Capitol Observations - Friday, May 21, 2010 14:16 - 0 Comments

The Barron-Beasley Road Bill Passes

Alabama lawmakers passed the Barron-Beasley road bill on the next to the last day of the Regular Session. This bill will allow a vote by the people of Alabama to authorize spending up to $100 million a year for ten years from the Alabama Trust Fund for state roads. The vote will be in November. The money will be spent on transportation projects statewide. Most observers believe this was one of the most important matters to be passed during the session.

In the years when $100 million is to be spent on transportation, $39 million would be spent in the 67 counties by the Department of Transportation. Another $5 million would be spent by the DOT in each of the seven Congressional districts. Also, short-line railroads would get $1 million and $25 million would be distributed to counties and cities. Of the money reserved for the Congressional districts, as much $1 million a year in each of the ten years for the 6th and 7th Congressional districts, would be spent on mass transit.

Sen. Lowell Barron and Rep. Billy Beasley sponsored the proposal and worked very hard with good help from other legislators to get it passed. This measure – once approved by the voters – will generate a tremendous number of jobs for Alabama citizens and will allow pressing needs in the state’s transportation system to finally be met. Since both the jobs and the highway needs are critically important, I believe the voters will approve the measure in November by a very large margin.