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New Threat to State Transportation Funds- Social Policies vs. Supreme Court Rulings

What state triggered a potential witholding of federal transportation funding? North Carolina

What law sparked this?   a new law that created a mandatory statewide anti-discrimination policy but which impacts gay and transgender rights

What is the rational for the withholding of the funds by the federal government? Whether North Carolina’s law violates the the Constitution and recent Supreme Court rulings; making the state ineligible for federal funding.

NYTimes | North Carolina…

$38 Billion Cost to Eliminate Tollroads. 4 Pieces Informed Intel.

TXDOT informed legislators on Wednesday that the cost to eliminate tollraods in Texas is $30 billion.

The reasons behind the $38 Billion price tag:

  • $21 Billion in debt held on state and local tollroads + interest and fees
  • $10 billion in debt with partnerships with private firms + interest and fees
  • This feeds the arguments of those opposed to government debt & who say local debt is too high
  • TXDOT has $13.4 Billion in non-toll related debt

Houston Chronicle | Eliminating tolls would…

UPDATE. Texas High Speed Rail Up for Big Award. WINNER.

Texas High Speed Rail won the Urban Land Institute’s Next Big Idea Award.

How did High Speed Rail win the award?

  • Supportive North Texas businesses
  • Suppotive North Texas local governments

Dallas Morning News | Biz Beat | Old Parkland campus one of North Texas’ Urban Land Institute award winners

Dallas Business Journal | How High Speed Rail Won UILs Next Big Idea Award

Texas High Speed Rail is 1 of 3 nominees for the Next Big Idea Award awarded by the Urban Land Institute of North…

Business Trend. Drones. Transportation Aerial Mapping. Inspections. Property Rights. Data Collection & Security.

Which texas companies were certified under the new drone certification system in Texas? HUVRdata (Austin) & Aviation Unmanned (Addison)

What entity does the drone certification? Texas A&M University System via its Corpus Christi campus and its engineering extension service

How is industry using drones?  wind-power, oil and gas and transportation industries to provide aerial inspections and mapping, and for port and border security and coastline monitoring

Data security and drone…

Lege Trend: State Push to Move to CNG Fleet. Read the Bill. Plan your Strategy.

Which state has legislators pushing for CNG fleets? Louisiana

What did the head of Lousiana’s Environmental Quality agency say about this?  “”We are going to be groundbreaking in mainstreaming compressed natural gas”

How will the fleet sustain itself? The bill calls for loosening a transportation trust fund to allow for the creation of refueling stations. 

Louisiana’s Senate Bill 257

Manship School News Service | Legislators want to make Louisiana’s transportation greener

Trend: Self Driving Cars & Legal Liability. 2 Paths.

Will accidents involving self driving cars make the car company liable for the accident? 2 Liability Paths:

  • A google car and a bus collided. In response, Google said it had some liability.
  • Some attorneys say they will be treated like accidents are treated now, because car systems can fail and it leaves the person in the car liable for damage caused.

National Law Review | Foley & Lardner LLP | Liability & Autonomous Vehicles

 

 

5 Economic Benefits of Ports from Senator Hinojosa

Senator Chuy Hinojosa highlights these economic benefits of ports:

  • Ports are economic drivers:
    • Generating $270 billion a year in economic activity
    • Generating $6 billion in state and local taxes per year
    • 1.4 million jobs
    • generate $82.8 billion in personal income
  • Ports of entry, and bridges, facilitate a $200 billion annual trade with Mexico
  • 3 of our ports are in the nation’s Top 10 by tonnage
    • #2 Houston
    • #4 Beaumont
    • #7 Corpus Christi (7th)
  • The #1 fresh produce port of entry…

INTERIM. 2 New Texas Special District for Transportation Funding.

What local governments  created a new special district for transportation funding? Weatherford & South Padre Island with Cameron Cunty

What is the goal of the new special district? spur development along the Interstate 20 corridor in Weatherford & improve Padre Boulevard

How will the new special districts funding work? 

  • Property tax revenue continues collection 
  • the local governments will designate to the TIRZ fund a portion of the  additional property tax revenues as…