2012 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 12-037 BY SENATOR(S) Tochtrop; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Vaad, Acree, Balmer, Barker, Baumgardner, Bradford, Brown, Casso, Conti, Coram, Court, DelGrosso, Duran, Ferrandino, Fields, Fischer, Gardner B., Gerou, Hamner, Hullinghorst, Jones, Joshi, Kagan, Kefalas, Kerr A., Kerr J., Labuda, Lee, Levy, Liston, Looper, Massey, McCann, McKinley, Miklosi, Nikkel, Pabon, Pace, Peniston, Priola, Ramirez, Ryden, Schafer S., Scott, Singer, Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper, Stephens, Summers, Swalm, Swerdfeger, Szabo, Todd, Tyler, Vigil, Waller, Williams A., Wilson, Young, McNulty. CONCERNING THE NEED FOR ADEQUATE AND RELIABLE LONG-TERM SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR THE STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. WHEREAS, A safe, well-maintained, and sustainable statewide transportation system that has sufficient capacity to allow efficient movement of people and goods throughout the state is critically important to the state economy and the continued prosperity of the state; and WHEREAS, From 1995 to 2010, the population of Colorado increased by 36%, from 3.7 million people to over 5 million people, and the population is expected to increase to 6 million people by 2020; and WHEREAS, From 1995 to 2010, the total number of vehicle miles traveled in Colorado increased by 34%, from just over 35 billion miles to nearly 47 billion miles, and the number of vehicle miles traveled is expected to increase by more than an additional 20% by 2020; and WHEREAS, As the number of vehicle miles traveled on the surface transportation system increases, traffic congestion increases, roadway surfaces deteriorate more quickly, and the state and local governments must spend more money to increase the capacity of and maintain the system; and WHEREAS, The rates of the primary traditional sources of state and federal transportation funding, the state and federal excise taxes imposed on a per gallon basis on gasoline and other motor fuels, have not increased since the early 1990s; and WHEREAS, As motor vehicles have become increasingly fuel efficient, the amount of revenues generated by motor fuel taxes has remained nearly flat in nominal terms and has declined substantially in real terms, and this trend will continue as hybrid and alternative fuel motor vehicles become more popular; and WHEREAS, Despite the large increase in use of the statewide surface transportation system and legislative efforts to supplement motor fuel tax revenues with other sources of revenues, when adjusted for construction cost inflation, total state transportation funding declined from 1995 to 2010; and WHEREAS, The lack of adequate funding for construction, maintenance, and repair of the statewide surface transportation system has allowed traffic congestion to increase so that travel time delay per traveler in congested corridors averages over 18 minutes per trip and costs commuters in Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs almost $2 billion annually; and WHEREAS, The lack of adequate funding has also allowed statewide transportation system infrastructure to deteriorate so that only 48% of state highway lane miles are rated above poor condition, and without additional sources of funding that percentage is expected to drop to 30% over the next decade; and WHEREAS, The Colorado Department of Transportation estimates that an additional $157 million per year above the department's forecasted budget will be needed just to maintain the state highway system in its current condition over the next decade and that an additional $390 million per year would be needed to improve the condition of the system to meet the department's goals; and WHEREAS, In light of the size of the shortfall in funding for the statewide transportation system and the critical importance of an adequate statewide transportation system to the state economy and the continued prosperity of the state, the state must consider all reasonable means of generating additional sustainable dedicated revenues for transportation, including but not limited to increases to existing motor fuels taxes, tolling for new capacity created by public-private partnerships, and flat or variable transportation system user fees based on vehicle miles traveled; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: (1) That the Governor, the Colorado Transportation Commission, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the metropolitan planning organizations and regional planning commissions, and all other elected officials and governmental or nongovernmental entities that have responsibility for or mission-related interest in transportation planning or funding are encouraged to make every reasonable effort to develop and support the implementation of innovative and effective means of generating additional adequate and sustainable dedicated revenues for transportation. (2) That the efforts to develop and support the implementation of such means of generating revenues should include a serious and thorough examination of operational barriers to and the technical, fiscal, and political viability of developing and implementing flat or variable transportation system user fees based on vehicle miles traveled. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to Governor John W. Hickenlooper, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Transportation Don Hunt, and each metropolitan planning organization and regional planning commission in the state. ____________________________ ____________________________ Brandon C. Shaffer Frank McNulty PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES ____________________________ ____________________________ Cindi Markwell Marilyn Eddins SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES