Colorado  State  Legislature  Nearing  Decision  On  big  Transportation  Bill

Colorado lawmakers are in the process of sifting through a bill that Governor Jared Polis is describing as a “transformational transportation proposal” for the Centennial State.

Polis, along with a group of legislative leaders, has proposed a sweeping measure designed to build and repair roads and bridges, as well as enhancing the state’s transit options.

The legislation comes with a $5.2 billion price tag, with some $3.8 billion to come out of road use fee revenue, not to mention the money annually collected from Colorado’s gas tax and vehicle registration fees.

The legislation is partly in response to Colorado’s continued population boom, which has seen the state go from 4.3 million people in 2000 to just under 6 million people today.                                                       

State transportation officials say that population increase, along with a concurrent increase in vehicular traffic, has placed an unprecedented strain on roads, highways, and bridges that were in many cases built more than 40 years ago for a substantially smaller state.

Noting that Colorado is on the verge of an economic recovery as it heads into a post-pandemic era, Polis remarked: “We can’t talk about the Colorado comeback without bold action to modernize our roads, bridges, and transit, and that’s what this bill is all about.”

The legislation, otherwise known as Senate Bill 260, has been long in the planning stage and will also mandate fees on the purchase of diesel fuel as well as electric vehicle registration.

While the bill has received support from several business groups, including the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, it is opposed by the Colorado chapter of the Americans for Prosperity, a citizen’s group contending that any proposed increase in the state’s fuel taxes should first go before voters.

In a statement, Jesse Mallory, director of the group, said the timing of the transportation legislation “could not be worse as families are recovering their losses from the pandemic.”

Mallory additionally disclosed that an initiative is underway to put on a statewide ballot in 2022 a proposal mandating that any such fee increases must have the approval of voters.

Members of the legislature are expected to make a final determination on the $5.2 billion bill within the next several weeks, in time for the June 12 adjournment date.

By Garry Boulard

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