2017 issue – Page 5 – InfoHive

TX Attorney General Opinion. THE LOOPHOLE on Tollroads. Administrative Fee Cap. The Legislative Fix.

LOOPHOLES in the Attorney General Cap on administrative fees: toll roads that are operated by non-TXDOT entities, or that have contracts awarded for operation by non-TXDOT entities.

What’s an example of a non-TXDOT tollroad? Tollraods operated by Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority

What’s the legislative fix? Adding the administrative cap to Texas Transportation Code, Section 370 which govrns tollroads operated by regional mobility authorities.

Statesman | Wear: Why toll fees remain…

4 Local Government Funding Issues. 1 Ride Share Tax. 2 Arguments to Support the Cause.

San Francisco City Council members want to tax ride share to fund:

police services
street resurfacing
traffic calming
pedestrian safety

Supporters say:

California is behind the times, localities like Chicago, Portland & Philadelphia tax ride share
State lawmakers should let cities regulate the entities that impact them

CBS SanFrancisco | San Francisco Supervisor Wants Tax On Uber And Lyft

3 New Issues Raised by Sheriffs On Texas Bullet Train Path. New Sheriff Coalition.

New Sheriff Coalition: Sheriffs from Grimes, Navarro, Freestone, Limestone, Leon, Madison, Waller, and Ellis counties

Issues that the Sheriff’s raise about the high speed rail in Texas?

Which law enforcement agency is repsonsible for patrolling the track?
“Who’s going to be responsible for hazmat emergency services if it derailed over there?”
Has there been a survey of emergency response teams and hospitals along the track, is fire or hospital distance and response impacted?

KBTX Texas…

3 Statements from Sheriffs On Texas Bullet Train Path. New Sheriff Coalition.

New Sheriff Coalition: Sheriffs from Grimes, Navarro, Freestone, Limestone, Leon, Madison, Waller, and Ellis counties

Grimes County Sheriff Don Sowell says high speed rail will:

slow down response times
No representative from high speed rail has talked to the sheriffs
cost of increased patrols along the train route

KBTX Texas | Local sheriffs concerned about public safety along proposed bullet train route

KWTX 10 | Central Texas sheriffs join coalition to address high speed rail…

Legal Trend = Legislative TREND. Sunshine States Seeks Stop Private Passenger Rail. 3 Key Points to Be Up to Speed.

The nationa’s only privately funded passenger rail: Florida’s All Aboard Florida’s Brightline venture, a high-speed train that would connect Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando with an expansion of the project linking West Palm Beach to Orlando

Who brought suit to stop the privately funded rail? 2 Florida counties + Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida

What are the complaints?

That federal agencies did not sufficiently assess the project’s environmental impacts and risk…

Anatomy of Direct Sales Bill in the Southwest. Lege TREND.

State: New Mexico

The Bill: SB 255 (2018)

How SB 255 (2018) would implement direct sales:

Defines line-make
Provides for manufacturer sales if:
- the manufacturer does not have any independent franchise dealers in this state
- sells and services only the line- make of motor vehicles that it manufactures

Electrek | Tesla pushes a new bill in New Mexico to allow direct sales

High Speed Rail in the Land of Poppies Triggers Audit. 3 Factors Triggered the Audit.

California High Speed Rail, Phase 1, will face an audit after these 3 things happened:

Projected costs for phase 1 of California’s high speed rail have risen by $3 Billion
A bipartisan group of legislators requested a formal audit
Concerns that the project will need state subsidies

Due to the projected cost increase, the audit will make the following recommendations:

how to accelerate the project’s timeline
reduce costs and identify other sources of revenue
best practices for approving…

1 Federal Rail Administration High Speed Rail Public Meeting. 12 Objections.

The Federal Rail Administration public meeting in Madison, County TX resulted in the following lists of objections:

The route uproots 2 cemetaries
The construction phase will require a 2 mile per side buffer zone
unfounded economics
route opposition
opposition to land acquisition by s privste company using eminent domain
the large cost to be borne by taxpayers- eventually
the project does not serve the public
electromagnetic emissions
noise pollution
reduced land values
environmental…

Meet the Non-Profit Roadblock to High Speed Rail in California

The Non-profit: Fresno Rescue Mission which feeds and houses the homeless

How the non-profit is holding up high speed rail: The non-profit is standing firm in its compensation request to receive adequate relocation costs

Are there other complicating factors? Yes, the City of Fresno leases space to the Fresno Rescue Mission

ABC 30 | Local nonprofit agency seen as obstacle holding up progress of High Speed Rail