Delegate Krebs'
Legislation Would Safeguard our Transportation Dollars
Dear
Friends,
All of us
pay state gas taxes, vehicle registration and sales
taxes on new and used cars. We should be able to expect
something in return: Safer, less congested highways,
efficient snow removal and an improved Route 32 and 26.
After all, these revenues go into the Transportation
Trust Fund and are dedicated to the support of
transportation in Maryland.
Unfortunately, this Fund has been raided
repeatedly. Next year,
it is targeted for the
biggest single diversion yet--$340 million--if the
Governor's plan to backfill his budget with
transportation dollars is approved. My Transportation Trust Fund
Protection Act (House Bill 383) would erect a firewall
between the Trust Fund and the General Fund to stop
diversions of money we need for the timely improvement
of roads.
Why move money away from roadway construction jobs and
use it, instead, to backfill entitlement programs in the
Governor's budget?
That question was raised repeatedly during Tuesday's
hearing on my legislation. A long line of supporters,
including the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, the Greater
Baltimore Committee and AAA Mid-Atlantic, urged the
House Ways & Means Committee to pass HB 383 so we can
restore the public's trust in the Transportation Trust
Fund.
AAA followed up with a press release Tuesday saying the
recession has depressed revenue and forced postponement
of more than $2 billion in highway projects.
I also have introduced
House Bill 367--Dedicated Highway
Funds--which would ensure that revenues from the gas
tax, vehicle title tax and car registration are
dedicated only to highway purposes. A public hearing on HB 367 is scheduled for March 2. An estimated third of
Trust Fund expenditures go toward highway and road
projects, even though half its revenues are brought in
by the vehicle titling tax, gas tax and registrations.
At the same time, Maryland spends nearly a third of its
Transportation Trust Fund money on transit.
For more information on this week's legislative issues,
you may want to read the
Legislative Wrap-Up, prepared by the state
Department of Legislative Services every Friday.
Bill Would Restrict Raiding Transportation Fund to
Balance Budget
As reported on
Southern Maryland Online:
"It's called a trust fund. It's supposed to be set-aside
money for transportation projects," Krebs said in an
interview. "In this economic environment ... it's even more
reason to keep money in the Transportation Trust Fund. These
are the people who we are employing to build our roads."
Click here to read the full story.