Virginia Transportation Revenue Lockbox Amendment (2018)
| Virginia Transportation Revenue Lockbox Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic State and local government budgets, spending and finance and Transportation | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Virginia Transportation Revenue Lockbox Amendment was not on the ballot in Virginia as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018.
The measure would have required that all revenue dedicated by law to transportation funds, such as the Commonwealth Transportation Fund, Transportation Trust Fund, and Highway Maintenance and Operating Fund, be spent on (a) constructing, improving, maintaining, and operating transportation systems, (b) furthering the interests of highways, public transportation, railways, seaports, and airports, and (c) operating state agencies related to transportation.[1][2]
The Virginia General Assembly would have been permitted to borrow money from transportation funds for other uses by a two-thirds vote of each house. Money borrowed from transportation funds would have needed to be repaid with reasonable interest no later than four fiscal years after the borrowing.
Text of measure
Ballot question
The question on the ballot would have been as follows:[3]
| “ |
Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to require that funds designated for transportation purposes be used exclusively for transportation purposes, unless directed for another use by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly, rather than the current process by which funds may be redirected to non-transportation purposes by a simple majority vote?[4] |
” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article X, Virginia Constitution
The measure would have added a Section 7-B to Article X of the Virginia Constitution. The following text would have been added:[1][2] Note: Use your mouse to scroll over the text below to see the full text.
(a) The General Assembly shall maintain permanent and separate Transportation Funds. The Commonwealth Transportation Fund, Transportation Trust Fund, Highway Maintenance and Operating Fund, any other Fund established by general law for transportation, and all subsidiary accounts and parts thereof, shall be deemed Transportation Funds for purposes of this section.
(b) There shall be deposited to the Transportation Funds all revenues dedicated to the Transportation Funds under provisions of general law, but excluding a general appropriation law, in effect on January 1, 2018. However, the General Assembly may by general law, but excluding a general appropriation law, make changes to the revenues dedicated and paid into the Transportation Funds. Money in the Transportation Funds may be invested as authorized by law.
(c) The General Assembly shall appropriate Transportation Funds only for purposes of (i) financing, acquiring, constructing, improving, maintaining, and operating transportation systems in the Commonwealth, and all purposes incidental thereto; (ii) furthering the interests of the Commonwealth in highways, public transportation, railways, seaports, and airports; and (iii) providing for the operations of state agencies related to transportation.
(d) The General Assembly may borrow from Transportation Funds for other purposes only by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house. The name of each member voting and how he voted shall be recorded in the journal of each house. Any amount borrowed shall be repaid to the Transportation Funds, with reasonable interest, not later than the end of the fourth full fiscal year following the effective date of the borrowing.[4]
Background
Other transportation lockbox measures
- See also: State and local government budgets, spending and finance on the ballot and Transportation on the ballot
Voters in California approved a ballot initiative, Proposition 22, in 2010 that prohibited the California State Legislature from allocating revenue from fuel taxes in specific funds to the state's general fund.[5]
In 2014, voters in Maryland and Wisconsin decided on transportation fund lockbox measures. Maryland's Question 1 established a transportation fund defined by the state constitution, required that the fund's revenue only be used for transportation-related projects, and required that the revenue not be transferred (with certain exceptions). Wisconsin's Question 1 required that transportation-related revenue could only be used for projects under the purview of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Both measures were approved.
Illinois and New Jersey voted on transportation lockbox measures in 2016. The amendment to the Illinois Constitution was designed to prohibit the state legislature from using transportation funds for non-transportation related projects. Citizens to Protect Transportation Funding, the support campaign, spent $3.8 million to help the amendment pass. New Jersey Question 2 pitted Gov. Chris Christie, an amendment supporter, against his lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno, who opposed the amendment. Voters approved the measure 54.5 to 45.5 percent. Question 2 required that all revenue derived from taxes on motor fuels be deposited into the Transportation Trust Fund. Louisiana voters approved Amendment 3, a transportation lockbox measure, in October 2017.
The following table illustrates the outcome of each transportation lockbox amendment:
| State | Initiative | Year | Percent “Yes” | Percent “No” |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Proposition 22 | 2010 | 60.62% | 39.38% |
| Maryland | Question 1 | 2014 | 81.65% | 18.35% |
| Wisconsin | Question 1 | 2014 | 79.94% | 20.06% |
| New Jersey | Question 2 | 2014 | 54.51% | 45.49% |
| Illinois | Amendment | 2016 | 78.91% | 21.09% |
| Louisiana | Amendment 3 | 2017 | 53.13% | 46.87% |
| Average | 68.13% | 31.87% |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Virginia Constitution
In Virginia, a constitutional amendment needs to be passed by a simple majority vote in both chambers of the state legislature over two consecutive legislative sessions to be certified for the ballot. The amendment was not passed before the Virginia 2018 state legislative session ended on March 10, 2018, and was therefore not certified for the November 2018 ballot.
2017 legislative session
Rep. Dave LaRock (R-33) introduced the amendment into the legislature as House Joint Resolution 693 on January 10, 2017. The Virginia House of Delegates approved the amendment on February 6, 2017. The Virginia Senate decided to pass an amended version of the measure, 24 to 16, on February 24, 2017. The House approved the amended bill, 71 to 23, on February 25, 2017. Six representatives did not vote.[6]
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Vote in upper house on February 24, 2017[6]
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Vote in lower house on February 25, 2017[6]
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2018 legislative session
This amendment was introduced in the legislature as House Joint Resolution 41. On February 8, 2018, the state House approved HJR 41.[7]
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Virginia Legislature, "House Joint Resolution 693
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Virginia Legislature, "Amendments to HJR 693," accessed February 25, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Legislature, "HB 734 Constitutional amendment; special funds for transportation purposes." accessed February 7, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ California Secretary of State, "California General Election Official Voter Guide, November 2010," accessed January 9, 2018
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Virginia Legislature, "House Joint Resolution 693 Overview," accessed February 25, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Legislature, "HJ 41 Constitutional amendment; Transportation Funds (second reference)." February 7, 2018
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