A bill in the Texas House calls for an increase in vehicle registration fees in order to help fix Texas roads and pay down debt.
Rep. Drew Darby, R- San Angelo, said his bill does away with fund diversions by reallocating the portion of the state’s highway fund that currently goes towards the DMV and DPS and has that money go toward road construction.
"We’ve heard a lot from out constituents about ending diversions. This bill does that, goes a long way to do that. We are ending diversions by addressing the revenue needs of our state highway fund," Darby said.
The San Antonio Tea Party and Texas Truck Drivers Association both registered in favor of the bill.
The bill increases fees on both personal vehicle registration and for 18-wheeler tractor-trailer registrations.
"House Bill 3664 is a $30 increase across the board vehicle registration fee. Here are some good things about this bill: Two-thirds of the money is dedicated for non-tolled roads, the other one-third is to pay down that $17 billion worth of debt," Darby said.
According to the bill, the combination of the reallocated funds and increased vehicle registration fees will result in an annual increase of $900 million.
The bill passed out of the appropriations committee and is now a awaiting full vote before the House.
