(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that:

(1) Investment in infrastructure is crucial to the well-being of West Virginians and West Virginia businesses;

(2) The state must spend funds wisely on infrastructure in order to get the best return on investment and must make long-term plans for investment;

(3) The federal government is an unpredictable and unreliable partner in providing consistent funding for infrastructure investment;

(4) The Legislature directed a Division of Highways performance and efficiency audit in 2015; and

(5) In order to maintain proper oversight to ensure that sufficient transportation planning is made, funds are spent wisely and efficiently, and the Department of Transportation is functioning appropriately, the Legislative Oversight Commission on Department of Transportation Accountability is hereby created.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that all actions taken pursuant to the provisions of this article by the Legislature and the Department of Transportation serve the following core set of principles:

(1) That all Department of Transportation infrastructure investments be coordinated to maximize efficiencies and minimize cost thereby addressing the needs of the citizens more effectively;

(2) That communication be facilitated among the various agencies within the Department of Transportation and between the department and the Legislature;

(3) That policy changes, not made by legislative rule, be discussed with the commission for purposes of coordinating those policies with stated goals;

(4) That programs or policies implemented in accordance with federal mandates be communicated to the commission;

(5) That in developing and implementing programs with private or federal grant moneys, the various agencies communicate their efforts to the commission to ensure and facilitate future state funding; and

(6) That any Department of Transportation agencies exempted from rule-making review by federal or state statutes advise the commission of program changes which may affect infrastructure investment in West Virginia.