Bill Text: TX HJR131 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Proposing a constitutional amendment allowing the expenditure of motor vehicle fuel taxes, registration fees, and federal reimbursement for those revenues for passenger rail, transit, and freight rail.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-23 - Referred to Transportation [HJR131 Detail]

Download: Texas-2011-HJR131-Introduced.html

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82R10522 MTB-D
By: Rodriguez H.J.R. No. 131

A JOINT RESOLUTION
proposing a constitutional amendment allowing the expenditure of
motor vehicle fuel taxes, registration fees, and federal
reimbursement for those revenues for passenger rail, transit, and
freight rail.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Sections 7-a and 7-b, Article VIII, Texas
Constitution, are amended to read as follows:
Sec. 7-a. Subject to legislative appropriation, allocation
and direction, all net revenues remaining after payment of all
refunds allowed by law and expenses of collection derived from
motor vehicle registration fees, and all taxes, except gross
production and ad valorem taxes, on motor fuels and lubricants used
to propel motor vehicles over public roadways, shall be used for the
sole purpose of acquiring rights-of-way, constructing,
maintaining, and policing such public roadways, and for the
administration of such laws as may be prescribed by the Legislature
pertaining to the supervision of traffic and safety on such roads;
and for the purpose of constructing, maintaining, and operating
passenger rail, transit, and freight rail; [and for the payment of
the principal and interest on county and road district bonds or
warrants voted or issued prior to January 2, 1939, and declared
eligible prior to January 2, 1945, for payment out of the County and
Road District Highway Fund under existing law;] provided, however,
that one-fourth (1/4) of such net revenue from the motor fuel tax
shall be allocated to the Available School Fund; and, provided,
however, that the net revenue derived by counties from motor
vehicle registration fees shall never be less than the maximum
amounts allowed to be retained by each County and the percentage
allowed to be retained by each County under the laws in effect on
January 1, 1945. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as
authorizing the pledging of the State's credit for any purpose.
Sec. 7-b. All revenues received from the federal government
as reimbursement for state expenditures of funds that are
themselves dedicated as provided by Section 7-a of this article
[for acquiring rights-of-way and constructing, maintaining, and
policing public roadways] are also constitutionally dedicated and
shall be used only for those purposes.
SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 8, 2011.
The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
proposition: "The constitutional amendment to allow the
expenditure of motor vehicle fuel taxes, registration fees, and
federal reimbursement for those revenues to construct, maintain,
and operate passenger rail, transit, and freight rail."