, trip denials, wait times, on-time performance,
Page 2, Line 20and rider experience across service modes, identification of any
Page 2, Line 21capacity constraints or service limitations, and an assessment
Page 2, Line 22of innovative, technology-enabled service models; and
Page 2, Line 23(VII) An assessment of barriers for paratransit riders
Page 2, Line 24and riders with disabilities to access a low-income fare discount.
Page 2, Line 25(d) On or before December 31, 2027, the district shall
Page 2, Line 26complete, adopt, and begin implementing an accessible
Page 2, Line 27transportation service plan informed by the comprehensive
Page 2, Line 28paratransit service study. The district shall present the plan to
Page 2, Line 29a joint meeting of the house of representatives transportation,
Page 2, Line 30housing, and local government committee and the senate
Page 2, Line 31transportation and energy committee within ninety days of
Page 2, Line 32completing the plan. The plan must include:
Page 2, Line 33(I) A holistic vision for providing appropriate and
Page 2, Line 34accessible transportation service to riders with disabilities in
Page 2, Line 35the district;
Page 2, Line 36(II) The establishment of an overarching framework to
Page 2, Line 37guide future paratransit decision-making, including measurable
Page 2, Line 38metrics of performance in access, reliability, equity, and
Page 2, Line 39cost-effectiveness;
Page 2, Line 40(III) A framework for fiscal sustainability informed by
Page 2, Line 41considerations of long-term cost projections, tradeoffs between
Page 3, Line 1services, and peer agency comparisons;
Page 3, Line 2(IV) A framework for the use of any innovative and
Page 3, Line 3technology-enabled service models; and
Page 3, Line 4(V) An implementation framework with timelines, priority
Page 3, Line 5actions, reporting on implementation progress.".
Page 3, Line 6Page 8, line 7, strike "(d)" and substitute "(e)".
Page 3, Line 7Page 8, line 16, after "(1)(e)," add "(1)(f),".
Page 3, Line 8Page 10, after line 12 insert:
Page 3, Line 9"(f) On or before the first day of each year that the
Page 3, Line 10independent legislative redistricting commission meets to
Page 3, Line 11apportion the composition of the board in accordance with
Page 3, Line 12subsection (1)(e) of this section, the district shall provide data
Page 3, Line 13regarding the geographic distribution of ridership and any
Page 3, Line 14other district ridership information needed to create director
Page 3, Line 15districts to the independent legislative redistricting
Page 3, Line 16commission.".
Page 3, Line 17Page 10, line 26, strike "limit." and substitute "limit, but a member
Page 3, Line 18shall not serve more than eight total years on the board. A
Page 3, Line 19term that a member served on the board prior to January 1, 2029,
Page 3, Line 20counts toward that member's two-term limit.".
Page 3, Line 21Page 15, line 18, after "shall" insert "represent diverse geographic
Page 3, Line 22areas of the district, including suburban counties, and shall".
Page 3, Line 23Page 16, line 2, strike "such as communities affected by" and
Page 3, Line 24substitute "as that term is defined in section 24-4-109 (2)(b)(II).".
Page 3, Line 25Page 16, strike lines 3 and 4.
Page 3, Line 26Page 16, line 8, strike "members." and substitute "members, and shall
Page 3, Line 27ensure that the appointed members represent diverse geographic
Page 3, Line 28areas of the district, including suburban counties.".