INTERIM. Sharing Economy. Air Share.

Is air share on a digital platform permitted? In August 2014, the FAA shut down air share, and limits open seats to friends of the pilot only.

What fix is in the works to allow air share? Congressman Mark Sanford added an amendment for air share to the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act of 2016 

Americans for Tax Reform | Planesharing Aims for Liftoff Despite FAA Drag

Western State to Lower Gas Tax. 3 Bits Informed Intel.

  • California is set to reduce its gas tax by 2.2cents.
  • How did California get here? To keep budgeter hands off California general revenue when paying off transportation bonds, Gov. Schwarzenegger and his Legislature “swapped the state’s sales tax on transportation fuel for an equivalent “gallonage tax.”’
  •  each 1-cent adjustment to the tax is worth about $149.2 million

TXDOT Studying Elimination of Tolls.

Did TXDOT come up with eliminating tolls on their own? No, it is a legisltive mandate from HB 2612 by Pickett

How do tolls and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute estimate, that Texas needs of $5 Billion more per year in transportation funding, correlate? The $5 billion per year funding shortage assumed that Texas would receive toll revenue.

El Paso Times | TxDOT begins look at axing tolls

Campaign Trend: Who Opposes High Speed Rail More. 4 Points Informed Intel.

  • The Toth v. Brady Congressional race is a he said/he said brawl over who opposed high speed rail first
  • A Toth mailer says Brady authored & voted for eminent domain for high speed rail as a state representative in 1993
  • Brady says the 1993 bill removed eminent domain from pirvate companies building high speed rail
  • Political scientists call the Toth mailer inaccurate

Your News Houston |  Brady: Toth high-speed rail mailer a ‘lie’

Fox 26 | Eminent Domain Attack advertisement deemed grossly misleading

INTERIM. Sharing Economy. Cabs Charging a Surcharge for Credit Cards.

Where is this issue bubbling? Chicago. A Chicago Alderman wants to allow cabbies to be able to charge a 50cents surcharge for the use of credit cards to put more money into cabbie pockets.

What do cabbies have to do with the sharing economy? Cabs are adjusting their business models to be in the same market as ride share is a cash free business.

Chicago Tribune | Morning Spin: City Hall warns cabbies on 50-cent credit card surcharge

More Public Private Partnerships for Airports? The Impact in Texas. 4 Bits Informed Intel.

How does this impact Texas? Austin Bergstrom is in on the trend with a proposed 30 acre lease to Highstar Capital

Is the U.S. behdin the global trend of private investment in airports? Yes, P3s are slowly taking off for US airports, while globally 40% of the top 100 international airports have private sector involvement

What do investors look for in P3 airport deals?

  • “vibrant regional economic environment”
  • growing population and employment base
  • large and stable amount of “origin and destination” traffic

What public benefits are there for P3 airports?

  • savings for airlines
  • generate upfront and periodic payments revenue 
  • “greater commercial discipline via a comprehensive business plan and global relationships”
  • transfer risk away from the local government and to the private sector

Governing | Cleared for Takeoff: Airports and the P3 Opportunity

High Speed Rail Through the South. Texas to Georgia. 5 Bits Informed intel.

Who is proposing this? Robert Finley at The Finley group

What is this high speed rail connecting? Major metro areas from Dallas to Atlanta, a total of 816 miles

Is there a name for this project?   Interstate-20 High Speed Rail Express or Interstate 20 eXpress

Is the project public or private? Both, a public-private partnership

How serious is this project? Finley said he already has verbal commitments from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia.

Birmingham Business Journal | More details on the latest high-speed rail proposal in Birmingham

High Speed Rail Sparks Anti-Eminent Domain Statements. 1 Univeristy Acts. 3 TX Elected Officials Speak.

Why does Texas A&M Student Senate oppose eminent domain? The proposed high speed rail that would traverse rural Texas triggered the vote

What did the elected officials, who were present, say about eminent domain? “Their resounding message was that voting in favor the Eminent Domain Opposition Act is akin to advocating for the protection of property owners.”

Which State Representatives and State Senators participated in Texas A&M Student Senate eminent domain debate?

  • Sen. Charles Schwertner
  • Rep. Trent Ashby
  • Rep. John Wray  
    • “What I want to ask you to do is to vote in favor of this bill, because if you do that you’re voting in favor of property rights,” Wray said. “If you do that you’re voting in favor of fair market value. If you do that you’re voting in favor of keeping the phrase ‘willing’ in front of the phrase ‘seller.’ And you’re voting to uphold the free market.”

The Battilion | State politicians, lobbyists, students clash on high-speed rail

Campaign Trend: Tollroads. Eminent Domain by Private Companies. 1 TX House District. 3 Points.

In which house district is this occuring? HD-2 (Flynn)

What are activists saying about eminent domain and toll roads?

  • “I never felt like he (the incumbent) cared one bit that a private organization would have been able to use the power of eminent domain over the citizens to build a for-profit toll road.” 
  • “Even with personal visits by property owners to his office, Rep. Flynn was fully behind this private toll way, and continued to advise us with statements such as, ‘stick together,’ and ‘don’t take the first offer,’” 
  • Bryan Slaton stood with the residents threatened by the Blacklands private tollway when Dan Flynn refused to listen and supported the toll road and the special interests behind it. Residents of HD 2 deserve genuine representation and someone who will not only listen to them, but fight for them and the issues important to their community.”

What happened with this eminent domain and toll road project? It died.

Empower Texas | Texas Scorecard | Anti-Toll Road Activists: Dan Flynn Was No Help