Transportation Infrastructure Funding Bill Dies in the Senate
Earlier this week the bipartisan-sponsored transportation infrastructure funding bill, identified by the Chamber as the statewide solution needed to address these challenges, met its end in the Senate Finance Committee.
House Bill 1242, which would have referred a .5 percent sales tax increase to the November ballot to fund transportation infrastructure and mobility investments statewide, was defeated in committee by a vote of 3-2 on Tuesday.
“We know that Colorado needs a statewide funding source for transportation,” Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kelly Brough said in a statement. “By killing House Bill 1242, members of the legislature have taken the opportunity from Coloradans to speak for themselves and communicate their investment priorities through a vote on such a funding source.”
Coloradans are paying for this lack of comprise. Our drivers lose nearly $3 billion in time and fuel annually because of congestion.
“We can’t afford to ignore what almost 70 percent of voters in every corner of the state believe: that investing in infrastructure and funding transportation is critical. And today, we lost an important avenue that could have allowed Colorado to invest in infrastructure and transportation,” Brough said.
That avenue included a sustainable, dedicated source of funding for transportation. The Chamber, along with a coalition that includes metro area mayors and business leaders from across the state, has identified sustainable funding as crucial to any proposed solutions to our transportation challenges.
Stay up to speed on all the bills we’re tracking this session.