Voters are going to the polls across Connecticut today, but the election transportation advocates are focused on won’t be here for a few more months.
More than 30 organizations submitted a letter Monday state asking lawmakers to support H.J. 1, a resolution to put a constitutional transportation lockbox on the ballot this November. The Connecticut General Assembly considered similar legislation in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 sessions (and during a special session in December). The measure cleared the Transportation Committee last month; if it passes both the House and the Senate with a three-quarters majority, it will be up to Nutmeg State voters to decide whether to the state’s transportation revenues should be used solely for transportation purposes.
Full text of the letter below:
April 25, 2016
To: Members of the Connecticut General Assembly
Re: Vote for the Constitutional Amendment Establishing a Special Transportation Fund Lockbox
Improving and expanding our roads, bridges and transit network is essential to Connecticut’s economic future. Transportation investments have a long lead time in planning and implementing and need long-term funding reliability. The time to act is now!
As representatives of organizations from across the state, we believe that transportation investments are critical to Connecticut. Once again, we ask that the members of the General Assembly support the establishment of a constitutional lockbox to secure the revenues needed to address Connecticut’s pressing transportation challenges. Let the voices of your constituent voters be heard on this resolution in the November 2016 elections.
Investment in transportation creates jobs and gets people to their jobs and affects the daily lives of all residents. Transportation investments generate the revenue needed to support necessary state services and improve the quality of life for Connecticut residents and workers.
The need for transportation investments continues to grow as the systems we rely on deteriorate due to age, weather, and constant heavy usage. Congestion on our roads and failures on our rails and bridges not only costs residents millions of dollars a year, the potential safety issues imperil our traveling public.
We urge members of the House and Senate to approve the establishment of a Special Transportation Fund (STF) lockbox through an amendment to the State Constitution. Please pass the resolution with the necessary ¾ vote majority needed to put the question on the November ballot so that the residents of the state can vote on this critical question.
Ensuring that collected revenues will be dedicated to transportation purposes will instill public confidence in the state’s ability to deliver on a promise of much needed improvements across all modes of transportation. It lays a solid foundation for good public policy going forward as the state takes action on much needed transportation investments.
Thank you for your consideration. Let the people decide!
Groups signing onto the letter include AAA Allied Group, American Council of Engineering Companies of Connecticut, Associated General Contractors of Connecticut, Association of Commuter Rail Employees, Bike Walk Connecticut, Bridgeport Regional Business Council, Capitol Region Council of Governments, Carpenters Labor Management Program, Connecticut Asphalt & Aggregates Producers Association, Connecticut Association for Community Transportation, Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Connecticut Construction Industries Association, Connecticut Environmental & Utilities Contractors Association, Connecticut Fund for the Environment, Connecticut Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Connecticut Road Builders Association, Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers, Connecticut Society of Professional Engineers, Connecticut Subcontractors Association, CT Citizens’ Transportation Lobby, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478, Middlesex Chamber of Commerce, Midstate Chamber of Commerce, Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, New England Regional Council of Carpenters, Northwest Connecticut’s Chamber of Commerce, Regional Plan Association, Southeast Connecticut Council of Governments, Stamford Chamber of Commerce, The Business Council of Fairfield County, Transit for Connecticut and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
