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House amends Transportation Investment Act after long debate over earmarks and benchmarks
Summary
Representative Rebecca Lockhart's Transportation Investment Act (HB1008) drew hours of debate over whether the bill's phased percentages of vehicle-related sales tax effectively earmark general fund revenue. The House adopted a substitute amendment to remove automatic benchmark language (42-41 on division) and later circled the bill for further work.
A lengthy debate on transportation funding dominated the House special session floor, centering on House Bill 1008, the Transportation Investment Act sponsored by Representative Rebecca Lockhart. The bill originally proposed phased benchmarks that would direct a share of vehicle-related sales tax revenues to transportation over upcoming fiscal years; supporters framed the language as goals and benchmarks, while opponents said the statutory percentages would operate like earmarks and reduce annual legislative appropriations flexibility.
Representative Lockhart described the benchmarks as advisory goals that would still require affirmative appropriation each year: "It is completely open to us…
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