Committee Assignments
Much of the work of the legislature is carried out in committees. Here issues are studied, policy is formed, and legislation is drafted to implement those policies. Committees often spend much time preparing bills and listening to testimony before presenting proposed new legislation to the full House of Representatives.
I serve on the House Committee on Transportation. I also was elected to serve on the House Rules Committee. Other spceial legislative committees to which I was assigned this biennium are the Legislative Advisory Committee on the State House and Vermont Forest Carbon Sequestration Working Group.
The Transportation Committee has spent much early session focued on the annual Transportation Bill language and the budget bill. Later in the session, we will take up the miscellaneous DMV bill, which the Senate has passed.
Vermont's transportation funding (known as the T-Fund) is experiencing several pressures to its ability to fund and sustain current expenditures. Currently the T-Fund has three main sources of revenue: fuel taxes, purchase and use taxes, and DMV fees.
The gas tax is shrinking due to higher-efficiency vehicles and less overall travel. While this is a problem for revenue, burning less gas benefits our environmental goals. This underscores that gas is not a fuel for the future, and we cannot continue to heavily rely on this revenue source.
FY2023 revenue from gasoline is forecasted at $75.9 million for the T-Fund, plus $15.4 million for the Transportation Infrastructure Bond Fund (TIB Fund.) Diesel revenue is forecast at $19.4 million for the T-Fund, plus $2.1 million for the TIB Fund.
The increased formula funds within the federal Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act (IIJA) has a state match requirement, and last and best estimates will exceed our current revenue predictions.
The increased grant opportunities within the IIJA, which are competitive grants, would require grant managers and additional state match funds for Vermont to access these resources. On the positive side, it offers opportunities to advance programs and projects that will impact all our communities.
House and Senate Transportation Committees recognize challenge at hand: spend less money, or make more. Moving past FY2024, Vermont’s transportation revenues are not expected to be sufficient to pay for the projected transportation needs facing the state.
Other states have addressed this challenge by increasing motor fuel taxes, adjusting registration and licensing fees, making sales tax changes, changing how expenses and revenues are dedicated to transportation, bonding, initiating Vehicle Miles Travelled programs or Tolls/Congestion Pricing.