CAPITOLGains
PUTTING TRUST BACK IN OUR HIGHWAYS
BY JOHN D. ESPARZA Managing Editor
Things rolled right along with the leg-
islative session ending with all things trucking and transportation on the agenda. Undoubtedly, you saw a whole host of
different topics on your evening news about what went on under the dome in Austin, or even what didn’t may be a better way to describe. Although mostly sensa- tionalized for effect, there were serious issues at hand and so much that needed to be accomplished. While your local repre- sentatives and newscasts were busy grading the session now, I’d have to say it was a pretty anticlimactic ending. Or at least more so than what I have seen in the past. However, pleasing to me and leading the way was transportation funding—and good for all of us. It started out pretty predictable. The
first day of session in Austin was marked with the usual formalities, swearing in all members of the House and Senate, followed a few days later by the inauguration of a brand new governor and lieutenant gover- nor. In between all of that, the House select- ed its speaker. No surprises there as our friend Joe Straus from San Antonio was chosen to lead that robust body of 150 mem- bers. Speaker Straus now represents the leadership up top with the most experience. But Governors Abbott and Patrick didn’t get stuck behind any learning curve, no sir. These two are seasoned in the art of policy and politics, and as we got to see that first hand—they have assembled great teams
52 Summer 2015 YOU WILL CONTINUE TO HEAR FOLKS SAY IT’S JUST
MOVING POTS OF MONEY AROUND, BUT REMOVING THE DIVERSIONS BETWEEN THE FUEL TAXES YOU PAY AND
THE ACTUAL HIGHWAYS THEY ARE INTENDED TO BE USED FOR IS A GREAT STEP TO MAKING THE HIGHWAY TRUST FUND SOLVENT ONCE AGAIN. AND YES, IF YOU ARE
THINKING OF THE IRONY OF CALLING IT A “TRUST” FUND AFTER WHAT I JUST EXPLAINED HAS HAPPENED OVER
SEVERAL DECADES – IT’S OK TO ROLL YOUR EYES. BUT IT IS ON THE AGENDA TO MAKE RIGHT.
and are already proficient at governing in their new spots. That bodes well for all of us. The spotlight for our trucking breth-
ren was bright this session but primarily on how we fund our roads—or more specifi- cally, where we have been falling short as of late. As you all know, our transportation investments have not kept up with demands for several decades now. The Texas miracle is in full effect still, we are steadily adding more than 1,200 people every day—and that’s a lot of moving! Considering the gas tax has not
changed in the same amount of time, well you can see why we are in the pickle we are in. When the state legislature met a smat- tering of sessions ago, there was plenty of money going around to fund highways.
Later called the Highway Trust Fund, this became the official moniker for the cookie jar of money where your fuel tax dollars now go so that they can fund our highways. The problem is, between those
prosperous times and today, there have been a lot of hands in pot—a lot of hands. The fund was so full, that legislative sessions since that time began to take funds from it to pay for other items not related to road building at all—education being one of them. Today, roughly 25 percent of the state
highway fund goes solely to education, and even a few more percentage points here and there on other items, some of which have been removed over the last few sessions with a few more to go.
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