Logan Mover, an analyst with the Joint Fiscal Office, told the House Transportation Committee on May 22 that April transportation revenues were essentially on their monthly target but that year‑to‑date receipts remained below the January forecast.

“We are still, point 9% below or, $2,200,000,” Mover said, adding that the shortfall followed a larger gap reported in the prior month.

Committee members pushed to turn the revenue update into action. Chair (title used in the hearing as “chair”) and several representatives debated whether the committee should draft a letter to the governor and agencies before adjournment asking for policies that protect or increase transportation funding. The options discussed included reducing transfers out of the transportation fund to the education fund, considering modest revenue increases, or a combination of offsetting revenue and savings.

The Joint Fiscal Office presentation showed the Transportation Fund (T Fund) has grown about 5.1% year‑over‑year for the trailing 12 months but that, on the forecast adopted in January, cumulative collections were roughly 0.9%—about $2.2 million—below target. Mover also noted a five‑year compound annual growth rate projection of about 1.22% for the T Fund absent policy changes.

Representative Frank asked who develops the forecast used as the target; Mover said the consensus forecast is created by JFO staff and legislative staff—“Jam Carr who works for the agency and then, Tom Kavett, who works for the legislators.”—and adopted by the legislative body that sets revenue expectations in January and is updated in July.

Members raised several specific funding and program figures cited during the session: the DMV fee package passed earlier in the year was described as a roughly 20% statutory increase in fees, while recent collections have shown about a 9.5% lift in those fee receipts when measured on a short window; committee members also cited a federal match gap the agency reported as roughly $20 million and characterized as trending toward $30 million. Committee discussion noted there remain several hundred thousand dollars of unspent budget items but that those sums would not close the multi‑million dollar gap discussed.

Representative Burke and others emphasized the committee’s role in educating the larger House membership about the shortfall and exploring revenue‑neutral options or targeted revenue increases. Several members urged that any letter or recommendation be high level and focused on the funding challenge and possible categories of responses—protecting T Fund revenues, limiting transfers, or asking agencies to propose revenue and cost‑saving options—rather than prescribing a specific tax or fee in detail.

Committee members also noted statutory review thresholds: if transportation revenues decline beyond a small percentage, legislative review processes are triggered under the relevant transportation bill language; members cited roughly a 1% threshold for certain required actions and a 4% threshold that would require identification of specific projects to the Joint Transportation Oversight Committee (JTOC). Mover said he did not have the precise statutory text on hand but that staff could follow up with the exact citations.

No formal motion or vote to send a letter was recorded in committee minutes during the session. Members agreed to continue discussion over the next week of session and to consider drafting language for a letter that could be completed before the legislature adjourns; several members said they expected follow‑up work over the summer and a fuller review after the interim when members reconvene.

The committee also discussed ancillary matters tied to affordability and revenue, including a proposal to change the cadence of vehicle safety inspections. Members voiced concern that moving inspections to every two years could reduce revenue for the T Fund and asked the Department of Motor Vehicles and Agency of Transportation staff to provide additional information about safety and fiscal impacts before any statutory change was pursued.

The committee asked Joint Fiscal Office staff to continue providing monthly updates and to supply statutory citations and thresholds for required reviews of transportation revenues. Committee members said any final letter or recommendation should be circulated for member input and would be used both to inform the governor and to continue educating House members about the T Fund shortfall.

Less critical details: members discussed timing for drafting and sending a possible letter (some suggested completing a draft by summer so agencies have time to respond; others said the full committee might sign a letter after additional input), and they flagged ongoing floor scheduling that could affect when the body formally takes positions.