The 2018 Legislative Session began with the potential of new federal money, discussions regarding allocations of transportation funds included in SB17-267 and continued dialogue surrounding a draft project list and a potential statewide ballot measure. Last month, we shared our efforts with the US 36 Mayors & Commissioners Coalition to advocate for multi-modal investments in the northwest metro region. The regional and statewide transportation conversation is evolving and maturing every day! At Commuting Solutions, we closely watch every transportation related piece of legislation and wanted to provide an update on a handful of initiatives that we’ve been tracking:
Senate Bill 001 (SB18-001) Transportation Infrastructure Funding
SB18-001 would ask the voters to authorize the issuance of $3.5 billion in transportation revenue anticipation notes (TRANs), and repeal Senate Bill17-267 which has begun to raise up to $1.88 billion for state transportation projects. It would repay the bonds by allocating 10% of state sales and use tax net revenue for that purpose.
Currently, the bill has passed the Senate Transportation Committee and has since been referred too the Senate Finance Committee for review.
House Bill 1119 (HB18-1119) Highway Building and Maintenance Funding
HB18- 1119 requires the transportation commission to submit a ballot question to the voters November 2018 which, if approved, will require the CDOT Executive Director to issue transportation revenue anticipation notes (TRANs) in a maximum principal amount of $3.5 billion; repeals SB-267.
Currently the bill has been introduced and is assigned to the Transportation & Energy Committee. The bill is awaiting it’s first committee hearing.
Potential Statewide Ballot Measure
In addition to following legislation, we are also closely participating in the conversation for a potential statewide ballot measure. Currently, CDOT has prepared a draft statewide project list for which we are actively engaged to request equitable inclusion of projects benefiting the northwest metro region. We anticipate three ballot titles will be submitted on February 20th to allow flexibility while additional polling is conducted.
Federal Infrastructure Plan
As part of President Trump’s State of the Union address, infrastructure was included as a high priority for the White House in his second year. An initial review of the official proposal released earlier this week notices a shift to the funding principles that encourage state, local and private investment by providing incentives for limited federal grants. The proposal would also streamline the environmental review and federal oversight. While Commuting Solutions is still learning more about the plan, we are committed to exploring how the plan will impact the northwest metro region.
Next Steps
As always, Commuting Solutions is actively engaged in advocating for the multi-modal needs of the northwest metro region. If you are interested in engaging in the transportation momentum or additional policy updates, please register for our March 13 Membership Meeting at the 1st BANK Center!
