Transcript Highlights:

• And we see a semi-trucks, on the road.
• I've done three road namings this year.
• </c> done three note road namings this year. done three note road namings this year.
• As you all know, we allowed two road namings per state representative and three road namings per senator
• So that does it on road namings.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There are also some secondary roads.
• It's a one-way road and a one-way road back, right?
• Each road is a two-lane road. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
• Is there any plan for that road to accommodate heavy trucks? Is there any plan to expand that road?
• You're going to see a lot of new uses of roads, and you're going to need to work out some temporary roads

Transcript Highlights:

• Newton, I've done a lot of work with county road safety plans and county road safety initiatives.
• There aren't enough squad cars on the road, and that is a deterrent.
• There aren't enough squad cars on the road, and that is a deterrent.
• There aren't enough squad cars on the road, and that is a deterrent.
• </c> at every option um so all of our roads at every option um so all of our roads are<01:05:01.720><

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, drivers using the same roads often pay very different amounts for that use.
• Today, drivers using the same roads often pay very different amounts for that use.
• And that erosion is happening despite people still driving, doing wear and tear on the roads, and our
• It's going to show up as rougher roads, fewer bridges being maintained and repaired, and less funding
• It's going to show up as rougher roads, fewer bridges being maintained and repaired, and less funding

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee met and first took up AB 1091 on consent, which passed without discussion. The committee then heard AB 647 by Assemblymember Gonzalez, a cleanup/clarifying bill related to last year’s AB 630 pilot program for Los Angeles and Alameda Counties allowing local agencies to dispose of low-value, inoperable RVs that are public safety or environmental hazards. The author and supporters said the bill would clarify which local jurisdictions can use the pilot and help address abandoned RVs, while opponents argued it was a premature expansion that could destroy people’s only shelter and create a patchwork of local rules. Despite the opposition, the bill was approved and sent to Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 1421, which would create a research and information process around California’s long-term transportation funding challenges and possible road user charge or mileage-based funding options. The author and sponsor argued that declining gas-tax revenue from more fuel-efficient and zero-emission vehicles is making the system less stable and less equitable, and that the bill would support a transparent, research-driven transition without imposing a new tax. Many local government, labor, business, and industry groups testified in support, while no opposition speakers came forward during the hearing. Members raised questions about equity, rural drivers, privacy, double taxation, and whether any future revenue would be dedicated to transportation infrastructure; the author said the bill was intended to inform future decisions, not set a tax policy now. AB 1421 passed on a 12-1 vote and was re-referred to Appropriations, and the committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Probably second are the BST roads, or the chip seal roads, and lastly, our concrete highways.
• That was the first time they ran over that road and it just caved in right at that point.
• And then it immediately causes a road closure when we do that.
• And I would encourage anyone that wants to see a road that has...
• I don't know how else Where the road has actually started to drop.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee devoted its meeting to a presentation from Troy Suing of the Department of Transportation on state highway preservation needs. Suing said DOT is a leader in asset planning, but that current funding is not enough to keep up with the condition of highways, bridges, and other assets. He distinguished operations and maintenance from preservation, and described the preservation program’s main parts: pavements, bridges, and other highway facilities such as slopes, rest areas, signal systems, retaining walls, and culverts. Suing reported that about 40% of state roads are already overdue for preservation and that, with current funding, as much as 85% could need preservation within 10 years. He said there are more than 7,900 lane miles currently due, and that delaying work past the “lowest life cycle zone” increases risk and can cost three to five times more later. For bridges, he said the state has about 3,400 bridges, an average age of 52 years, and roughly 10% are over 80 years old; the share of bridges in poor condition is about 9.9%, near the federal threshold that could trigger more federal oversight. He also highlighted culvert failures, including one on SR-510, and the closed Carbon River Bridge on SR-165 as examples of how deferred preservation can lead to closures and community disruption. Committee members questioned the comparison to national asset management leadership, liability risk as roads deteriorate, the cost and regulatory burden of bridge projects, and whether DOT is relying more on its own crews for bridge work because of cost and urgency. Suing said the department is underfunded to fully implement its asset plans and is forced to focus on risk, emergent needs, and the most critical bridge work first. He said DOT’s 2026 supplemental budget identified preservation as one of five unfunded critical priorities and estimated a 10-year preservation need of $8 billion to address the backlog and become proactive again. Members discussed whether targeted funding in the next biennium could help move the state back toward the “green zone,” and the chair closed by emphasizing the real-world impacts of bridge and road failures and the need for legislative action.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is for use on the roads.
• </c> to the conditions of the roads here. to the conditions of the roads here.
• </c> fund to cover that use on the roads. fund to cover that use on the roads.
• </c> person in the car during the road test. person in the car during the road test.
• </c> their eyes on the road as well. their eyes on the road as well.

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This funding is requested partially one-time for vehicles to maintain that stretch of road.
• $470,000 ongoing for things like de-icer and materials to operate and maintain that system of the road
• To remove trees that are near the roads to make the roads safer and reduce the risk of limbs and branches
• Most of this is requested in the Highway Operations Division. $60 million of it is for road equipment
• First is to make sure the roads and the bridges are in good condition.

Summary: The Senate Finance and House Appropriations committees heard the Idaho Transportation Department budget presentation from Legislative Services Office analyst Brooke Dupree, who reviewed the department’s four divisions, staffing levels, major funds, and recent appropriation trends. She highlighted the department’s large reliance on reappropriation, the continuous appropriation of the Strategic Initiatives Program Fund, and several enhancement requests, including $15.5 million for deferred maintenance, funding for State Highway 16 operations and maintenance, $4.9 million for roadside tree removal, $4.7 million for new equipment, a $275 million general fund transfer for safety/capacity and road/bridge maintenance, and smaller requests for aeronautics improvements and replacement items. She also noted the governor’s recommendation differed from the request, especially by not recommending the $275 million transfer and by proposing cash transfers back from the Strategic Initiatives Fund. Members questioned the analyst and then Director Scott Stokes about the impact of the proposed reductions, the continuous appropriation language, and whether general funds were being eliminated in the transportation budget. Stokes explained that the governor’s recommendation would pull back $45 million in FY 2026 and eliminate the FY 2027 transfer, and that the continuous appropriation language was a request to keep the fund continuously appropriated. He also said ITD would adjust project schedules if funding changed and would provide a list of affected safety and capacity projects to the committee. During questions to the director, members asked about workforce retention, the State Street property/disaster cleanup project, ITD’s delayed full transition to Luma, the TechM/TECM bonding program, and the mix of in-house versus contracted work. Stokes said retention had improved after pay adjustments, the State Street project had spent only a few million so far with hazmat removal bid under $1 million instead of the earlier $8 million estimate, and the project’s total cost was now estimated at roughly $60 million to $70 million with about $41 million appropriated. He said ITD remains on its existing finance system for now because of federal reimbursement needs, that prior TECM projects were fully bonded and contracted and the next bonding decision would come in July, and that ITD contracts out larger projects while using its own crews for smaller maintenance tasks like tree removal. The meeting ended with general comments about the importance of transportation investment and notice that the committee would meet the next day on rescissions, cash transfers, and statewide decisions.

Transcript Highlights:

• This funding is requested partially one-time for vehicles to maintain that stretch of road.
• To remove trees that are near the roads to make the roads safer and reduce the risk of limbs and branches
• Most of this is requested in the Highway Operations Division. $60 million of it is for road equipment
• Highway Operations Division, $60 million of it is for road equipment.
• First is make sure the roads and the bridges are in good condition.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee heard a budget presentation on the Idaho Transportation Department from Legislative Services analyst Brooke Dupree and then from Director Scott Stokes. The presentation outlined ITD’s four divisions and major funding sources, including the State Highway Fund, Aeronautics Fund, and the Transportation Expansion Congestion Mitigation (TECK) and Garvey bonding programs. The analyst also reviewed appropriation trends, noting the effect of reappropriations and the continuous appropriation of the Strategic Initiatives Program Fund, and compared the department’s request with the governor’s recommendation. ITD’s requested enhancements included $15.5 million for deferred maintenance on state buildings, funding for State Highway 16 operations and maintenance, $4.9 million for roadside tree removal, $4.7 million for new equipment, a $275 million general fund transfer for safety, capacity, road, and bridge work, and smaller requests for airport improvements and aeronautics maintenance. Members asked about the Highway 16 funding, the continuous appropriation language, the impact of the governor’s decision not to recommend the $275 million transfer, and the department’s equipment and maintenance priorities. The director explained that much of the work is contracted, that the agency is prioritizing pavement and bridge condition, and that the department is prepared to move projects quickly if funding returns. In questioning, legislators also raised concerns about the reduction in strategic initiatives funding, the department’s workforce retention, the State Street property project, and why ITD remains on its existing finance system rather than fully transitioning to LUMA. Stokes said the State Street project has had modest spending so far, with about $41 million appropriated and an estimated total cost of $60 million to $70 million, and that the agency is still housed at the Chinden campus. He also said workforce retention has improved somewhat after prior pay adjustments, and that the LUMA decision was driven by federal reimbursement and system integration concerns. The committee took no vote on the budget in this segment and adjourned with notice that rescissions, cash transfers, and statewide decisions would be taken up the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• like interstates, arterials, and other roads.
• This compares states by road condition. Thank you. Will go to the next state.
• This compares states by road condition.
• The longer-term fixes involve a potential increase in toll road use.
• So, as it's been mentioned, think of someone moving an excavator down the road.

Summary: The committee first received a presentation from NCSL staff on national transportation funding trends and alternative user-fee options as gas tax revenue declines. The presentation covered declining fuel-tax purchasing power, the effects of more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles, and a range of state responses including indexed gas taxes, EV and hybrid registration fees, voluntary and mandatory road usage charges, transportation network company fees, retail delivery fees, and per-kilowatt-hour EV charging fees. Members asked about Virginia’s mileage-fee program, enrollment rates, and whether states had reduced gas taxes alongside new fees; the presenters said they would follow up with additional information. Committee staff then presented a comparison of Washington’s transportation budget with Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah, focusing on population, lane miles, road condition, fuel taxes, preservation spending, mega-projects, and governance structures. The discussion highlighted Washington’s unique transportation pressures, including ferries, fish-passage obligations, high debt service, and major capital projects. Members asked follow-up questions about debt service, interest costs, CCA impacts on fuel prices, and whether project costs differed by state. The committee held public hearings on three bills. House Bill 2109 would allow vehicles being towed on trailers to use coverings to contain mud, rocks, or debris instead of requiring prior cleaning; the bill’s sponsor and construction witnesses supported it as a practical solution, and the fiscal note showed modest costs to WSP and WSDOT. House Bill 2139 would raise snowmobile registration fees to support snow park and trail grooming; State Parks, DNR, and several snowmobile advocates supported it, while some snowmobile users opposed it, arguing that enforcement of unregistered sleds should be addressed first. House Bill 2192 would expand the Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s fatal crash review authority and allow it to collect certain health data; the sponsor and agency supported the bill as a public-health tool, while one attorney raised concerns about limiting civil discovery and evidentiary access in fatal crash litigation.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was tested on-road, off-road.
• Take it off the road today. sticker. Take it off the road today.
• </c> road with every day. Okay. Thank you. road with every day. Okay. Thank you.
• They drive around our roads. Hampshire. They drive around our roads.
• </c> of the occupant or others on the road. of the occupant or others on the road.

Committee: Senate Commerce

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Road and bridge crews began closing impacted roads and bridges.
• All roads to hunt are two-lane roads and are all subject to flooding.
• Road. and county roads. I wrote down a quote from one of them.
• I'm not going to talk much about roads, but virtually every road in Menard County has major damage.
• on those. county roads.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um I think that the road usage charge.
• So that's that's uh our road network.
• </c> reasonable fee for using our road reasonable fee for using our road network<00:34:23.359><c> uh<
• Um so the tax taxing our roads more.
• </c> damage on our roads disproportionately. damage on our roads disproportionately.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> million of trunk highway road million of trunk highway road construction<00:54:03.599><c> projects
• We're not getting that funding for roads.
• </c> need for the local bridge and Road need for the local bridge and Road program<01:05:17.079><c> because
• </c> change their focus from Bridges to roads change their focus from Bridges to roads so<01:05:55.160
• </c><01:06:51.480><c> and</c> feet by not funding local roads and feet by not funding local roads and

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Road and bridge crews began closing impacted roads and bridges.
• All roads to Hunt are two-lane roads and are all subject to flooding.
• and county roads.
• I'm not going to talk much about roads, but virtually every road in Menard County has major damage.
• county roads.

Summary: The joint Senate and House disaster preparedness and flooding hearing opened with quorum calls, prayer, testimony time limits, and remarks from legislative leaders emphasizing decorum, respect, and the goal of learning from the July 4 flood to prevent future loss of life. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dustin Burrows said the special session and hearings were intended to hear directly from local officials and residents, and that the state would pursue immediate and longer-term legislation and continue working beyond the current session. The committee then heard invited testimony from Kerr County, Kerrville, Kendall County, Real County, and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, followed by member questions. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, Sheriff Larry Leitha, and emergency management coordinator William B. Thomas described the flood as a sudden, unprecedented event that overwhelmed local systems before many officials or residents understood the danger. They said the county received multiple National Weather Service and IPAWS alerts, but the rain fell in remote upstream areas with limited gauges, and the flood rose too quickly for normal response. They detailed the emergency response, including dispatchers handling heavy call volumes, deputies and volunteer firefighters conducting rescues, and state and federal partners assisting. County officials said 108 people died, including 37 children, and two remained missing. They called for better real-time flood detection, stronger rural emergency management resources, improved broadband and cell coverage, and more funding for swift-water rescue and warning systems. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring and City Manager Dalton Rice said the city had floodplain rules, emergency plans, and prior preparedness efforts, but the event exposed gaps in communications and regional warning capacity. They urged the Legislature to fund a flood warning system, whether sirens, automated alerts, or a hybrid, and asked for support for predictive weather modeling, broadband expansion, a hazard mitigation fund, and disaster recovery resources. The Upper Guadalupe River Authority said it had long funded gauges and pursued flood-warning and mitigation projects, including a new software-based flood prediction system and possible retention dams, and planned to dedicate reserve funds to feasibility studies and infrastructure improvements. Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk said his county’s emergency action plan and early alerts helped prevent deaths there, and he recommended easier access to alerting tools, a river-wide warning system, simpler grant applications, and regional coordination. Real County Judge Bella Rubio said rural counties face major challenges because of limited cell service, broadband, staffing, and funding, especially for camps and visitors along the Frio and Nueces rivers, and argued that reliable alert systems should be treated as a necessity, not a luxury. Members asked about the timeline of the flood, low-water crossings, communications failures, sirens, bridges, and funding, and several witnesses said the key lessons were better communications, better warning systems, and more investment in rural flood mitigation and emergency response.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need some damn roads.
• We don't have road infrastructure. We don't have road infrastructure to handle that.
• And do you support the high road principles? Yes, Senator.
• How do you define high road jobs? Do you have to find...
• How do you work off of a definition of high road jobs?

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In Morris County, this bill would rename a stretch of road as the Army Staff Sergeant Samuel T.
• This bill would rename a stretch of road as the Army Staff Sergeant Samuel T.
• One rail car can take four heavy-haul trucks off Texas roads, and that helps prolong the lifespan of
• My questions have been: Were these numbers shared with the toll road authority in Harris County?
• Take monies from the toll roads?

Committee: Senate Transportation

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee heard several bills focused on transportation infrastructure, public safety, and local commemorations. SB 2841 would clarify the overweight corridor designation for the Port of Brownsville so all three statutorily approved bridges are treated uniformly for northbound and southbound overweight traffic; the Port of Brownsville testified in support, and the bill was left pending. SB 39 would restore the commercial motor vehicle “admission rule” framework in collision cases; Senator Birdwell explained the committee substitute, and the bill was later reported favorably. The committee also heard and later advanced SB 682, SB 1369, and SB 1422, which rename stretches of highway or a bridge in honor of fallen firefighters and military service members, with no opposition testimony and all left pending before final votes. The committee also heard SB 2366, which would create a grant program for short-line railroad projects through rural rail transportation districts for track, bridge, capacity, and restoration work. Senator Hughes and several witnesses from rural rail districts and rail advocacy groups supported the bill, while TxDOT explained current rail funding is limited and that the bill would be the first such grant program for Class 3 short lines; members discussed that the bill would need a floor amendment because state funds cannot be paid directly to railroads. SB 1013 would expand crosswalk protections under the Lisa Torrey-Smith Act to include certain driveway curb cuts along sidewalks; it was supported by the author and left pending before later being reported favorably. The committee also considered SB 2080, which would modernize port and navigation district rules by easing records and procurement requirements, exempting certain security and cybersecurity discussions from recording, and expanding some operational authority. Port Houston and the Texas Ports Association supported the bill, while the City of Corpus Christi raised concerns that the language could expand port economic-development authority beyond navigation purposes and affect local tax bases; the Port of Galveston also noted concerns about the filed version but supported the bill as presented, and the committee substitute was later reported favorably. SB 2001 would create specialty license plates and related parking/toll benefits for permanently disabled peace officers; SB 2705 would codify registration exemptions for certain farm equipment and some specialty plates. Both were supported by witnesses, adopted with committee substitutes where applicable, and reported favorably. Final votes on the reported bills were largely unanimous or near-unanimous, and the committee recessed after leaving some motions open briefly.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:13.320><c> construction</c> coordination of road construction coordination of road construction
• </c> projects as they're tearing up the road projects as they're tearing up the road at<00:04:53.640>
• </c> the road only once. the road only once.
• </c><00:19:36.640><c> gets</c> to dedicate to county roads gets to dedicate to county roads gets redirected
• </c> just hope for the best when the roads just hope for the best when the roads need<00:19:56.720><c

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It requires roads, It requires roads, water systems, wastewater treatment, drainage facilities, parks
• And then, once the road is built, who maintains those roads in the MUD?
• We take in the roads as far as once the roads meet the specifications of the county and are inspected
• That butcher road, a MUD, was coming in.
• That butcher road, a mud was coming in.

Committee: House Land & Resource Management

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, is it a road that somebody else takes over, or is it a road that goes untended, or what is the
• That's our responsibility, and it costs money to maintain those roads.
• some wisdom, they decided to trade roads, and now there are no roads within the reservation that are
• fair as far as roads are concerned.
• fair as far as roads are concerned.

Committee: Joint Tribal and State Relations Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• have any more than 50 feet of road frontage?
• I did focus on the road frontage, I did focus on the setbacks, but it would also limit road frontage,
• on a Class 5 road or better; they'd be able to build on it.
• </c> setbacks but it would also limit Road setbacks but it would also limit Road Frontage<00:04:13.519
• </c> certainly strike the um the road certainly strike the um the road Frontage<00:04:56.840><c> requirement

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Keywords: 1191, senate, all