With a high unemployment rate, our nation’s focus has turned to jobs and transportation as the solution. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), every $1 billion of highway spending supports more than 34,779 jobs. Nationwide, nearly 2.2 million jobs are supported by spending on highway and bridge construction. An investment in Illinois’ transportation system is an investment in Illinois’ economic recovery. Consequently, the IRTBA does the following:
Encourages Congress to Reauthorize a Multi-year Funding Package and the Illinois General Assembly and Governor to Pass a Long Term Funding Solution
- Federal and state transportation bills must increase funding to maintain and improve the highway and transit infrastructure.
Encourages Investment in Illinois and Illinois’ Businesses
- Currently the mechanisms for funding transportation are federal, state, and local revenue sources – primarily the gas tax. These mechanisms are not sufficient to adequately supply the funding necessary to maintain and improve the current national transportation system.
Supports Legislation that Encourages Economic Development
- Support laws and regulations that promote economic development and do not impose unreasonable costs on businesses and their customers.
Supports Sufficient User-Fee Based Revenue Options
- IRTBA supports a sufficient pay-as-you-go annual program with revenues from user-based fees that would provide a significant investment for both transit and highway projects.
Supports Increasing the Federal and State Gas Tax
- It has been 21 years since the last federal gas tax increase, while demand and cost for materials have continued to increase and drive up construction cost. The State of Illinois should increase the existing 19 cents per gallon and the federal gas tax should be increased from 18.3 cents per gallon.
Supports Annually Indexing Gas Tax
- The gas tax must be indexed to the consumer price index to ensure that these user fees rise proportionate to the increase in inflation. The gas tax is one of the only state revenue sources that does not grow with the economy. However, inflation increases the costs of roadway maintenance and construction cost each year.
Supports Finding New Funding Mechanisms
- The current funding mechanisms do not support the transportation system. With the increase in new, alternative energy technologies, which decrease the need for gas, these new forms of technology could cause a decrease in the gas tax collected to fund the transportation system. Consequently, the IRTBA supports the development of new, constant, and sustainable sources of funding that rely on user-based fees, tolls, license plate fees, auto registration fees based on weight, vehicle sales tax, congestion pricing, and vehicle miles traveled, in addition to traditional motor fuel taxes.
Supports Toll Roads
- As funds for roads and bridges continue to decrease, the IRTBA supports new infrastructure being financed by direct user charges. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation should be granted the authority to allow the imposition of tolls on existing federal-aid highways that have unusually high maintenance, construction, or reconstruction costs. The purpose of this action would be to allow states to use the toll revenue realized to repay bonds issued to finance these improvements.
Supports Public Private Partnerships
- Public Private Partnerships (P3) have become a partial solution to the present funding crisis as lawmakers search for ways to infuse the funding apparatus with private dollars. The IRTBA supports finding all available financing options to meet identified capital needs and believes that P3s should be explored on a case-by-case basis and implemented when appropriate. However, the IRTBA believes that all P3 legislation must create a level playing field for Illinois businesses and partner businesses from other states.
Opposes Diversions & Supports Diversion Protection
- IRTBA encourages an end to all diversions from the State Road Fund that are not specifically used to support design, construction, and maintenance of the highway system. Diversions deteriorate the transportation system by decreasing the amount of money available for fixing and maintaining the roads and bridges, thereby decreasing the number of jobs created, safety, and economic development throughout the state. The IRTBA suggests firewall language preventing the State Road Fund being used for anything but transportation and infrastructure needs. IRTBA opposes legislation that infringes on existing revenue streams for road construction to supplement non-road construction programs. IRTBA supports legislation requiring Counties and Municipalities to spend Motor Fuel Tax and other related transportation revenue sources to be allocated for use on transportation projects only.