Highway funding is on the table

Assemblymember Marie Waldron

AD-75 (R)

Californians pay some of the highest fuel taxes in the U.S., but our highways are among the nation’s worst. We are now about two months into a transportation special session called by Governor Brown and calls for increased taxes are echoing loudly in Sacramento.

In response, I have introduced AB X1 14 which would prioritize transportation spending as a formal part of the budgeting process. My bill would mandate $1 billion toward transportation infrastructure funding annually without raising taxes or fees, including $500 million for highway upgrades and $500 million for local streets and roads. By making our highway needs a budget priority, transportation will no longer provide an excuse for raising taxes. In fact, the legislative analyst's office has shown that there is sufficient funding in the budget, even after Prop. 98 monies are allocated to schools.

AB X1 14 is part of a new, detailed nine-point Republican proposal to provide the funds necessary to fix our crumbling highways, without raising taxes. Our plan would increase transportation funding by $6.6 billion annually and generate 90,000 jobs.

Many of these realistic proposals were recommended by the nonpartisan legislative analyst’s office, and have generated wide bi-partisan support in the past. With current estimates placing California’s deferred highway maintenance costs at about $59 billion, on top of billions more needed for local road repairs, transportation should be a priority, not a budget afterthought.