House Transportation Committee hears funding overview as lawmakers face constrained revenues

Logan Moberg, a fiscal analyst with the Joint Fiscal Office, told the House Transportation Committee on Jan. 14 that federal grants provided the single largest share of Vermont’s transportation funding last year and that state revenue streams used to match those grants are growing slowly, creating a notable constraint for upcoming budget decisions.

Moberg told committee members that “last year was almost $500,000,000 in federal funds,” and that federal funds accounted for about 56% of the state’s transportation funding last year. He said most federal grants require an 80/20 match, meaning the state must provide roughly 20% of project costs to draw down federal dollars.

The presentation explained the two main legislative vehicles the committee will handle: the T bill, which carries the four‑year “white book” of proposed projects (the governor’s Transportation Program) and related transportation policy language, and a separate miscellaneous motor‑vehicle bill that addresses technical DMV and motor‑vehicle law changes. Moberg emphasized that the T bill provides spending authority for the projects in the white book, while actual appropriations for one fiscal year come through the Appropriations…