Friends, 

Colorado State Representative Alice Madden (D-Boulder) has introduced a bill to provide funds for multi-modal transportation projects.  The bill is cosponsored by Senator Joan Fitz-Gerald (D-Golden).  The Revenues for Multi-modal Capital Transportation Projects (HB-1329) bill asks the legislature to approve a November, 2001, referendum in which voters would be asked to use some of the projected state tax surplus revenue for rail, bus, bike, and pedestrian projects throughout Colorado.  ColoRail has been involved in the development of this bill and enthusiastically supports it. 

If approved by the voters, $50 million would be made available for multi-modal projects beginning in the 2002 Fiscal Year.  The amount of money drawn from the state tax surplus fund would increase each fiscal year to $150 by 2005 and remain at that level until 2011 for a total amount of $1.325 billion over the life the proposal.  The bill provides the money directly to C-DOT and allows C-DOT to develop priorities as to how the money is spent.  The bill allows funds to be spent on HOV projects but prohibits the use of the money for highway projects such general lane and high occupancy toll (HOT) lane projects.  According to the recently approved 2020 Statewide Transportation Plan, C-DOT already as a list of unfunded projects, $11 billion of which are multi-modal and rail related.  At the present time, C-DOT is one of five states in the country that spends no state tax money for multi-modal projects and according to its fiscally constrained plan, will not spend any money on non-highway projects for at least the next 20 years.  This bill helps C-DOT remedy this inequity. 

The bill provides specific definitions of how the money may be spent and gives criteria that the Transportation Commission should employ in determining the projects, their priorities, and the amount localities would be required to contribute to any one project.  In order to provide funding equity throughout the state, the measure requires that a minimum of 25% of th e funds be spent in areas outside of the Front Range counties.  Matching local funds may include the use of federal funds. 

You may read the bill in its entirety by going to the Colorado General Assembly web site at:  <www.state.co.us/gov_dir/stateleg.html>   

Go to "House" and click on "Bills" and then click on "HB01-1329".  

The bill must be downloaded to be read.  It is 13 pages long. 

The bill has been assigned to the House Finance Committee but no hearing date has been scheduled for it.  

We will be following this bill very closely and will advise you as to how you can help in its passage in future e-mail reports. 

Jon Esty,
President ColoRail