Category Archives: legislative trend

LEGE TREND. Ride Share State Law Triggers City Taxi Ordinance Change.

The headline from Denison, Texas reads : Denison changes taxi ordinance following state legislation.

Did Denison change a taxi ordinance after Texas enacted HB 100, statewide ride-share law? Technically, Yes. But, this is a technicality for loophole lovers.

Was the change in the ordiance related to taxis? No. It was related to ride share and changed the Denison ride share sgtandards on par with state law.

Why the confusion over ordinances and headlines? Denison has no formal taxi service.…

TREND. National Self Driving Car Law. 2 Ways the Bill Would Help Self Driving Car Industry.

The Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research In Vehicle Evolution Act, or “SELF DRIVE” Act is on its way to the U.S. Senate for action.

What woud the bill do?

  •  The Self Drive Act would increase that cap for exemptions to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) federal motor vehicle safety standards to 25,000 per year initially
  • The cap would be expanded it up to 100,000 annually in 3 years
  • Allows all 50 states to innovate on self-driving technology
  • Prohib…

Anatomy of a Legislative Push for Funding for Clean Trucks & Buses. Natural Gas Here We Go…

California legislators are pushing for $1B in funding for clean trucks and buses before the September 15th legislative deadline.

The funding source and economic benefits legislators are touting:

The funding source for clean trucks and bus $1 billion: California’s GHG cap-and-trade system

Is there a simultaneous economic benefit to the state? Yes, the state has seen an influx of companies building clean trucks and buses because of the market growth in California

Natural Gas Intelligence…

Anatomy of a Rail Deal. Transparency. Sunset Provisions. Ban on Lobby Provided Data.

A 5 day special legislative session in Hawaii produced a rail deal that will:

  • 5 top legislative leaders got on the same page.
    • Senate President
    • House Speaker
    • Senate Ways and Means Committee chair
    •  House Transportation Committee Chair
    • House Finance Committee Chair
  • Agreed to:
    • use specific numbers on the project and in the revenue generating plan:
      • use only the numbers of Hawaii Department of Budget and Finance and not lobbyist provided numbers
      • total revenue generated for the…

3 Reasons State Legislators Abandoned EV Incentives.

California legislators pushing AB 1184 abandonded the $3 billion in EV incentives to pursue a study. So what happened?

  • Drafting issues. Opposition focused on a lack fo a plan for funding source
  • More information Needed.  The bill now calls for a report that:
    • suggests funding levels necessary to meet state emissions goals
    • the report should recommend changes to the existing rebate program to increase market penetration of such cars and trucks.
  • Procurement Opportunity. The bill calls for a…

New Study: The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend. Ride Share Edition.

Does ride share usage reduce car ownership? That’s what this news report says, relying on studies from Texas A&M, University of Michigan, and the City of Austin.

Does this make new allies of taxis and auto manufacturers? Are taxis and parking lot owners gong to bond over the reduced use of parking lots?

Portland KGW.com | Uber and Lyft Could Kill Car Ownership in Big Cities

Editorial. 3 Reasons to Slow Down on Self Driving Car Laws

Detroit. Motor City. An editorial board at the Detroit News isn’t keen on rapidly legislating self driving cars because:

  • Market Drivers.to develop the right policies we need clear signals from the market about what aspects of self driving cars will win the day
  • Infrastructure Needs. need to ensure that the legislature creates the infrastructure to maintain Dedicated Short Range Communications radios that communicate between self driving cars and the infrastructure
  • Public Private…

Lege Trend becomes Local Trend. Wheel Taxes. Will city folk do wheelies to celebrate?

Baraboo Wisconsin is considering implementing a “wheel tax” to fund transportation.
 
What sparked Baraboo’s brouhaha? Baraboo needs transportation funding
 
Did cities in Wisconsin need state approval? Yes, a statewide bill requires a citywide vote. 
 
In Wisconsin, wheel taxes account for 20-25% of street rehabilitation funding.
 

Legal Trend. Judge Requires Disclosure of lawmakers & lobbyist communication on direct sales.

Michigan’s direct sales ban is being tested in Michigan federal court as a violation of the Commerce Clause.

What does that mean in normal people terms? The direct sales ban isn’t just a question of is direct sales a Michigan law and constitution problem, but does direct sales bans run counter to the US Constitution. Also, the Supremes can get involved- as in Ruth Bader Ginsburg et. al, not Diana Ross et. al.

What documents is the court requiring be disclosed?

  • 2 lawmakers must turn over…

No Regulation TREND. 5 Reasons Self Driving Cars Thriving in Hot Weather & No Regulation. A Win for Anarchy.

Self Driving Car Companies are flooding the rain free Arizona desert, here’s why:

  • The rain free, sunny weather, is ideal for self driving car vehicle sensors
  • Arizona has no self driving car regulations
  • Arizona has calm traffic
  • Arizona has “pretty good” roads
  • The one government act on self-driving cars in Arizona is that “Governor Doug Ducey signed an executive order in 2015 requiring his underlings to “undertake any necessary steps to support the testing and operation of self-driving…