Did you know roads are ‘racist' to our Secretary of Transportation?
Buttigieg: 'Roads are racist' plan to use road funding to make amends for past
Journalist spends more time charging EV than sleeping
Anti-car policy is now in fashion with policymakers, but not with most drivers, especially not this journalist...
Remote kill switches really about taking your car
Biden’s Move to Put Kill Switches in Cars Tied to Global Agenda
Mileage tax means tracking your every move, using carbon footprint against you
How a mileage tax in the Biden federal highway bill could mean tracking your every move, not to mention the equivalent of a toll for every mile you drive.

Still waiting: Families, victims await justice for I-35 pileup in 2021

Link to article here.

Lack of accountability plagues fatal Fort Worth 2021 pileup

After three years, crash survivors and families of those who died wonder if they will ever have closure. TxDOT and the private toll operator say they are not responsible.

By Yamil Berard, Investigative reporter
Dallas Morning News
Oct. 23, 2024


It was a bone-cold Thursday morning. Suzette Kilbreath was driving to work on the southbound toll lanes of Interstate 35W in Fort Worth.

She had a habit of hitting the road at least an hour before dawn to make it from her home in Haslet, 40 miles northwest of Dallas, to her job at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. She couldn’t be late.

Why This Story Matters

Millions of Texans rely on toll roads daily in a state that has built more paid thoroughfares over the past two decades than almost all U.S. states combined. The affordability, safety and management of these roads impact us all, especially as some leaders admit more are likely coming to handle substantial growth through the state and in North Texas.

As was often the case, country music played softly through the speakers of her 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe. At 6:05 a.m., she passed the 28th Street bridge near downtown. Her SUV then came upon a small hill.

That’s when it happened.

She felt her SUV wiggle. She tapped the brakes and slowed down to 45 mph. The SUV turned sideways and began to slide. She pulled the emergency brake and came to a stop against an unknown object, likely a concrete barrier.

The worst, though, was still to come.

Cintra I-35 crash
Read more: Still waiting:...

Broken promise: Leaders promised to remove tolls in Harris County once roads paid for

Link to article here.

The most important point to note is that the campaign literature for the initial toll roads in Houston did promise they'd eventually be free to everyone once the debt was paid off. That never happened. Unless the legislature passes our toll cessation bill, it never will. Call your state lawmakers NOW to insist toll comes down at (512) 463-4630.

No end in sight for HCTRA tolls, because there never was an end
By Dug Begley, Houston Chronicle, Updated: Aug 17, 2024


Almost since Harris County started collecting tolls, there has been a belief that someone somewhere promised the tolls would go away once the roads were paid for.

Well, the roads have long been paid for, at least those first roads, but the tolls are likely never going away. That’s in part because no one ever promised — really promised — they ever would.

For years there has been talk of what was said at the meetings or on flyers that have rarely, if ever, been shown. While some hold onto the legend as fact, county and toll officials have long called them misunderstandings, if not outright fabrications. There is no record that anyone with the campaign or the county said they were going to retire those bonds and end tolling when voters went to the polls.

That does not mean someone did not say it. Maybe they did. Maybe they were or were not with the campaign or the county. There is no record of everything everyone said at a community meeting and no record of any unofficial mailers that said it. The claim just is not in any ads printed at the time of the election. It is not in the coverage of either of Houston’s two competing daily newspapers prior to the election. It is not in the campaign materials.

What a review of the campaign materials and the coverage of it in 1983 will largely get you is a trip down memory lane of when the United States was debating Israel’s right to conduct retaliatory strikes and plans for the Houston-Dallas bullet train.

Campaign materials, however, do allude to an end of tolls. In 1983 flyers, supporters of the campaign noted that Dallas ended tolls on one of its roads once the bonds were paid and that state law at the time required the lifting of tolls if no bonds were outstanding. 

toll cessation Harris County toll roads
Read more: Broken promise: Leaders...

Incoming House members ask Abbott's Commission to declare end date on SH 288 tolls

Link to letter here.

Chairman J. Bruce Bugg, Jr.
Texas Department of Transportation
125 East 11TH Street
Austin, Texas 78701-2483

August 20, 2024

Commissioner Bugg:

As Republican nominees for the Texas House, we are extremely concerned by the action the Texas Transportation Commission took recently to spend over $1.7 billion ($1,700,000,000) of public money to seize control of a toll road (State Highway 288) with absolutely no commitment to end the tolls.

The Republican Party of Texas’s 2024 Platform states, “We call on the Texas Legislature to abolish existing toll roads.”

We recognize that in many instances the state cannot abolish existing toll roads without the use of public money, but your decision to do so without a clear commitment to end the tolls is the worst of all worlds for taxpayers and amounts to nothing less than double taxation.

toll cessation SH 288 Public Private Partnership
Read more: Incoming House members...

TxDOT pushes ahead with buyout of SH 288 private toll road

Link to TxDOT release here.

TxDOT pushes forward on buyback of SH 288
Action would reduce average daily toll rates by 50%

Aug. 23, 2024

AUSTIN - To provide Texans with toll relief and more free lanes on which to drive, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is preparing to terminate the SH 288 Comprehensive Development Agreement (CDA).

This action will place the SH 288 managed lanes in Harris County under full state control allowing future toll rates to be significantly less than what is allowed under the current agreement and enabling TxDOT to move ahead with adding more free lanes along SH 288.

“Building roads, reducing tolls, and saving taxpayer money are top priorities,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “All three are achieved with the Texas Department of Transportation terminating the SH 288 Comprehensive Development Agreement. It will allow the State of Texas to receive over $2 billion in added valuation. TxDOT will use the added value to slash future toll charges and to build free lanes on that segment of State Highway 288. I thank TxDOT for making it easier and cheaper for Texans to travel that route.”

SH 288 Public Private Partnership Private toll road
Read more: TxDOT pushes ahead with...

DOUBLE TAX: TxDOT buyout of private toll road draws ire

Link to article here.

TxDOT Toll Road $1.7 Billion Purchase Plan Draws More Complaints from Elected Officials, Candidates

Officials and candidates see the move as a form of double taxation.

A Texas state senator, a House member, and several House candidates have joined in expressing concerns about the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) decision to purchase the Highway 288 toll road in Harris County for $1.7 billion and continue charging tolls for its users.

Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) raised questions about the decision and how much it will ultimately cost taxpayers.

“How much will this cost taxpayers to pay for this existing highway, given that TXDOT plans to issue bonds at today’s rates to pay itself back for the purchase of the road?” Cain inquired in his letter posted on X.

 

Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) also sent a letter to Chairman Bruce Bugg of TxDOT expressing his concerns about the plan to continue charging tolls on Highway 288 even after purchasing it with taxpayer dollars.

“This is a form of double taxation and is antithetical to Texas’ tax-friendly reputation,” Middleton stated in his letter.

double taxation SH 288 Mayes Middleton Public Private Partnership Private toll road
Read more: DOUBLE TAX: TxDOT...

Paxton sues GM over sale of drivers' data

Link to article here.

Texas Sues General Motors Over Collection and Sale of Private Driving Data

General Motors was allegedly compensated for the deals with lump-sum payments and royalties, some worth millions of dollars.


General Motors (GM) collected and sold to insurance companies the private driving data of more than 1.5 million Texans, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has alleged in a new lawsuit.

Vehicles produced by GM from 2015 or later have technology marketed for the operability convenience and safety of its product, known as the “OnStar” feature. But that technology also comes with tracking capabilities.

“[F]or years, Defendants General Motors and its subsidiary, OnStar LLC have unlawfully collected, used, and sold the Driving Data it obtained through this technology,” the lawsuit alleges, accusing the company of deceptive trade practices. The amount of data collected and sold, according to the suit, is quite extensive.

 

“The Driving Data collected and sold by General Motors included data from over 14 million of its vehicles, and the data of more than 1.8 million Texans. That Driving Data consisted of the date, start time, end time, vehicle speed, driver and passenger seatbelt status, and distance driven each time a customer drove their GM vehicle. The Driving Data also consisted of information about customers’ use of other GM products, including data collected from General Motors’ mobile apps.”

Ken Paxton
Read more: Paxton sues GM over...

BREAKING: Paxton announces lawsuit against GM for selling drivers' data

This is a step in the right direction by AG Paxton. GM and other auto makers have got to stop spying on drivers. It's a violation of our 4th amendment rights. Ford Motor Company is trying to patent snitch technology that will rat you out to law enforcement for speeding violations. These auto makers are clearly unconstitutionally spying on drivers, collecting and selling their information, including colluding with insurance companies who are already charging such exorbitant insurance rates most young drivers have no chance of driving, getting themselves to/from work, and living independent lives.

Ask parents if they have the time to shuttle their teens to/from their jobs, every practice, music lesson, or other activity (especially when several of these things conflict with their siblings' pick-up times or the parents' work obligations)? The answer is 'no.' Making driving unaffordable and stealing all your rights to do so, has no place in a free society or in an economically flourishing one. Auto makers and insurance companies are shooting themselves in the foot to continue down this path. Ultimately, fewer drivers means less revenue for them.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 

Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues General Motors for Unlawfully Collecting Drivers’ Private Data and Selling It To Several Companies, Including Insurance Companies
 
driver data privacy

Are taxpayers getting DOUBLE TAXED? SH 288 toll road must have tolls come down

TxDOT to Purchase Houston Toll Road, Questions Remain About Total Cost

The agreement with BlueRidge to operate Highway 288 will end in October.

Last week, the Texas Transportation Commission voted to approve the purchase of toll road Highway 288 in Harris County for $1.7 billion.

The toll road was constructed by BlueRidge Transportation Group and extends about 10 miles from Blodgett Street in Harris County southward, ending approximately at the county line between Harris and Brazoria Counties. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), “The highway serves as an important thoroughfare into Houston and the primary express artery to the world’s largest medical complex, the Texas Medical Center.”

The original comprehensive development agreement gave TxDOT the right to terminate the agreement “if the department determines in its discretion that a termination is in the department’s best interest.” 

 

TxDOT spokesperson Adam Hammons told The Texan this purchase is not part of a larger strategy to buy toll roads in the state, but is a one-time opportunity based on this specific concession agreement.

TxDOT notified BlueRidge of the termination, effective October 8, 2024. 

Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) posted a letter to X with questions for TxDOT that he believes are important to understand about the buyout of Highway 288.

“How much will this cost taxpayers to pay for this existing highway, given that TXDOT plans to issue bonds at today’s rates to pay itself back for the purchase of the road?” Cain inquired.

public private partnerships Blueridge Transportation Group buy out toll roads SH 288 ACS
Read more: Are taxpayers getting...

TxDOT’s $1.7 Billion Toll Road Buyout May Keep Tolls in Place

The State Highway 288 toll lanes were part of a public-private partnership agreement that was originally set to last 50 years.

 | July 26, 2024 l Texas Scorecard

freeway interchange

Updated with comment from TxDOT on 7/29

The Texas Department of Transportation is contemplating the purchase of a Houston-area toll road from a private developer, with potential plans to maintain the tolls for Texans.

This unique arrangement involves terminating an existing agreement this October, spending nearly $1.7 billion to acquire the already-built toll lanes on Highway 288, and taking over its management and operations.

Read more: TxDOT’s $1.7 Billion...

Toll Trap: How Texas’ explosive growth led to a toll-building spree

Lawmakers turned to toll roads to boost the Texas economy and address population growth without raising taxes, but the consequences have adversely affected some drivers.

The Dallas Morning News - By Yamil Berard
May 13, 2024

Link to full article...
Dallas Morning News Interactives (For Subscribers)

Every day, thousands of drivers jump on toll roads to ease their commutes to work and school.

Toll roads overlook international bridges and crossings on the Texas-Mexico border, they connect drivers to airports all over the state and they circumnavigate urban cores by way of loops and tunnels.

Toll TrapTexas has so many toll roads that it has earned the distinction of building more miles than nearly all other states combined. Picture this: If you stretched the state’s 852 miles of toll roads across the eastern U.S., they would pass through 13 states — from Maine to South Carolina, a yearlong Dallas Morning News investigation has found.

ABOUT THIS SERIES

Toll Trap is a three-day series exploring how the state's tollway system impacts drivers across the state. Our investigation found that Texas in the last 20 years has built more toll roads than almost all other states combined. The state also aggressively penalizes drivers with unpaid toll bills - even sending their cases to local courts every day. The state, unlike many others, also offers few discounts to drivers who feel entrapped by the toll roads that surround them. Investigative reporter Yamil Berard and data journalist Shuyao Xiao spent months examining Texas' tollway system. The journalists read thousands of pages of legislative reports, transportation studies, as well as financial statements and audits for toll roads operated by Texas' three largest toll agencies since 1998. They spoke with dozens of urban planning specialists, tollway advocacy groups, public policy researchers and mobility engineers and examined roadway and toll data from state and population density information. They filed and read reports from open records requests and attempted to speak to all 22 members of the House and Senate transportation committees along with Gov. Greg Abbott and other high-ranking current and previous elected state leaders.

toll roads government waste government subsidies toll billing Special Report
Read more: Toll Trap: How Texas’...

Biden's new EPA rule will make gas-powered cars 'prohibitively expensive'

We highlight two articles below on this topic (one from Epoch Times, then one from Daily Wire) to give you more info on this sweeping rule that will affect your ability to buy, own, and drive a gas-powered car.

Link to Epoch Times article here. Link to Daily Wire article here.

EPA Issues ‘Strongest-Ever’ Auto Emissions Standards to Boost EVs

The new rules exemplify the Biden administration’s aggressive green agenda, as climate change has been a top priority for the White House.
By Jackson Richman
Epoch Times
3/20/2024

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new rules on March 20 for automobiles aimed at cutting carbon emissions and boosting both hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs). The new regulations amount to the toughest-ever limits on tailpipe emissions, part of the Biden administration’s bid to accelerate the manufacture and adoption of EVs. This affects passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles produced starting in 2027.

The regulations, according to the EPA, would cut 7.2 billion tons of carbon emissions through 2055 in addition to providing “nearly $100 billion of annual net benefits to society, including $13 billion of annual public health benefits due to improved air quality, and $62 billion in reduced annual fuel costs, and maintenance and repair costs for drivers.”

The EPA said that under its final rule, the industry could meet the limits if 56 percent of new vehicle sales are electric by 2032, along with at least 13 percent plug-in hybrids or other partially electric cars, and gasoline-powered vehicles that get more miles to the gallon.
That would mean a huge increase over current EV sales, which rose to 7.6 percent of new vehicle sales last year, up from 5.8 percent in 2022.
EVs, electric vehicles, Biden EV mandate
Read more: Biden's new EPA rule...

EV mandates will force automakers to cut conventional vehicles

Link to article here.

Biden’s EV mandate likely to severely limit how many conventional vehicles automakers can produce

Ford will need to build two fully electric F150s for every gas-powered F150. By 2032, the company will need to build four electric F150s for every gas-powered F150.
By Kevin Killough
March 30, 2024
Just the News

The Environmental Protection Agency has released its final tailpipe emissions standards, which some have called an electric vehicle mandate.

“Make no mistake: This is a coerced phase-out of gas-powered cars,” the Wall Steet Journal editorial board recently opined on the final rules.

The 1,181-page rule doesn’t require auto manufacturers to produce any electric vehicles, and the EPA insists the rule is not an EV mandate.

“The standards continue the technology-neutral and performance-based design of previous EPA standards for cars, pickups, and vans,” the agency states in a March 20 press release.

The rule sets limits on the total fleet emissions allowed from the companies’ vehicles, but the only way to meet the standards is for a manufacturer to, over time, appears be to make a large and growing portion of their vehicle lines electric.
EVs, electric vehicles, Biden EV mandate
Read more: EV mandates will force...

TxDOT buys back SH 288 from foreign toll operators

Link to article here.

TxDOT ends agreement with private company overseeing Highway 288 toll lanes

ABC13 Houston
March 30, 2024

The Texas Department of Transportation is moving forward with a plan to end its agreement with the private company that oversees the toll lanes on Highway 288. So what does that mean for you?

The question is: When the state takes over the tollway, could you get a better deal or wind up paying even more?

TxDOT says it's too early to say. That's not necessarily the answer drivers want to hear while this is getting sorted out.

"[The drive is about] $17, $18 one way," Darren Dixon, the owner of a BBQ restaurant right next to Highway 288, said.

Dixon drives the toll road daily.

"I do it every day, back and forth," he said.

For Dixon and other drivers, a toll decrease would sure be welcome.

"It's the most expensive toll road in the area," Shelly Nixon, another driver, said. "It's so expensive. Surely they can make money and save us money at the same time."
P3s Blueridge Transportation Group
Read more: TxDOT buys back SH 288...

John Stossel: The kill switch is real & its coming


Link to article here.

The Kill Switch

John Stossel
John Stossel  |  Apr 17, 2024 l TownHall.com
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.


Soon the government might shut down your car.

President Joe Biden's new infrastructure gives bureaucrats that power.

You probably didn't hear about that because when media covered it, few mentioned the requirement that by 2026, every American car must "monitor" the driver, determine if he is impaired and, if so, "limit vehicle operation."

Rep. Thomas Massie objected, complaining that the law makes government "judge, jury and executioner on such a fundamental right!"

Congress approved the law anyway.

A USA Today "fact check" told readers, don't worry, "There's no kill switch in Biden's bill."

"They didn't read it, because it's there!" says automotive engineer and former vintage race car driver Lauren Fix in my new video. The clause is buried under Section 24220 of the law.

remote kill switch John Stossel
Read more: John Stossel: The kill...

Federal court nixes greenhouse gas emissions rule, handing Texas another win

FHWA’s greenhouse gas measurement rule blocked by federal court

April 2, 2024

By Tyson Fisher, Landline Now

A federal court in Texas has struck down a new Federal Highway Administration rule establishing greenhouse gas emission performance measures for state Departments of Transportation and metropolitan planning organizations.

On Wednesday, March 27, Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas federal court granted Texas’ motion for summary judgment in a case against the U.S. DOT and FHWA. Hendrix ruled that Congress never authorized FHWA to install a rule establishing transportation-related greenhouse gas performance measures.

The court’s final judgment effectively halts FHWA’s rule targeting vehicle-related greenhouse gas emission, which was finalized in December and went into effect in January. It also addresses a similar lawsuit filed by more than 20 Republican-controlled states. Reporting under the new rule was scheduled to begin on Friday, March 29.

Read more: Federal court nixes...

Court strikes down FHWA's greenhouse gas emission rule

Link to press release here.

Chairman Graves & Chairman Crawford Statement on Court Striking Down FHWA’s Illegal GHG Emissions Performance Measure Rule

Washington, D.C., March 28, 2024 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (202) 225-9446

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) issued a joint statement following a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas that the Biden Administration exceeded its statutory authority by imposing a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance measure upon the states:

“This was a clear case of blatant overreach by the Biden Administration from the beginning, and we commend the Court for its ruling that a ‘federal administrative agency cannot act without congressional authorization.’  Congress rejected the inclusion of a GHG performance measure requirement when the infrastructure law was developed, making the Administration’s rulemaking an unlawful attempt to circumvent Congress and force this one-size-fits-all burden upon every state and community across the country.  We appreciate the ruling and remain committed to ensuring the Administration does not exceed its authority.”

GHG emissions GHG
Read more: Court strikes down...

15 minute cities designed to restrict your mobility

Link to article here.

The 15-Minute Trap

by Amy Mek, an investigative journalist.
Eagle Forum Newsletter, January 2024

In order to seize more control of people’s lives, Globalists are pushing the false idea that “15-minute” cities will “save the planet” and help all of humanity. 

Fifteen-minute cities are popping up everywhere, and the World Economic Forum is wildly enthusiastic about them. Last year it was announced that Paris, France, would become a 15-minute city, and now the British city of Oxford is next. However, outraged Brits are fighting back.

The Oxford city council has announced that it will divide Oxford into 15-minute neighborhoods, or small 15-minute towns, which are billed as “greener, cleaner and safer.” These new “green” cities, which make services accessible to residents within 15 minutes of their homes, are supposed to “save the planet” and help all humanity.

Instead, they are nothing more than a way for them to restrict, coerce, fine, punish, surveil, and limit the fundamental right of freedom of movement for residents. For example, residents are not allowed to leave their 15-minute city by car more than the government-allotted times a year. Violators will be fined. In addition, the government will track and control your every movement through your smartphones and facial recognition technology.

Read more: 15 minute cities...

Flawed climate data used to create 'crisis,' curb your travel freedom

Link to article here.

Scientists Expose Major Problems With Climate Change Data


Temperature records used by climate scientists and governments to build models that then forecast dangerous manmade global warming repercussions have serious problems and even corruption in the data, multiple scientists who have published recent studies on the issue told The Epoch Times.

The Biden administration leans on its latest National Climate Assessment report as evidence that global warming is accelerating because of human activities. The document states that human emissions of “greenhouse gases” such as carbon dioxide are dangerously warming the Earth.

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) holds the same view, and its leaders are pushing major global policy changes in response.

But scientific experts from around the world in a variety of fields are pushing back. In peer-reviewed studies, they cite a wide range of flaws with the global temperature data used to reach the dire conclusions; they say it’s time to reexamine the whole narrative.

climate crisis
Read more: Flawed climate data...

Is your car spying on you? Yes!

Link to article here.

Stop Your Car From Spying on You

Modern cars are smartphones on wheels, but with less protection for your data.

|3.25.2024
Being proved right isn't always fun. Just weeks after my warning in the March issue that our modern high-tech cars are tracking us and sharing data with manufacturers, cops, and parties unknown, came a report of soaring auto insurance premiums because of snitching vehicles. The consequences get worse from there. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your snoopy ride from contacting the mothership.

Your Driving History May Be Transmitted and Stored

"Car companies are collecting information directly from internet-connected vehicles for use by the insurance industry," Kashmir Hill reported this month for The New York Times. "Sometimes this is happening with a driver's awareness and consent…. But in other instances, something much sneakier has happened."

Read more: Is your car spying on...

Most drivers fear autonomous vehicles

Link to article here.

AAA survey: most US drivers fear self-driving vehicles


(The Center Square) – AAA’s latest autonomous vehicle survey shows most U.S. drivers express either fear (66%) or uncertainty (25%) about fully-self-driving vehicles.

However, semi-autonomous technologies such as reverse automatic emergency braking and lane keeping assistance continue to drive consumer interest. 

"There has been an increase in consumer fear over the past few years," Director of Automotive Engineering Research for AAA Greg Brannon said in a statement. "Given the numerous and well-publicized incidents involving current vehicle technologies – it's not surprising that people are apprehensive about their safety.”

The survey found almost two-thirds of U.S. drivers would want reverse automatic emergency braking (65%), automatic emergency braking (63%) or lane keeping assistance (62%) on their next vehicle.

The company said U.S. drivers also believe AEB will stop the vehicle when another car, children, adult pedestrians,or bicyclists are in front of or behind the vehicle.

However, recent AAA research found reverse AEB systems prevented a collision in only one of 40 test runs in the context of the backing-up scenarios involving a subject vehicle crossing behind the test vehicle and only 10 out of 20 test runs with the stationary child target behind the test vehicle.

autonomous vehicles
Read more: Most drivers fear...

TURF wins in court on Prop 2 case....AGAIN!

Appeals Court Sides With Taxpayers on Debt-Raising Constitutional Amendment

The 7th District Court of Appeals says a 2021 statewide constitutional amendment failed to inform voters of its tax implications.

| Texas Scorecard | January 26, 2024

Link to article here.

Citizens are celebrating as a court sided with taxpayers this week on a constitutional amendment which was proposed in 2021 and would allow counties to issue more taxpayer-backed debt. In its ruling, the Court set a rule ensuring voters are entitled to more information when proposals will impact taxpayers.

Proposition 2, which passed with 63 percent of the vote, would authorize counties to issue bonds—taxpayer-backed debt—to fund infrastructure and transportation projects in underdeveloped, unproductive, or blighted areas and to use increases in property taxes from those areas to pay off the debt. This is known as “tax increment financing” and is a tool currently reserved for cities.

Grassroots groups filed a lawsuit alleging the Proposition 2 ballot language that was put before voters failed to comply with common law requirements and was substantially misleading because it neglected to inform voters that the proposal involved debt and property taxes.

Courts have previously ruled that ballot propositions must be described with “such definiteness and certainty that the voters are not misled.” But the Proposition 2 language only said it would allow counties to “finance development,” and it neglected to mention debt or taxes.

Prop 2
Read more: TURF wins in court on...

Court Sides With TURF and Taxpayers

Grassroots Groups Prevail in Appeal Challenging 2021 Ballot Proposition Language

View the article...

Article LawsuitPrevails - TheTexan - DanielFriend

The 7th Court of Appeals issued its opinion in favor of the contest, which could void the election.

The 7th Court of Appeals in Amarillo ruled in favor of grassroots groups that challenged constitutional amendment ballot language from the November 2021 election.

The True Texas Project (TTP), Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF), and Grassroots America – We the People sued the Texas Secretary of State to have the 2021 approval of Proposition 2 declared void by Gov. Greg Abbott, claiming the ballot language was “incomplete, inaccurate, and did not adequately describe what the electorate was actually voting on.”

Proposition 2 allowed counties to create transportation reinvestment zones (TRZs), a power they did not previously have. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, a TRZ is a kind of tax increment financing district where a “zone is created, a base year is established, and the incremental increase in property tax revenue collected inside the zone is used to finance a project in the zone.”

 

The proposition did not include language about the use of increased ad valorem taxes to pay bonds or notes issued by the county in the TRZ district. A similar measure in 2011 that included such language was voted down.

Prop 2
Read more: Grassroots Groups...

Constitutional amendment challenged by TURF, other groups gets oral arguments

IMG 7463 small

Link to article here.

Challenge to 'Misleading' 2021 Texas Ballot Proposition Continues on Appeal

Grassroots groups have challenged the validity of the ballot language.


A challenge to a 2021 Texas constitutional amendment ballot proposition was heard by the 7th Court of Appeals in Amarillo last week.

Proposition 2 allowed counties to create transportation reinvestment zones (TRZ), a power they did not previously have. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, a TRZ is a kind of tax increment financing district where a “zone is created, a base year is established, and the incremental increase in property tax revenue collected inside the zone is used to finance a project in the zone.”

Several conservative grassroots groups — including Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF), Grassroots America, We the People, and True Texas Project (TTP) — sued the Texas Secretary of State to have the 2021 approval of Proposition 2 declared void by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Prop 2 Transportation Reinvestment Zones TRZ lawsuit
Read more: Constitutional...

TURF has its day in court on Prop 2 case

IMG 7465

Watch the video interview here.

Grassroots Fight Back Against Debt-Raising Constitutional Amendment

A lawsuit alleges misleading ballot language for a constitutional amendment authorizing additional debt.

| January 10, 2024

 Texas Scorecard

Grassroots organizations are continuing their fight to strike down a constitutional amendment passed in 2021 that would allow counties to issue more taxpayer-backed debt. 

Proposition 2, which passed with 63 percent of the vote, authorizes counties to issue bonds (debt) to fund infrastructure and transportation projects in underdeveloped, unproductive, or blighted areas.

A lawsuit alleges that the ballot language that was put before voters failed to comply with common law requirements and was substantially misleading due to an omission of the phrase “ad valorem tax increases.”

Courts have previously ruled that ballot propositions be described with “such definiteness and certainty that the voters are not misled.”

In 2011, the same ballot proposition was put before voters with language noting the tax implications and failed to pass.

Prop 2 Transportation Reinvestment Zones
Read more: TURF has its day in...

Deadly toll road: When private companies take over our public infrastructure, everyone loses

TURF's Founder and Executive Director, Terri Hall, was interviewed for this article. We sounded the alarm bells before any of this happened. It's tragic that people have lost their lives over it. We need to steer clear of privatizing our public infrstrutcure for a host of reasons, but this is the most compelling reason of all. Read on.

Link to article here.

Illustrations by Julius Maxim

The Death Toll: An Expensive Tollway’s High Cost in Human Lives

State Highway 288 was built by a private equity firm, letting TxDOT abdicate its responsibility to both drivers and construction workers.

by

Texas Observer
December 11, 2023

The sun was sinking toward the horizon when brothers Alejandro and Juan Simental drove their pickup less than 10 minutes from a Motel 6 to their job site: a pricey new toll road they were helping to build alongside busy State Highway 288. A week before, they had left their home in Arlington to work in the flat southern edge of Houston’s suburbs, the bustling intersection of State Highway 288 (SH 288) and Beltway 8. That’s where their employer, Choctaw Erectors, a steel construction company, was subcontracted to help build the Texas Department of Transportation’s latest privately operated tollway.                                   

They shared their no-frills motel room with a coworker, sleeping only a few hours just to get up and work again. Their shifts were punishing—nine to 12 hours, often overnight, seven days a week.  But that evening, as the Houston sky gradually dimmed to a streetlight-stained dark gray, Alejandro, Juan, and five others on their crew established a rhythm. Alternating thumps and whirrs sounded as they laid and bolted corrugated metal decking, piece by piece, onto the tollway’s four bridge girders, 85 feet above the ground. 

As the sun began to rise on June 21, 2019, Alejandro, 21, who stood around 5 feet 3 inches tall and was stocky like his brother, was working on a section of the bridge just a few feet away from Juan. There were about 15 minutes left in their shift when Juan reached the end of the first girder. Realizing that the 6-foot double safety lanyard he wore, which was tied to a safety line, did not allow him to reach the second girder more than 7 feet away,  Juan briefly unhooked the lanyard from his safety harness and walked across the steel decking.

Foreman Jorge Carlos was the only one to hear the scream as Juan tripped and fell 85 feet, head first. Seconds later, realizing his brother had fallen, Alejandro let the metal sheet he was holding drop from his hands and clatter to the ground. He rushed to an elevated boom lift that lowered him to his brother’s side.

Blood was already soaking into the soil. To the west of Juan’s feet lay his white hard hat and his right brown slip-on boot. His black plastic headlamp was still glowing. Co-workers gave Juan CPR. Police arrived in four minutes, the medic nine minutes later. That was too late. At 4:58 a.m., just two minutes before their shift was to end, Juan was pronounced dead. He was 22.

ACS, P3s, public private partnerships, private toll road, toll road deaths
Read more: Deadly toll road: When...

Auto dealers bolt on Biden mandate for EVs

Link to article here.

Biden's EV Plan Faces Opposition From Thousands of Car Dealers

An open letter was signed by more than 3,800 dealerships across the country.

By Jack Phillips
Epoch Times
November 28, 2023

Several thousand car dealership owners around the United States have signed an open letter to the Biden administration, saying they oppose the aggressive push for electric vehicles, in another sign of growing concerns about the market for EVs.

Since taking office, President Joe Biden has signed a number of executive orders to boost the sales of EVs amid proposed changes that seek to reduce the number of cars that produce emissions by 2032. In 2021, the president outlined a plan that seeks to have 50 percent of new vehicles be either plug-in hybrids or fully electric by 2030.
But in an open letter published on Nov. 28, more than 3,800 auto dealers wrote that EV demand isn't sufficient, even as the dealers said they believe that EVs "are ideal for many people" and that "their appeal will grow over time."

"The reality, however, is that electric vehicle demand today is not keeping up with the large influx of BEVs [battery electric vehicles] arriving at our dealerships prompted by the current regulations," the dealers said. "BEVs are stacking up on our lots."

They noted that in 2022, there was considerable "hype" around EVs and that "early adopters formed an initial line and were ready to buy these vehicles" as soon as they were being sold.

EVs, electric vehicles, Biden EV mandate
Read more: Auto dealers bolt on...

The Battle to Kill the Kill Switch

Last night, Rep. Thomas Massie gave a valiant effort to add our kill switch amendment to the THUD appropriations bill in the U.S. House. We came very close (just 28 votes shy). His floor speech was spot on. It’s hard to believe this isn’t some kind of sci fi movie, but sadly, it’s become reality under the Biden Administration that few even read or vetted before it passed. 
 
We hope through the questions posed to Buttigieg through our letter authored by Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA, Chair of Freedom Caucus), we’ll get more details that will help us pull the plug on this dangerous technology being put into every American’s vehicle. This is where the Governor and our Texas legislature should step in to protect our travel liberties from the overreach of the long arm of big government. We’ll continue to step-up our efforts to educate more Texans and members to the threats this technology poses to our constitutional rights.

Apparently one group, MADD, stopped our amendment from passing even though it’s something literally hundreds of groups in Texas alone support, much less Heritage Action, National Motorists Association and Citizens for Renewing America. This isn’t about drunk driving, but mandating this technology be put into every vehicle is an unconstitutional surveillance of Americans that violates our 4th amendment rights. Time is short given the mandate after 2026. This certainly isn’t over. 
Kill switch on cars remote kill switch
Read more: The Battle to Kill the...

What did taxpayers get from the 88th Legislature on transportation?

No mileage tax, but taxpayers get transportation crumbs and a whole lotta ‘woke’ from 88th Legislature
By Terri Hall
Founder/Director
Texans for Toll-free Highways & Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (Texas TURF)
June 6, 2023

While the 88th regular session of the Texas Legislature has come to a close, what did the taxpayers get out of it when it comes to transportation and toll reforms? In short, not much. Let’s break it down.

It’s easier to say what didn’t pass first since none of our filed bills even got a hearing, except one, much less voted out of committee. No bill to stop remote kill switches going into all cars after 2026 (currently mandated by the Biden Infrastructure bill), no bill to stop road diets, no bill to protect drivers’ right to repair, no bill to take tolls down once the road debt is paid for, and no toll collections/billing reform, with the exception of immediately notifying drivers when there's a problem with your payment card (HB 2170). Get the scoop on all this essential legislation here.

HB 2170 by Bobby Guerra (D-McAllen) was a huge missed opportunity. The grassroots jumped in to ask him to sign onto our broader toll billing reform bill, HB 2991 by Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian), as soon as his bill got filed, but he never did. Then when his bill was heard in committee, we asked if he’d consider substituting our language for his since his bill’s language was already in our bill, and he wouldn’t. Then when his bill came to the House floor for a vote, knowing it was too late to have our bill make it to the floor, he once again refused any amendments to his bill, including a pared-down version just capping the toll fines/fees and removing the criminal penalty. He refused to budge.

Terry Canales state mileage tax 88th legislature
Read more: What did taxpayers get...

KXAN deep dive into toll billing woes, includes look at pay-to-play

Check out the story on KXAN-TV Austin here.

TURF Founder/Director & Texans for Toll-free Highways Founder, Terri Hall was interviewed in this story.

Despite this coverage in the press, none of our toll billing reform bills passed, although HB 2170 (Guerra) was a good start and contained language from our reform bill, HB 2991 (Harrison).
toll billing pay to play

More Articles …

  1. Radical climate agenda passing in Republican House
  2. TxDOT tries to back away from non-toll plans on 281, 1604

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