Now you’re not going to find a lot of
argument about the need to fund our schools, but you will certainly pick a fight when you start talking about exactly how much to fund them! However you feel about the exact dol-
lar amount, we witnessed a move to rebal- ance where those dollars come from to result in a positive impact on the Highway Trust Fund. It was a tough task any way you look at it, considering the leadership was talking about delivering $4 billion in tax relief this session. It’s going to amount to taking dollars from existing programs and moving them to highways. 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. One of the main reasons why the
stage was for this to happen is that you, the voters in Texas, sent a strong message this past fall. The person who received the most votes on the November ballot was not even a person at all. Proposition 1 passed by an overwhelming majority, more so even than the most recent water proposition of 2013. Not only was the message sent, but I can tell you from the conversations we have been having around these parts since November, your local elected officials were paying attention as well. We are now to the point that Texas is
$5 billion short annually to meet it’s current transportation needs. We didn’t quite get that much this session but we got closer than many would have guessed. We
will need to spend over $300 billion over the next 20 years just to keep up with the current maintenance and congestion levels. To put that into perspective, if you raised the state fuel tax just one cent per gallon, you would raise roughly $100 million annually. So as you can see, even if you could raise fuel taxes anytime soon, it wouldn’t be the silver bullet we need to get us out of this mess. However passing Proposition 1 did
two big things. It raised public awareness and it authorized the legislature to take $1.7 billion dollars from the state’s rainy day fund to start the ball rolling this ses- sion. So a big, well deserved pat on the back for taking the initiative, while we need all the help we can get, we still have a lot of work to get done in the interim now. I know what your thinking…what else is new, right? R
TXTA CALENDAR 2015 Calendar of Events
OCTOBER 2015
Oct 13-14 Advanced Safety Supervision of Motor Fleets Course: AUSTIN Weller Conference Center 700 E. 11th Street, Austin
Oct 20 Houston Movers Association Meeting Spaghetti Western #2 1951 West TC Jester, Houston
Oct 28-30 Fleet Maintenance Council Fall Seminar: KERRVILLE Inn of the Hills 1001 Junction Hwy, Kerrville
NOVEMBER 2015
Nov 3 TXTA Laredo Chapter Kickoff The Ranch in Los Botines – 5:30pm 338 Well Lane, Laredo
Nov 10 Dallas/Ft. Worth Council of Safety Professionals (Monthly) Spring Creek Bar-B-Q – 11:30am Hwy. 183 & Beltline Rd., Irving
Nov 11 Dallas/Ft. Worth Fleet Maintenance Council (Odd #’d Months: 2nd Wednesday) Spring Creek Bar-B-Q – 11:30am Hwy. 183 & Beltline Rd., Irving
Nov 11-12 TXTA Board Meeting: AUSTIN Sheraton Hotel at the Capitol 701 E 11th St, Austin
Nov 12 Gulf Coast Fleet Maintenance Council (Monthly) Houston Community College Truck Driving School, Houston – 6:00pm 555 Community College Dr, Houston
Nov 13 Houston Council of Safety Professionals (Monthly) Brady’s Landing (on the ship channel) – 11:30am 8505 Cypress Street, Houston
Nov 18-19 Advanced Maintenance Supervision of Motor Fleets: AUSTIN Weller Conference Center 700 East 11th Street, Austin
Nov 18 TXTA Houston Chapter Meeting (Monthly) Brady’s Landing (on the ship channel) – 11:30am 8505 Cypress Street, Houston
Nov 24 San Antonio Council of Safety Professionals (Monthly) Northern Hills Golf Club – 11:30am 13202 Scarsdale, San Antonio
Nov 25 NO TXTA Top of Texas Chapter Meeting: AMARILLO
Nov 25-27 TXTA offices closed: Thanksgiving holiday
DECEMBER 2015
Dec 2 How to Prepare for an FMCSA Audit: CSA Overview / Drug & Alcohol - AUSTIN Weller Conference Center – 9:00am 700 East 11th Street, Austin
Dec 8 Dallas/Ft. Worth Council of Safety Professionals (Monthly) Spring Creek Bar-B-Q – 11:30am Hwy. 183 & Beltline Rd., Irving
Dec 9 TXTA San Antonio Chapter Meeting (Quarterly: Mar/ Jun/Sep/Dec) Old San Francisco Steakhouse – 11:30am 10223 Sahara Drive, San Antonio
Dec 10 Gulf Coast Fleet Maintenance Council (Monthly) Houston Community College Truck Driving School, Houston – 6:00pm 555 Community College Dr, Houston
Dec 11 Houston Council of Safety Professionals (Monthly) Brady’s Landing (on the ship channel) – 11:30am 8505 Cypress Street, Houston
Dec 16 TXTA Houston Chapter Meeting Brady’s Landing (on the ship channel) – 11:30am 8505 Cypress Street, Houston
Summer 2015 53
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