Category Archives: legislative trend

14 Elected Officials Want to Stop High Speed Rail. TXDOT forms Commission to Grow High Speed Rail.

14 elected officials have asked the Texas Congressional to request federal regulators stop high speed rail in Texas. The blessing of federal regulators will garner eminent domain powers for the high speed rail.

Simultaneously, TXDOT has created a high speed rail commission led by Ft. Worth businessman Bill Meadows to explore extending the Dallas-Houston jhigh speed rail to Arlington and Ft. Worth. 

Posted byadminPosted ineminent domain, legislative trend, railways

Uber Patiently Waits for State Guidance while Houston Mayor Parker Patience Wears Thin.

While we wait to see what the Legislature does with ride-share, Mayor Parker is asking that Uber submit a compliance plan to the City of Houston.

Uber has until Friday to comply. Houston is eager to match drivers to drivers licenses after the alleged April 2015 sexual assault of a passenger by an Uber driver. 

Houston Chronicle with Mayor Parker’s Lett…

Transportation Funding $3 B or $2.5B per year to TXDOT

TXDOT is getting closer to additional funding. The House and Senate transportation proposal both relate to sales tax and here’s the differences:

  • House: $3 B of sales tax to TXDOT, the remainder to General Revenue sytarting in 2018
  • House: TXDOT will get 2% of the remaining slaes tax over $3 billion. (the sales tax brings in roughly $25 billion per year)
  • House plan supported by Chairman Otto according to the Posted byadminPosted infunding, legislative trend, roads, tollroad

Funding Trend: Make Cities Pay the State Hundreds of Millions Annually

The Chair of a New York legislative committee is proposing the creation of a transportation finance authority that would fund transportation with:

  • “A 10-cent increase in the state gas tax would yield $500 million annually.
  • A half-percent income tax increase on New Yorkers earning between $500,000 and $2 million each year would raise their rate from 6.85 percent to 7.35 percent, bringing in $750 million annually.
  • A mandatory contribution from New York City, …

Dedicated Transportation Funding: The California 3 Step Approach from Republicans

  • In 2002, California passed a constitutional amendment that dedicates the sales tax on fuel for motor vehicles  for maintaining and expanding our roads, highways and bridges.
  • In 2010, California passed a constitutional amendment that prohibits transportation taxes from being borrowed for non-transportation purposes.
  • In 2015, California Legislature is moving its way through Senate Constitutional Amendment 7 (SCA 7) that closes a loophole allowing transportation taxes…

California Condemns More Land for High Speed Rail. TX High Speed Rail Replies- Texas is NOT California.

While Texas Central Railway openly talks to landowners, California is building a state financed high speed rail. 

On Friday, California’s Public Works Board voted to condemn 38 more pieces of property. in total, the state has condemned 192 land parcels to build high speed rail. In total, they need 1,300 parcels of property.

Fresno Bee

The very next day Texas Central Railway …

4 Points from Texas Central Rail Public April Meetings

Texas Central Rail is keeping a up a public meeting schedule. On Saturday April 11, 2015, they held a meeting in Montgomery County. the Highlights:

  • The new route follows a utility easement and will not traverse Montgomery Co.
  • If the project isn’t built and land is taken by eminent domain, the land will be returned to the land owner
  • Roads will not be split
    • “In no place are we going to cut off a county road, an FM road or cut off access to some body’…

3 Reasons to Oppose High Speed Rail

  1. Eminent Domain
  2. Private funding claim is a rouse.
  3. Texas needs to build roads, not rails.

Eminent Domain

Building the high speed rail will grant a private entity, the Texas Central Railway, the power of eminent domain. Private entities with eminent domain are out of vogue in Texas.

Public Funding

Opposition claims that if ridership goals are not met, public funds will be applied to the project.