Issue Position: Transportation, Toll Roads, and Taxpayer Abuse

Issue Position

TRANSPORTATION, TOLL ROADS, & TAXPAYER ABUSE
Just as with water, transportation is a critical need that the legislature needs to responsibly address -- and sadly hasn't. The majority of revenue raised from the motor vehicle sales tax should strictly go to road construction and maintenance. Moreover, our state highway fund is currently being spent by non-transportation agencies (e.g., Health and Human Services and the Texas Education Agency); as constitutionally designated, I believe that ALL of the state highway fund should go to the Texas Department of Public Transportation (TxDOT) and the Department of Public Safety. Regarding the public-private partnerships (P3s) that TxDOT and the Texas legislature have supported, I view them with healthy skepticism; when government gets into business with private entities, it is usually at the expense of the taxpayer. Thankfully, conservative state legislatures defeated efforts during the 83rd session to require Texas taxpayers to repay private operators and to offload state highway road maintenance costs to 59 cities. This unfunded mandate from the state would have assaulted the sovereignty of our cities and counties. Of particular relevance to District 55, I will oppose efforts to turn I-35 into a toll road -- an idea which TxDOT has recently brought up for consideration to impose a toll road from Georgetown to Buda.

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