Earlier today the Austin American Statesman published an
article titled, “Lawmakers
Reach Deal on Transportation Funds,” written by Chris Tomlinson of The
Associated Press. The article speaks about how negotiators from the House and
Senate have proposed to divert income from Texas’ Rainy Day Fund in order to
increase the budget for our roads and bridges.
This may sound like a cut-and-dry decision, however it will in fact require
an amendment to the constitution because it strictly dictates where oil and gas
revenues are directed, and transportation is an entirely new direction.
On one hand, it makes sense to make these infrastructural
improvements because Texas is currently growing at one of the fastest rates in
the country and we could definitely use the funding. On that same token, the
reason they need a two-thirds vote to enact it is due to a transportation
budget shortfall, which indicates bigger problems could lie ahead. The Rainy Day
Fund is definitely there for situations like this, but if it becomes a
recurring theme then it turns into something entirely different.
They need to take a serious look at our transportation
budget and find other, more permanent, means of acquiring funding. It is for
that reason that I am ok with allocating these funds as a one time,
hole-plugging solution, but if the constitutional amendment is voted into
passing, that means that they are free to funnel these funds any time they
desire. And since the Republicans refuse to even consider raising taxes, it is
definitely a sticky situation. I can only hope that our budget allocations will
be handled more responsibly going forward.
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