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House lifts cap on off-highway fuel-tax allocation to boost trail maintenance
Summary
The House passed HB362 to lift a cap on the share of motor-fuel taxes allocated to off-highway vehicle trail maintenance, citing a trail-maintenance backlog and a modest fiscal impact; the bill passed 68-2.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House voted 68-2 to pass House Bill 362, which removes a statutory cap limiting the share of motor-fuel-tax receipts dedicated to off-highway vehicle trail maintenance.
Representative Ben Ferry, sponsor, said the cap—originally imposed decades ago—artificially constrained funds available to maintain snowmobile and off-highway vehicle trails. Ferry told members a federal study suggests off-highway vehicles generate about 3% of motor-fuel tax revenue; statutory allocations have been lower. He cited a statewide maintenance backlog of about $15 million and a $5.7 million critical-need list, estimating the bill’s fiscal impact at roughly $360,000 this year.
Questioners probed the cap’s origin and whether collections were already exceeding distributions. Ferry said prior legislatures prioritized other highway needs and imposed the cap; the present measure lifts the cap without changing the statutory percentage, allowing a larger dollar amount to flow to trail maintenance.
The House approved HB362 68-2; the bill advances to the Senate for further consideration.
