A coalition of 64 Californian business, labor and government groups signed a letter asking state lawmakers to return to Sacramento and resume discussions on a solution to California’s transportation funding shortfall. While the general legislative session has adjourned for the year, a special session is still possible until Nov. 30. Read More>>
New Jersey lawmakers may be considering a decrease in the state sales tax as part of a transportation funding deal. Work on “non-critical” transportation projects has been halted since July 8. (To find out how New Jersey reached its transportation funding crisis and follow the latest news, visit TIAC’s New Jersey page.) Read More>>
Tennessee lawmakers repealed a newly enacted state law that raised the allowable limit of blood-alcohol content (BAC) for 18- to 20-year-olds to 0.08 after being informed by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that this measure, which conflicted with federal law that puts the maximum blood-alcohol content permissible in that age range at 0.02, would jeopardize approximately $60 million in federal funding. Read More>>
The Texas Department of Transportation calculated in a Sept. 1 report that it would cost $36.7 billion* to pay off debt from building toll roads. The report was issued due to 2015 legislation that requested the total cost of removing tolls throughout the state. Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) acknowledged that the public was growing dissatisfied with paying both tolls and the state gas tax, but noted that the state budget has decreased transportation funding from 33 percent in 1960 to 11 percent today. Read More>>
*Correction: An earlier version of this story cited the amount Texas needs to pay off debt from tolls roads at $36.7 million. The correct amount is $36.7 billion. The post was updated and the link corrected.