June 29, 2015 - Sacramento – Senator Tom Berryhill (R-Twain Harte) announces his appointment to the Transportation and Infrastructure Development Committee. This committee is one of three convened for the Special Session on Transportation proposed by Governor Brown earlier this month.
“Maintenance of California’s roads and bridges has been ignored for years, despite the fact that the state has been collecting money from the taxpayers for transportation infrastructure for decades. As a result, we are now faced with a monumental problem,” said Berryhill. “I want to make sure my colleagues are aware of solutions that do not involve hitting the taxpayers up again with higher fees and taxes.”
Last week Senate Republicans introduced two measures at the opening of the governor's special session on transportation infrastructure. SCA X1 1(Huff, R-San Dimas), co-authored by 32 legislators, would constitutionally guarantee that the billions in transportation taxes paid annually by California drivers are used only for transportation purposes.
Also introduced was SB X1 2 (Huff), which would dedicate cap-and-trade taxes derived from putting gasoline production under the cap to improving California's roads.
In the last five years, the state has raided over $5 billion in fees and other transportation taxes that were supposed to be used for road maintenance and, instead, used that money for other programs.
The Transportation and Infrastructure Development Committee will address legislation relating to the Department of Transportation and the Department of Motor Vehicles as well as bills relating to state highways, local streets, roads, and bridges, public transportation systems, transportation infrastructure, state and local revenue, bonds, and taxation.
Source: Senator Tom Berryhill
