SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 67

(By Senator Clements)

[Originating in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; reported on April 6, 2021]

Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance and the Legislative Oversight Commission on Department of Transportation Accountability study criteria for honorary infrastructure naming resolutions.

Whereas, The West Virginia Division of Highways reports that the West Virginia Legislature has adopted between 40 and 95 honorary naming resolutions each regular legislative session during the last ten years, totaling approximately 700 resolutions; and

Whereas, The Division of Highways further reports that each naming resolution costs $700 on average for sign fabrication and installation, a cost that neither includes the time spent by division employees when assisting with the process of gathering data for such resolutions, nor the time spent by legislative staff tasked with drafting, reviewing, researching, proofing, and processing such naming resolutions; and

Whereas, The West Virginia Legislature, especially the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its staff, spends numerous hours per legislative session working on these resolutions, sometimes at the expense of bills; and

Whereas, The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) places restrictions on the placement and design of signs and sign content, and violation of the MUTCD could result in the loss of federal funding to the State of West Virginia; and

Whereas, Naming resolutions frequently put the West Virginia Division of Highways in the unenviable position of violating legal directives, such as the Governor’s Executive Order No. 2-12, when fulfilling the resolution’s request for a particular name honoring a military veteran; and

Whereas, The Legislature commonly adopts road naming resolutions that direct naming signs be placed on roads already named by counties, roads for which West Virginia Code §7-1-3 provides county commissions, in cooperation with local postal authorities, the Division of Highways, and the directors of county emergency communications centers, jurisdiction to name or rename; and

Whereas, Placing contradictory naming signs on the same road may create confusion and delay emergency response times; and

Whereas, West Virginia, like other nearby states with similar infrastructure naming programs, should develop a process, requirements, and criteria that must be met before honorees are considered for an infrastructure naming; and

Whereas, It is in the state’s best interest that the time, money, and resources of the Division of Highways and the Legislature be used responsibly in a way that best benefits the state; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance and the Legislative Oversight Commission on Department of Transportation Accountability are hereby requested to study criteria for honorary infrastructure naming resolutions; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance report to the Legislature, on the first day of the regular session of the Legislature, 2022, on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations, together with drafts of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study, to prepare a report, and to draft necessary legislation, be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.