2016 Legislative Session: Summary of bills proposing solutions to Missouri transportation funding shortfall

Because all state funding for Missouri's transportation program is tied to the state fuel tax--last raised in the early 1990s--Missouri has been struggling to find some solutions to its current transportation funding pinch.

Capitol Day in Jefferson City is April 11th - please join us!

Although Missouri has no dedicated state funding for walking and bicycling, and less than $1 million annually for transit (compared with hundreds of millions to billions annually by our peer states, state leadership and MoDOT are currently focused solely on plugging the hole in state highway funding.

We believe that Missouri's dramatic underinvestment in transit, walking, and bicycling harms the ability of our communities, large and small, to compete in today's global marketplace. 

We must include funding for transit, walking, and walking as part of any transportation funding solution--yet not one solution introduced this year does so.

Summary of 2016 Missouri transportation funding bills

Below is a summary of all transportation funding proposals currently in play in the Missouri House and Senate.  As you can see, the state is now seriously grappling with the crisis in transit, pedestrian, and bicycle funding that we have faced for many decades now.

Bookmark this page--it will be continually updated as the 2016 Legislative Session progresses.

• SB 623 - Libla - Raises the tax on motor fuel by one and one-half cents per gallon and three and one-half cents per gallon for diesel fuel beginning on October 1, 2016
  
  Comment: This is the proposal that MoDOT and the General Assembly's Transportation Committee leadership is supporting.  It is expected to move out of the Senate Transportation Committee this week.
  
  The key problem with this proposal is that it addresses funding for state roads and bridges only; no funding is included for transit, walking, or bicycling leaving those needs entirely un-addressed.
  
   
• SB 645 - Onder - Requires a portion of sales and use taxes collected to be deposited into the State Road Fund
  
  Comment: The State Road Fund can be used only for roads and bridges--transit, walking, bicycling, and other forms of transportation are excluded.  Using general tax funds exclusively for one transportation mode alone is not the right approach.  The current fuel taxation system in Missouri already sets up a system where Missouri's dramatic underinvestment in transit, walking, and bicycling harms the ability of our communities, large and small, to compete in today's global marketplace.
  
  Any solution to MoDOT's funding issue must address that problem head-on--particularly a solution that raids the state's current general tax revenue.
  
  If these taxes funded a balanced statewide approach to transportation funding, the situation might be different.
   
• HB1737  Johnson, Delus - Establishes the Missouri Emergency Road & Bridge Fund
  
  Comment: Again, this solution is aimed solely at roads and highways.  Any proposed solution must address Missouri's dramatic underinvestment in transit, walking, and bicycling harms the ability of our communities, large and small, to compete in today's global marketplace.
  
  How about a "Missouri Emergency Road, Bridge, Transit, Bicycle, and Pedestrian Fund?"
   
• HB1467 Burlison, Eric - Specifies that no appropriation from general revenue to the Department of Transportation will be expended if the department has spent funds from the State Road Fund for the same or like purpose
  
  Comment: It is unclear what the purpose of this proposal is.
   
• HB2278 Fitzpatrick, Scott - Changes the laws regarding sales and use tax to require a portion collected be deposited in the State Road Fund
   
• HJR81  Fitzpatrick, Scott - Changes the laws regarding sales and use tax to require a portion collected be deposited in the State Road Fund
  
  Comment: Many Senators and Representatives have worked to cut taxes in the state in recent years.  So for many, it is a natural idea to divert current revenue to meet transportation needs, rather than working to cut taxes in one area and then raising them in another to fund MoDOT. It remains to be seen whether these proposals will have any traction in the General Assembly or with the public.
  
  A particular issue with these proposals is that they take general tax funds--in this case, sales tax dollars--and use them to fund only one transportation need, highways.  If a portion of these funds were dedicated to transit, bicycling, walking, rail, and other transportation needs, these proposals would be more acceptable.
   
• SJR 18 Sen Rob Schaaf - Consitutional Amendment to increase the the fuel tax (1.5 cents gas/3.5 cents diesel) and transfer many minor state highways to county control, along with some funding for maintenance of those new county roads.
   
• HB 2032  Spencer, Bryan (063) - Transfers maintenance of lettered highways to the counties in which the lettered road lies, contingent on the passage of a constitutional amendment increasing allocations to the County Aid Road Trust Fund
  
  Comment: MoDOT is responsible for one of the largest state highway systems in the nation.  MoDOT is responsible for many tens of thousands of miles of roads that in most other states would be county highways. With MoDOT unable to maintain its current system, a movement is growing in MIssouri that supports taking advantage of this situation to return many of these miles to local control.  The sticking point is funding.
  
  This is the first proposal introduced that proposes a solution to both problems: Turn over all lettered routes to counties and provide a funding mechanism to counties to cover the increased cost.
   
• HJR 70  Brattin, Rick (055) - Proposes a constitutional amendment that would require the department of transportation to submit its budget annually to a committee appointed by the House and Senate, and which would eliminate tax credits in any year in which the department's budget is not fully funded
   
• HB 2334 Korman, Bart (042) - Creates the Divided Highway Transportation Fund and designates how moneys in the fund must be disbursed
  
  Comment: This proposal diverts all traffic fees and fines into a fund that will be shared among MoDOT, cities, counties, and the highway patrol to be distributed according to the amount of divided highway lane miles within each MoDOT District, city, and county.
  
  Though the proposal is clearly aimed at creating a small amount of funding for highways, the current proposal does not specify or require the funds to be spent on any particular activity.
  
  This is a type of proposal that we could very well support, because it generates funding from users of the roads and highways that can be used for any needed purpose--for example, the funds could be used to improve safety on highways for all users, to improve pedestrian accommodations and safety at intersections on the divided highways, or to add shoulders to highways where needed.

Also note the following bills that are proposed to dramatically change the makeup of the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission (MHTC), which oversees and leads MoDOT:
 

•    HB1788 Rone, Don - Increases the membership of the Highways and Transportation Commission to seven commissioners and requires new appointees to be residents of different Department of Transportation districts
   
• HB1446 Redmon, Craig - Increases the membership of the Highways and Transportation Commission to seven commissioners and requires new appointees to be residents of different Department of Transportation districts
  
  Comment: The problem with these proposals is that population within the seven MoDOT varies dramatically--by a factor of 10 or so.
  
  Giving a district with under 300,000 residents the same representation as a district with over 2 million residents is unfair and undemocratic.  All Missouri citizens pay to support MoDOT and all deserve equal representation.

Our annual Bicycle & Pedestrian Day at the Capitol is April 11th, 2016.  Please plan to join us and talk with your own legislators about these issues and much more!

Working to create a world-class transportation system for walking and bicycling is a key goal of our Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri. Ensuring that a fair share of funding for bicycling and walking is part of any Missouri transportation funding plan has been a key goal of our Legislative Platform for many years and is strongly supported by our membership.

Your ongoing membership and generous financial support help turn our Vision into reality!