JGibs @j_gibson - Twitter Profile

A Fair Title for HB26-1430 Would Not be “Transportation Funding Adjustments.” It Would Be: The Voter Override Neutralization Act. “The people may vote to fix the roads. HB26-1430 says the legislature will respond by taking other road money away.” HB26-1430 is not a road-funding bill. It is a preemptive strike against the voters. The ballot measure it responds to is simple: Coloradans are frustrated with crumbling roads, failing pavement, congestion, and years of excuses. They are being asked whether transportation-related revenue should actually be used for road transportation. In other words: money collected from drivers should go to the roads drivers use. That is not complicated. That is accountability. But HB26-1430 reveals the legislature’s real concern. It recognizes the people may be so frustrated that they are willing to constitutionally direct funding to roads. The response is not to ask why voters have reached that point. It is not to fix the roads. It is not to respect the public’s priority. The response is to neutralize it. If the voters approve the measure, HB26-1430 cuts existing transportation-related taxes and fees, including fuel taxes, registration-related fees, late fees, and road usage fees. So while the people may vote to put more money into roads, the legislature is preparing to reduce other road-related revenue at the same time. That is the shell game. The people say, “Use transportation money for transportation.” The legislature says, “Then we will lower other transportation money to protect our budget.” This bill is not about improving road maintenance. Reducing road-related revenue does not fill potholes, repair bridges, or expand capacity. It only makes sense if the goal is to protect legislative spending priorities from the clear priority of the people. And that is exactly what HB26-1430 does. It treats a potential vote of the people not as a command to be honored, but as a problem to be managed. It builds an escape hatch before the voters even cast their ballots. That should trouble every Coloradan, regardless of party. When the people use the Constitution to say “fix the roads,” the legislature should listen. HB26-1430 says something else: protect the budget, protect the priorities, and blunt the voters’ decision before it can fully take effect. That is not road funding. That is voter-proofing the status quo. Strange and sad things happen in the last few days of every session. Things move fast and many hope that the people won't catch all the changes. This bill is a disturbing example of premeditated voter nullification. A blatant attempt to influence the vote.