Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes specific counties to impose additional taxes and fees to fund transportation projects, if approved by a majority of voters in the county.

Highlights:

-Specifies that the provisions of this Act apply to the following (Sec. 1):

-Counties located in a region that is served by a Metropolitan Planning Organization that serves two adjacent counties that have a population of 1 million or more ("North Texas Region"); -Counties for which an Advanced Transportation District has been established, for which no bordering county has a population of more than 200,000, and in which the principal municipality has a population of more than 1.1 million ("Alamo Region"); -Counties for which a regional mobility authority has been established, and in which the principal municipality has a population of more than 650,000 and elects all members of its governing body at large ("Capital Region"); -Municipalities that have a population of more than 550,000, have established a Regional Mobility Authority, and is located in a county that is adjacent to an international border ("West Texas Border Region"); -Counties that have a population of more than 325,000, and are located adjacent to an international border and a county that has a population of more than 550,000 ("South Texas Region"); and -Counties that have a population of more than 300,000, and in which the principal municipality has a population of more than 250,000 and is located wholly or partly on a barrier island that borders the Gulf of Mexico ("Coastal Bend Region").

-Authorizes counties to include on a ballot proposition any combination of the following methods of funding (Sec. 1):

-Tax on the retail sale of gasoline at a rate of 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 percent per gallon; -Mobility improvement fee on individuals registering a motor vehicle, provided that the fee is not less than $1 or more than $60; -Parking management fee at a rate of $2 per day, per vehicle at paid parking facilities owned by the county or municipality that are available to the general public, excluding the following:
-Metered parking; -Parking at an international airport located partially in 2 separate counties, each with a population greater than 1 million; and -Parking at a municipally-owned airport located in a municipality with a population of less than 1.5 million in a county with a population greater than 2 million;
-Annual motor vehicle emissions fee, provided that the fee is not less than $1 or more than $15; -Fee on the renewal of a driver's license issued by the county, provided that the fee is not less than $1 or more than the license renewal fee charged statewide, currently imposed at $24 with some exceptions (§521.421); and -Resident roadway impact fee on individuals registering a motor vehicle previously registered in another state, provided that the fee is not less than $1 or more than $250.

-Prohibits any method of funding from raising funds in excess of the amount required to fund the proposed transportation projects (Sec. 1). -Requires any method of funding to expire when the transportation projects are accepted by the governmental entity that contracted for the projects, or when the bonds are paid off, whichever is later, unless continued funding is necessary for the maintenance and operation of a project (Sec. 1). -Requires counties to provide an exemption, waiver, or partial reduction for each method of funding, not including the gasoline tax or parking management fee, to individuals of low or moderate income who demonstrate "significant financial hardship" (Sec. 1). -Requires counties to provide voters with the following information (Sec. 1):

-Each proposed method of funding; -List of proposed transportation projects, including a general description of the nature and scope of the project; -For each method of funding, the proposed rate or amount to be used to fund capital construction of mobility improvement projects and, if applicable, a separate corresponding proposed rate or amount for maintenance and operation of the projects; and -Estimated cost and completion date for the capital construction of each project.

-This is a substitute bill sponsored by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security.

Full Bill Text