Upcoming Texas Attorney General Question: Private Toll Companies & Fees.

Chairman Joe Pickett wants the Texas Attorney General to clarify to what extent are the limitations of fee assessments placed upon TXDOT also placed upon private entities that operate tolls.

Pickett’s exact question: 

To what extent are the provisions (?(Section 228.0547(b), Transportation Code, as added by S.B. 312, Acts of tne 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017, ”powers and duties” o f the Texas Department o f Transportation that apply under Section 228. 059, Transportation Code, to an entity operating a toll lane pursuant to Section 228.007(b), Transportation Code? 

What stands out about this opinion request? It was also signed by non-chairmen: Dale, Minjarez & Oliverson

RQ-0178-KP

Having Problems with a Transportation agency or a Department of Motor Vehicles? Utah has 3 Examples of Legislative Restructuring.

Utah Tranportation Authority is a thorn in the side of Utah elected officials. They’ve been studying the issue, and trying to craft a solutions to remove the obstacles they see in the agency.

For those of you in Texas, think of an agency that is a mix of 2017 TABC, 2013 HHSC and 2011 TXDOT when it lost a billion dollars.

3 solutions from Utah’s elected officials to reign in a rogue agency:

  • Follow Maryland. Create a Transportation Secretary who oversees all transit, rail, ports  and transportation, thereby requiring the agency to report to the State Secretary of Transportation.
  • Independent Agency with no control over finance or big projects. Leave the indepdent agency in place but move all finance decisions to the legislature. All agency assets get moved into a state umbrella account that the agency cannot access.
  • Split the agency. Let the agency have its indpendent control over transportation outside of all major metro areas. The metro areas transportation issues are handled by the legislature/Governor.

Salt Lake Tribune | Task force considers closer state control of scandal-tainted UTA

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. It, like many cities, only have ride share.

Denison changes taxi ordinance following state legislation | Herald Democrat

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
  • Prohibits states from making self driving car testing too restrictive, like New Yorks’ requirement that a test car have a police escort

Supports, like the The Self Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, a lobbying group that includes Google, Ford, Uber, Lyft, Volvo, and more, say:

  • very good news for the auto industry
  • opportunity to do significant testing
  • will allow  all the research that’s required to make sure that this is truly a step forward in road safety

The Verge | The US is speeding toward its first national law for self-driving cars

 

Forget Autonomous Car Legislation. Welcome the new frontier- autonomous bike legislation.

Looking to limit the number of bike and vehicle accidents, Tome Software & Trek Bicycle are teaming up.

What’s the transportation policy goal: To identify if there are certain areas on roads that are more prone to bike/vehicle accidents.

Just when you thought legislating autonomous vehicles was all the rage, now we’re moving toward AI in bikes.

Tech Crunch | Tome Software and Trek Bicycle are looking to AI to make biking safer

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 | California Lawmakers Push for $1B in Clean Truck, Bus Funding

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 project: $2.4 billion over 13 years
      • $1.046 billion from a 0.5%t general excise tax charged on Oahu taxpayers
      • $1.3 billion from hotel guests statewide via a 1% increase in the hotel room tax
      • Extends by 3 years the 0.5% general excise tax & increases the hotel room tax to 10.25 percent from 9.25 percent for 13 years.
    • require certain levels of transparency
    • require a timeline & sunset provisions on the taxes, which if not adhered to kills the project

Honolulu News  | How the Legislature’s ‘Big Five’ Crafted A Deal To Rescue Honolulu Rail

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 contractor to study the issue and offer the recommendations.

LA Times | Plan to boost electric-vehicle rebates to $3 billion is scrapped in favor of state study

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