WEST virginia legislature

2016 regular session

Originating

House Bill 4732

By Delegates Howell, Arvon, Border, Moffatt, Ihle, Hill, Hamrick, Kurcaba, Statler and Frich

[Originating in the Committee on Government Organization; Reported on February 20, 2016]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §17-2A-24, relating to performance metrics for the West Virginia Division of Highways; requiring the division to develop performance standards and criteria to measure agency performance in all essential operations; requiring the division to employ a management information system that will track the division’s past and current progress toward meeting performance standards; and requiring the division to report to the Joint Committee on Infrastructure.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §17-2A-24, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 2A. West Virginia Commissioner of Highways.

§17-2A-24. Performance metric requirements.

(a) Findings.--

(1) According to an independent audit report submitted to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance on January 10, 2016, the West Virginia Division of Highways does not have a mechanism in place to develop performance standards or to measure the agency’s progress toward reaching acceptable levels of performance.

(2) The same report recommends that the division should develop a statewide performance monitoring platform to capture Headquarters and District management sourced data for internal use and the general public to view.

(3) The Legislature finds that a system for developing and measuring progress toward achieving objectively measured improvements to performance is necessary for efficient and effective management of all Department of Transportation operations.

(b) Definitions.--

(1) The “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Highways or his or her designee.

(2) A “management information system” is a real-time user interface, showing a graphical presentation of the current status of an organization’s key performance indicators and historical performance trends, based on the organization’s performance standards and criteria.

(c) Requirements.--

(1) On or before October 1, 2016, the commissioner must develop performance standards and criteria to measure all essential agency operations. The standards and criteria, must include, but are not limited to the following objectives:

(A) Successful completion of programmed projects on time and within budget from initial project programming to completion of construction;

(B) Responsiveness to public comments from initial comment to the response by the Division of Highways; and

(C) Infrastructure health, meaning a performance metric that identifies the ongoing condition of the state’s pavement, bridges, and associated infrastructure.

(2) On or before January 1, 2017, the commissioner will implement a management information system to track the division’s past and present progress toward performance standards developed pursuant to subdivision (1). The management information system must meet the following criteria:

(A) The management system should be anticipated to be appropriate for meeting federal requirements for performance measurement: Provided, That in no instance shall the development of these standards be delayed because of uncertainty about federal performance management standards;

(B) To the greatest extent possible the standards will rely on existing data sources; and

(C) The findings of the management system will be readily available to the public in an ongoing basis and must, at a minimum, be updated once a year by a report on the department’s performance, detailing the overall metrics and the conditions underlying the metrics being provided to the Legislature.

(d) Reporting Requirements.--

(1) The division must report annually to the Joint Committee on Infrastructure, regarding the division’s compliance with the requirements of this section, at the committee’s first interim meeting occurring after October 1 of each year.

(2) The Joint Committee on Infrastructure may require the division to report to the committee as often as the committee determines is necessary to ensure compliance with this section.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require the Commissioner of Highways to develop performance standards and criteria to measure agency performance in all essential operations; requiring the division to employ a management information system that will track the division’s past and current progress towards meeting performance standards; and requiring the division to report to the Joint Committee on Infrastructure. 

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.