KEY WASHINGTON COMMITTEES CONSIDER FUNDING THE HIGHWAY TRUST FUND 

 

 

Chairman Paul Ryan of the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on June 17 to explore options to raise revenue for transportation and infrastructure outside of the gas tax. Mileage-based user fees were discussed by Bob Poole of Reason Foundation, who was one of three people asked by Chairman Ryan to testify. To view the hearing in its entirety, please click here. 

 

On June 18, Chairman Orrin Hatch held a similar hearing for the Senate Finance Committee to discuss the challenges to the future of highway funding. To view the hearing in its entirety, please click here. 

 

To read statements on the hearings from MBUFA Chair Jack Basso; Jim Whitty, Manager of Oregon Department of Transportation Office of Innovative Partnerships Programs; and Adrian Moore, Ph.D., VP of Policy at Reason Foundation and MBUFA VP of Education, please follow this link to MBUFA's blog.

 

Articles on the hearings can be found below.

 

Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan Says No to Increasing Federal Gas Tax

by Ashley Halsey III

 

(link to article)

  


Sen. Orrin Hatch on Highway Funding: 'I'd Like to Solve This Problem'

by Eugene Mulero

 

(link to article)

 


 

STATE NEWS
MEMBERSHIP

Recent Renewing Members
  • CDM Smith
  • Nevada Department of Transportation
  • New York City Department of Transportation

Returning Gold Sponsor

  • Reason Foundation

Oregon

On July 1, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will launch the country's first road usage charge program. Up to five thousand Oregon volunteers will begin to test the program, called OReGO, in which drivers will be charged 1.5 cents per mile.

OReGo volunteers have the opportunity to choose between reporting their mileage through two commercial account managers - Azuga or Verizon Telematics - or directly through ODOT through sanef its technologies.


California

This month, the California Road Charge Technical Advisory Committee will hold their sixth monthly meeting in a continuing series of discussions being held throughout the state on the design of a Road Charge Pilot Program.  The state of California is studying the viability of road charge as a possible replacement to the gas tax. The meetings, being held once a month throughout 2015, are set up to provide stakeholders and the general public a forum to give their input on the design of the program.

The California Department of Transportation has launched a website for the program that allows interested parties to provide comments, volunteer to participate in the pilot, and view live-streaming webcasts of the meetings. The website also includes meeting agendas, materials, and archived webcast videos of previously held meetings.  All Road Charge Technical Advisory Committee meetings are open to the general public.

 
Washington

The Washington State Legislature passed a 2015-17 transportation budget that included limited funding for studying Road Usage Charge. Although a demonstration project will not move forward this year as requested, the Transportation Commission will reconvene the Washington State Road Usage Charge Steering Committee and will continue to monitor and evaluate other RUC programs and pilots.

2015-17 Transportation Budget Proviso:
$300,000 of the motor vehicle account-state appropriation is provided solely to continue evaluating a road usage charge as an alternative to the motor vehicle fuel tax to fund investments in transportation. The evaluation must include monitoring and reviewing work that is underway in other states and nationally. The commission may coordinate with the Department of Transportation to jointly pursue any federal or other funds that are or might become available and eligible for road usage charge pilot projects. The commission must reconvene the road usage charge steering committee, with the same membership authorized in chapter 222, Laws of 2014, and report to the governor's office and the transportation committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate by December 15, 2015.

Illinois

With the financial situation growing dire by the day, the Illinois legislature was unable to push through legislation requiring mileage-based user fees to fund transportation. However, the Senate did unanimously pass SR607 requiring the Illinois Department of Transportation conduct a feasibility study on mileage-based user fees. The study is due to the General Assembly by March 1, 2016. 
MEMBER EVENTS

JUNE

June 25: Legislative Briefing Call: Discussion on the Senate's June 24 markup of MAP-21

 

June 30: Conversation with Marc Poulous about the Illinois Study for the General Assembly

 

JULY

MBUF Roundtable Discussion (tentative): The New Zealand Road Charging Model

Embassy of New Zealand

Washington DC

 

SEPTEMBER

September 1: MBUFA Member Breakfast

IBTTA Conference

Doubletree Hilton

Dublin, Ireland

 

 

AECOM
Humphrey School of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
Reason Foundation
Azuga
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sanef its technologies
Caltrans
International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association
Southern California Association of Governments
Cambridge Systematics
International Telematics
3M
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Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust
TransCore
CH2MHILL
Minnesota Department of Transportation
Verdeva, Inc.
Colorado Contractors Association
Nevada Department of Transportation
Verizon Telematics
Computer Aid, Inc.
New York City Department of Transportation
Washington Department of Transportation
Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc.
North Carolina Department of Transportation
Xerox
Delaware Department of Transportation
Oregon Department of Transportation

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