Transcript Highlights:

• One of them is pavement road conditions; overall road conditions, the other is bridge conditions.
• costs of road construction.
• We all want better roads.
• That mostly go to roads, what if they just all went to roads?
• it back in the road fund.

Transcript Highlights:

• and, you know, causing the damage to the roads.
• It introduced the Hawaii public to what a road usage charge is and showed how a road usage charge would
• As the fourth state to adopt a road usage charge, Hawaii's road usage charge legislation closely follows
• It allows EV drivers a choice between paying a per-mile road usage charge and a $50 flat annual road
• The road usage... The flat annual road usage charge of $50.

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee first took up three highway naming resolutions on its consent calendar: ACR 109, SCR 78, and SCR 90. The committee approved the consent calendar with 11 aye votes and no no votes, then adjourned the bill-hearing portion. Members also recognized committee science fellow AJ Mendeola for his service, noting his contributions to bill analysis and staff support. The committee then held an informational hearing on alternatives to the gas tax, focused on the projected decline in fuel-tax revenue and the need for a more sustainable transportation funding model. The chair and invited experts described how inflation, improved fuel efficiency, and growth in electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles are eroding gas-tax revenues. Presenters from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the University of California discussed state options such as higher or indexed gas taxes, EV registration fees, road usage charges, delivery fees, public EV charging fees, transportation network company fees, and managed lanes, emphasizing tradeoffs among revenue adequacy, fairness, administrative cost, and public acceptance. Committee members raised concerns that mileage-based fees or EV fees could function as new taxes on commuters and lower-income drivers, especially if the gas tax is not repealed. Presenters responded that road usage charges are generally intended as replacements for the gas tax, not additions, and argued that mileage-based systems better preserve the user-pays principle while being less tied to vehicle fuel efficiency. They also noted that flat EV registration fees are easy to administer but can be less equitable because they are not linked to actual road use. Officials from Hawaii, Utah, and Oregon described their state programs and policy choices. Hawaii said its new road usage charge began July 1, 2025, for EVs, offers a choice between a per-mile charge and a flat annual fee through 2028, and will transition to mandatory EV participation before expanding to all light-duty vehicles by 2033. Utah described its voluntary EV road usage charge program, quarterly reporting, privacy protections, and legislative scenarios for removing the cap or making participation mandatory. Oregon outlined its constitutional cost-responsibility framework and broader transportation funding challenges, including reliance on user fees and limited use of general-fund support.

Transcript Highlights:

• People dying on our roads.
• road.
• We're building roads. We're building roads better.
• Maintaining our roads and bridges, our local wetlands, our local roads and bridges, our county roads,
• For those who build our roads, the workers that build our roads, this is House File 2438.

Transcript Highlights:

• Plow the roads. But the them, okay? Plow the roads.
• a road hard road to time to read a hard a road hard road to travel<04:00:55.520> 199<04:00:56.000
• All roads are under the town public roads, not private roads. Okay.
• All roads are under the town public roads, not private roads. Okay.
• we class road, a class 6 road that now we class road, a class 6 road that now we just<04:13:45.680

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Everything else is dirt road in town and dead-end roads.
• These are logging roads that are connecting trails. It's not main roads. It's not traffic roads.
• , class 5 roads, and class 6 roads.
• on those roads also the class six roads on those roads also the class six roads that<03:00:28.640
• <03:22:27.040> really road gets degraded if that road really road gets degraded if that road

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting was an orientation for the Resources, Recreation and Development Committee, led by Chair Bob Harb. He reviewed committee procedures, including pink cards for witnesses, blue sheets for counts, use of drawers in the committee room, scheduling practices, and how bills would be posted and distributed. Members briefly introduced themselves and explained why they wanted to serve on the committee, with several citing interests in conservation, water quality, outdoor recreation, land use, and related local issues. The committee then opened a hearing on HB 1113, relative to OHRV operation on certain highways within the town of Windsor. Representative Ré Colcombe, the sponsor, explained that the bill would allow local OHV/UTV access across a short section of state road in Windsor so residents on divided portions of town could travel legally between areas. He said the town selectmen were already allowing OHRV use on town roads, the route was paved, traffic impacts were expected to be minimal, and local police had no objections. He also said the town would hold public hearings and notify abutters as required, and that if the select board ultimately opposed the proposal he would recommend killing the bill. Members asked about the legal authority for the change, speed limits, traffic volume, winter maintenance, and whether the Department of Transportation or select board had to approve the route. Colcombe said the town must hold a public hearing and that the change would need to be incorporated into RSA 258:10, section 4. He said the road is maintained by the town in winter and by the state in summer. An opponent, Anne Davis, testified that she opposed the bill, saying ATV use should be treated as a tool for forest management rather than recreation, that law enforcement capacity in Windsor was a concern, and that she believed affected residents should be fully notified before any approval. No vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, if we don't put money into the road fund, we don't build roads. We don't build roads.
• I agree that we need to spend money on our roads. We need to fix our roads.
• But we have a lot of roads. And, you know, we have a lot of rural areas, a lot of roads.
• all goes to roads, yes.
• Senator, some goes to the road fund and some goes to the local road fund, but it all goes to roads, yes

Bills: SB251, SB150, SB154, SB73, SB111, SB172, SB76, SB181, SB235

Keywords: horse racing, program training, program owning, state licensing, racehorses, regulation, local news, newspaper printing, journalism, media tax credit, print media, digital news, news publisher, newsprint, press operator, printing industry, local journalism, tax credit, income tax, corporate income tax

Transcript Highlights:

• Pricing road usage is the only known way to actually reduce congestion.
• Those special interests who want toll roads. A toll road that is on to that is on the road already.
• city streets or rural roads.
• So I respectfully urge you to not lock the term frontage roads into law.
• road bonds where they said it was for roads, but all but 3 of the projects were to actually tear up streets

Transcript Highlights:

• And you know what, if we had a road budget, if we had a permanent road fund, we'd be able to keep those
• for road infrastructure.
• Are their fuel taxes for roads staying for roads, or is it going? To the general fund, Mr.
• But without roads, this state is nothing, and it's fundamental government to build roads.
• for the road fund.

Transcript Highlights:

• of each road.
• of each road.
• the original condition of the road. the original condition of the road.
• we build roads, not sidewalks. we build roads, not sidewalks.
• trying to get them in the road plan. trying to get them in the road plan.

Keywords: 00:05 Call to Order and Roll Call 01:55 Bridge Improvement Program 18:56 County Priority Projects Program 38:10 Transportation Alternative Program 51:47 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee met for the first interim meeting of the 2025 Budget Review Committee on Transportation and heard from Bobby Jo Lewis, commissioner of Rural and Municipal Aid at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. She reviewed the new County City Bridge Improvement Program, created in the 2024 regular session, reporting that phases one and two are complete, 45 bridges have been funded so far, and about $18.45 million has been authorized. She said roughly $6.549 million remains for phase three in the current fiscal year, with about $26.445 million in bridge applications still pending. For fiscal year 2026, the program will again have $25 million and will use four application phases. She also described a training resource, Local Bridges 101, and said a new executive advisor, Greg Meredith, has been brought in to help with the bridge program. Members asked how rollover applications would be handled, whether they would be re-evaluated with new applications, how the program would account for bridge longevity and load posting, and how isolated communities would be prioritized. Lewis said applicants not funded in FY25 would be contacted and could choose to roll their applications into FY26, and all applications would be evaluated together at the end of each phase. She said preservation projects are assessed for how much they extend a bridge’s life, and isolated community access bridges or closed bridges with no detour access receive priority. She also said the department aims for equitable distribution across regions and plans to produce a map showing where funds have been awarded. Lewis then turned to the County Priority Projects Program and the Local Assistance Road Program established in House Bill 546 and related resolutions. She said the application cycle opened June 1 and closes October 1, with 106 memoranda of agreement being prepared for awards in House Joint Resolution 46. She described updated application and reporting forms, a scoring matrix, and a County City Pavement Evaluation Manual used to rate projects based on preservation of assets, average daily traffic, recent improvements, safety, cost, and district priority. She said projects must be rehabilitation projects designed to restore the original condition of the road, cannot exceed $500,000, and must use local match percentages tied to the economic development grant program formula. She also reported on funding status for prior road projects, including completed, partially completed, pending, and underrun amounts that may be reauthorized. Committee members asked about photo documentation, online access to project materials, how to measure whether projects truly restore roads to original condition, and what happens when project costs exceed estimates. Lewis said the department is still working on how best to store and share the large volume of photos, and that projects are certified through district offices and local sign-off after completion. She said overages are the responsibility of the applicant because the state does not have additional money beyond the awarded amount. No formal votes were taken during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> to fix the roads. >> to fix the roads, you know, a lot of this stuff could have...
• And that requires good roads, if not great roads. It's really important.
• , about fixing the roads.
• road.
• And the accident might be because of the road conditions, the unsafe road conditions, The crumbling roads

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• limits for all road users. limits for all road users.
• assuming it was all roads. assuming it was all roads.
• private on their roads? private on their roads?
• road.
• roads? roads?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Out of the road fund, out of the general fund, directly going into the road fund.
• Madam Chair, Senator, the transportation road fund is for local road projects.
• It's used by local governments for their roads. Whereas the State road fund is for state roads.
• So when you say state roads, are you talking about roads or is it?
• So I guess what I'm asking is: the road fund, does that just mean roads?

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, just based on, you know, I travel that road. I have videos of the road.
• They're using this road. There are heavy loads. It's a two-lane road in areas, the edges crumbled.
• So, centerline mile of a road, a two-lane road, it's just the distance from Santa Fe to Albuquerque.
• Do you call that a one-lane road or a two-lane road? Mr.
• So there was a one-lane road. So a two-lane road, yeah.

Transcript Highlights:

• Most of it is on-road riding. We do have... Most of it is on-road riding. We do have an ABATE.
• I still like riding off-road.
• I still like riding off-road.
• You're doing some of the roads that have been wildcat roads that are out there.
• The analysis on decommissioning roads is primarily driven by labor to decommission roads.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle Study Committee met with a quorum and heard opening remarks from members and stakeholders representing OHV users, ranching, state agencies, land management, law enforcement, and industry. The committee reviewed Senate Bill 1519, which would raise the OHV/ATV weight threshold from 2,500 to 3,500 pounds, create an OHV Law Enforcement Fund, direct certain vehicle license tax revenue to that fund, and allow some OHV recreation on state trust lands under existing permit rules. Members discussed the fiscal and policy implications of changing the weight threshold and whether to keep the current Highway User Revenue Fund structure intact or redirect revenue for OHV enforcement and mitigation. Industry testimony estimated roughly 11,000 new off-road vehicles were sold in Arizona in 2025, with about 24% over 2,500 pounds, and committee members debated whether a flat sticker fee increase or a revenue-neutral adjustment would be cleaner than shifting VLT revenue. The committee also reviewed Senate Bill 1567, enacted in 2024, which requires OHV owners to complete an online education course before receiving an OHV indicia, with a report due December 1, 2026 and repeal of the requirement in 2027. Game and Fish staff said the education requirement has already appeared to improve behavior, especially helmet use by children. Several witnesses supported expanding education to all operators, not just owners, and suggested a single statewide course for consistency and easier enforcement. A nonprofit representative described plans for an OHV ambassador/education program and said it would support a universal training requirement and self-policing efforts. A major portion of the meeting focused on funding needs for OHV law enforcement and resource mitigation. Based on prior committee direction, outside stakeholders presented estimates that county law enforcement needs could total about $3.5 million annually, while natural resource damage and road decommissioning needs could average about $7.5 million annually over time, for a combined target of roughly $11 million per year. The discussion emphasized that the estimate was intended as a broad target rather than a precise census, and that it did not include all possible costs such as fence repair, tank restoration, or environmental compliance. Members and witnesses discussed soft versus hard road closures, the need to prioritize resource protection areas, and the importance of pairing mitigation projects with enforcement and education so that repaired areas are not quickly damaged again. No formal votes were taken in the portion provided, but the committee appeared to be gathering information to guide future recommendations on fees, funding channels, and education policy.

Transcript Highlights:

• So this shows the revenue that goes into the state road fund.
• So, uh, we've already discussed the state road fund state-run forecast, state road fund forecast, sorry
• In looking at your state road fund long range forecast, and the second page, the real estate road fund
• But as long as you get better roads, and I think that nobody knows those roads better than the truckers
• But It, it was just a a road trip on I-40.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, we produce a lot of what's needed to do roads, and I'm very proud of that.
• Highway 491, and New Mexico State Road 371 are in. My district.
• And so I was able to replace my tires and go back on the road safely.
• comes into play, the road fund doesn't go away, correct?
• Chairman, is lose all the state road fund to this bonding project.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm looking at, I'm driving the road in Google, and I see that it's a two-lane road with very narrow
• <00:32:19.039> so bit in that area it's a curvy road so bit in that area it's a curvy road
• actually think I've been on this road actually think I've been on this road before<00:32:30.320>
• So from what I can tell, at County Road 5 or Kasson 5, there's a signal at County Road 3.
• Road 3 or casassa 3 Mr Johnson Mr chair Road 3 or casassa 3 Mr Johnson Mr chair members<00:55:43.480>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So when you pull off the road, you're really pulling off the road.
• see on this road.
• ’s just traffic on the roads when you have the bus on the road.
• , have all worked together to be proactive and get people off the road to close these roads.
• That's a long stretch of road. There's, you know, like we've said, it's a very busy road.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, the industry does still feel that that is a negative impact to road projects, road costs.
• And from that perspective, we stand in that. ...to road projects, road costs, and from that perspective
• And then 50% would go to general fund, 20 to the state road fund, 15 to the state road fund, 15 to the
• These are annual road fund program.
• These are annual road fund program.

Keywords: 996, all

Summary: The committee heard a District 5 New Mexico Department of Transportation presentation from Rhonda Lopez, who reviewed the district’s FY26 budget, staffing vacancies, and the status of special appropriations from 2020 through 2025. She described numerous completed and ongoing projects across the district, including roadway overlays, bridge work, intersection improvements, ADA upgrades, and maintenance projects, and also summarized STIP, TPF, LGRF, and equipment needs. Members asked about a guardrail issue near U.S. 64 in Hogback, the 5% local match for TPF projects, and the status of the New Mexico 371/U.S. 36 intersection funding agreement with the Navajo Nation; DOT said the match is secured or waived where applicable and that the Navajo agreement is nearly finalized. The committee then heard House Bill 270, which would amend the Public Works Apprentice Training Act to require contributions to apprenticeship and training programs for certain public works contracts, including highway-related work, while creating an exception where no approved apprenticeship program exists for a trade classification. The sponsor said the bill was intended to strengthen workforce development and support apprenticeship training. Contractors and asphalt industry representatives opposed the bill, arguing it would raise road project costs and duplicate existing training contributions. A motion to table failed on a tie, and a later motion to pass also failed on a tie, leaving the bill in committee. Next, the committee heard House Bill 322, which would create a transportation trust fund and transportation program fund, dedicate additional revenue sources including a portion of electricity GRT and motor vehicle excise tax, and begin annual distributions for federal matching funds in 2029. The sponsor and supporters said the bill would help address a multi-billion-dollar road funding gap, improve maintenance, and provide a stable source for matching federal dollars. Some members raised concerns about the electricity tax component, its effect on utility bills, and overlap with recently enacted transportation financing measures; others supported the concept but questioned timing and funding priorities. A motion on the bill resulted in a tie and failed, leaving the bill in committee. The meeting concluded with a District 4 NMDOT legislative presentation. The district outlined its geography, budget, staffing vacancy rate, completed special appropriations, active construction and maintenance projects, wildfire-related recovery work, local government funding allocations, and equipment replacement needs. Members asked about school district uses of local funding and the impact of aging equipment and weather on maintenance costs. The presentation ended without any formal action on District 4 items, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• road aid.
• road fund. road fund.
• be used on county roads. be used on county roads.
• I don't get calls from the cabinet to see if they can do a state road or a federal road.
• I don't get calls from the cabinet to see if they can do a state road or a federal road.

Keywords: 958, all