!"#$#%&'&#( *! !

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On November 4, 2014, Texans viII have a vole on a roosed conslilulionaI amendmenl
IabeIed Iroosed ConslilulionaI Amendmenl

or Iroosilion 1 (Iro 1). If adoled, lhe

amendmenl viII haIve currenl GeneraI Revenue lransfers lo lhe Iconomic SlabiIizalion Iund
(ISI). HaIf of lhe currenl lransfer viII conlinue lo lhe ISI vilh lhe olher haIf direcled lo lhe
Slale Highvay Iund (Iund 6) lo be used for conslruclion, mainlenance, and acquisilion of
righls-of-vay for non-loIIed, ubIic roadvays.
!"#$%& ()**"+, !*$+%-.*,$,/.+ 0)+1/+2
Lasl session, lhe Texas LegisIalure arorialed aroximaleIy $22 biIIion lo lhe Texas
Dearlmenl of Transorlalion (TxDOT). The Iargesl source of TxDOT's revenue is Iund 6,
currenlIy comrising 41% of arorialions lo lhe agency. The second Iargesl source of TxDOT's
funding is lhe IederaI Governmenl, roviding 39% of agency funds, federaI highvay aid has
been grealIy unrediclabIe in lhe Iasl decade.
i


Iund 6 receives mosl of ils revenue from gas laxes and vehicIe regislralion fees. AroximaleIy
83% of Iund 6 goes lo TxDOT vilh lhe baIance dedicaled lo olher agencies for lhe adminislralion
of Iavs governing lraffic and ensuring roadvay safely. Ior lhe currenl biennium, Iavmakers
arorialed $8.6 biIIion lo TxDOT for road mainlenance and reservalion, reresenling aImosl
forly ercenl of lhe agency's budgel. Nev conslruclion or reconslruclion accounls for nearIy a
lhird of TxDOT's arorialions, or $6.9 biIIion lhis biennium. Over lhe Iasl seven bienniums (14
years), TxDOT has consislenlIy received arorialions equaI lo aroximaleIy one-lenlh of aII
slale arorialions.

A ma|or orlion of lransorlalion funding over lhe Iasl decade has come from borroved money.
The eslabIishmenl of ma|or borroving rograms such as lhe Texas MobiIily Iund in 2001, lhe
adolion of Iroosilion 14 in 2003, and Iroosilion 12 in 2007 significanlIy increased slale
deendence on debl for lransorlalion funding. This biennium, more lhan 15%, or $3.4 biIIion of
TxDOT's budgel viII be funded lhrough bond roceeds. NearIy 11%, or $2.5 biIIion, of lhe
agency's budgel is arorialed lo debl service aymenls.

UnrediclabIe federaI funding, increased reIiance on debl, and lhe unouIarily of lax increases
have caused IegisIalors lo Iook for more lransorlalion funding from exisling revenue slreams.
Iro 1 is one such allemlvilhoul raising laxes, lhe measure simIy aIlers lhe lransfer of
incoming lax revenue lovard Iund 6 and avay from slale savings.
()**"+, !*$+%3"* ,. 450 6/,7.), 8*.- 9
Seclion 49-g of ArlicIe 3 in lhe Texas Conslilulion rovides rocedures and requiremenls for
lransfers made lo and from lhe ISI. Under lhis seclion, lhe ISI receives a lransfer from GeneraI
Revenue equaI lo 75% of lhe amounl of oiI and gas severance lax revenue exceeding lhe amounl
coIIecled in fiscaI year 1987. The lhreshoIds for lhese amounls are $599.8 miIIion for naluraI gas
roduclion revenues and $531.9 miIIion for oiI roduclion revenues.
ii
The ISI can aIso receive

As seen on lhe Travis Counly samIe baIIol. Iroosilion lilIe viII vary by counly, check your counly samIe baIIol for exacl heading.
lransfers from one-haIf of an unencumbered surIus of GeneraI Revenue or from an
arorialion by lhe IegisIalure.

In fiscaI year 2013, lhe amounl lransferred lo lhe ISI vas around $1.9 biIIion. The currenl baIance
of lhe ISI is aroximaleIy $6.5 biIIion and is ro|ecled lo lo $8 biIIion by fiscaI year 2015.
iii

!*$+%3"*% ,. 0)+1 : $+1 ,7" 450 )+1"* 8*.- 9
Iro 1 viII haIve lhe amounl lhal is currenlIy lransferred lo lhe ISI. HaIf viII conlinue lo go lo
lhe ISI and lhe olher haIf viII be direcled lo lhe Slale Highvay Iund (Iund 6). LegisIalors are
required lo vole on lhe adolion of a minimum baIance or fIoor in lhe ISI al lhe beginning of
each reguIar IegisIalive session before Iund 6 becomes eIigibIe for lransfers. The Lieulenanl
Governor and Seaker of lhe House musl aoinl five members from each chamber lo roose
an ISI fIoor. olh chambers, in lurn, musl arove lhal IeveI. If Iavmakers do nol arove a
fIoor, lhe one sel by lhe seIecl commillee serves as lhe minimum baIance for lhe ISI.
8*.% $+1 (.+% .3 8*.- 9
Suorlers say. Oonenls say.
! The accomanying IegisIalion lo Iro 1,
House iII 1 requires TxDOT lo find $100
miIIion in cosl savings and reslruclure
some of ils debl.
" TxDOT frequenlIy makes Ioans and granls
lo IocaI governmenls and lransorlalion
dislricls unbound by simiIar funding
reslriclions, lhus freeing-u funds for lhese
governmenls lo use lheir ovn unreslricled
funds on loIIed ro|ecls or assenger and
urban raiI.
! Money diverled lo Iund 6 lhrough Iro 1
cannol be used lo finance conslruclion of
loII roads or any ro|ecls vilh loII faciIilies.
" Given lhe TxDOT's raclices of fund
svaing, il is reasonabIe lo assume lhal
some Iro 1 funds viII indireclIy
incenlivize loIIed ro|ecls or assenger and
urban raiI eilher by lhe agency or IocaI
enlilies.
! The biII requires lhe IegisIalure lo
invesligale olher funding olions for
TxDOT incIuding zero-based budgeling.
" Il is unIikeIy Iro 1 viII increase
arorialions enough lo adequaleIy
address lhe agency's funding needs.
! The IegisIalion requires a minimum baIance
lhe ISI musl allain before any lransfers lo
Iund 6 are made. This amounl is lo be sel
by seIecled members of lhe IegisIalure and
aroved by bolh chambers.
" ecause Iro 1 reresenls conslilulionaIIy
dedicaled lax revenue, il does nol counl
againsl lhe ArlicIe 8, Seclion 22 Iimil on
grovlh of arorialions in lhe slale
conslilulion, lhus undermining lhis Iimil.
! The increases of funding in Iro 1 viII
IikeIy be riorilized lo address ro|ecls in
energy roduclion seclors of lhe slale and
olher high rofiIe needs.
" Recenl ro|ecls underlaken by TxDOT have
been vieved as vaslefuI and unnecessary.
Many cIaim lhal TxDOT needs ma|or
reform before more funds are enlrusled lo
lhe agency.


i
CongressionaI udgel Office, Slalus of lhe Highvay Trusl Iund, May 2014, hll://vvv.cbo.gov/siles/defauIl/fiIes/45315-
TransorlalionTeslimony.df
ii
Texas ComlroIIer of IubIic Accounls: Iconomic SlabiIizalion Iund, December 2013.
hll://vvv.lexaslransarency.org/Slale_Iinance/udgel_Iinance/IiscaI_riefs/df/IconomicSlabiIizalionIund.df
iii
The LegisIalive udgel oard, IiscaI Size-U, Iebruary 2014.
hll://vvv.Ibb.slale.lx.us/Documenls/IubIicalions/IiscaI_SizeU/IiscaI_SizeU_2014-15.df