Texas Legislature Takes Measures to Fund Transportation Infrastructure
During the recently completed 84th legislative session, I was excited to help pass two transportation bills that will increase funding for road construction and transportation projects without increasing taxes, and also streamline the process of approving projects to eliminate waste and inefficiency. As a member of the House Transportation Committee, I helped guide these bills through the committee process and to the floor of the House where they received near unanimous support.
Because Texas continues to grow by leaps and bounds, it is critical that we ensure our transportation infrastructure keeps up with this sustained growth. While we want to ensure adequate transportation funding is available to meet these needs, we also want to create new policies and procedures within the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) to guarantee that Texans’ hard-earned tax dollars are spent as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Additional Transportation Funding
Senate Joint Resolution 5, which originated in the Senate and passed through the House Transportation Committee before passing the full House of Representatives, will add $2.5 billion a year in sales tax or use tax revenue to the State Highway Fund. Beginning in 2019, it will also direct additional funds into the State Highway Fund from the motor vehicle tax. Monies in the State Highway Fund can now only be used to construct, maintain or acquire rights-of-way for public roadways or to repay the general obligation bonds issued to construct public roads. Before being enacted into law, SJR 5 must first be approved by voters this November as a proposed constitutional amendment. This will be Proposition 7 on the November ballot.
Comprehensive Metrics and Measurement Protocol System
The second piece of legislation, House Bill 20, will compel the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to develop a planning and programming process which will update agency procedures and ensure it reaches the goals set by the legislature. As part of this process, local entities will submit guidelines for prioritizing projects in their area, and TxDOT, along with the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC), will approve a prioritization list and scoring system of projects where financial assistance is sought from the state.
House Bill 20 also establishes a committee to review, study, and evaluate department revenue, funding, rules, and policies for performance-based scoring and decision-making. In addition it creates a state infrastructure advisory committee consisting of six members of the Texas Legislature. The committee will be responsible for producing a report to the TTC regarding transportation funding, project selection, and financing matters.
It has been a privilege to serve on the House Transportation Committee this session, and I hope to continue serving on it in the future. Having a seat at the table on this important committee is critical for our 12 counties and the 15,000 square miles that make up our rural part of Texas. |
