2013 TRUST Legislative Agenda (printer friendly version here)

STATE

• Protect ODOT eight-year construction work plan. TRUST’s top priority is to ensure funding remains at a level where no planned projects are cut from the current eight-year highway and bridge construction work plan and supports long-term transportation investments with continued increases to the ROADS fund.

• Support Bridge & Turnpike Modernization Plan. In an effort to continue to improve state and county structurally deficient bridges, TRUST supports adequate annual state appropriations to complete the “Bridge Improvement & Turnpike Modernization Plan” to bring the number of currently known structurally deficient bridges to less than one percent.

• Motor vehicle fees redirected to transportation. A core principle of TRUST is all transportation-derived revenues should be used strictly for transportation. TRUST supports returning the remaining allocation of motor vehicle fees from general government to transportation and we encourage the appropriate allocation of motor vehicle fees to state highways, country roads and municipal streets taking into consideration previous motor vehicle fees and general fund allocations. TRUST will continue to support this concept as a matter of sound public policy.

• Renovations of Port of Entries – Weigh Stations. TRUST supports methods to complete the construction of nine ports of entries or weigh stations in order to protect highway and bridge quality from overweight freight traveling across the state. Doing so will result in increased revenues from fines and fees due to increased monitoring of overweight commercial traffic. TRUST also supports returning the one-cent transportation user fee from the Petroleum Storage Tank Indemnity Fund to transportation needs to service the bond debt. This allows for no revenue impact or increased taxes while utilizing transportation fees to support transportation needs.

• Innovative funding for transportation. TRUST supports innovative and alternative transportation funding that is revenue adequate for the intended purpose and user equitable as part of a comprehensive approach to increase overall transportation funding.

FEDERAL

• Support timely reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs. TRUST supports efforts to permanently and adequately fund the Highway Trust Fund, and efforts to permanently reverse Oklahoma’s status as a donor state by ensuring Oklahoma receives the full share of its federal motor fuel fees.

• Support Indian Reservation Roads Program. Each year tribal transportation partnerships across the state contribute more than $50 million annually to highway and bridge construction. TRUST supports the current apportionment formula of IRR federal funds and supports expansion of the IRR program and tribal partnerships.