Democrats Pass Law that Prevents Increased Road Funding

Initiative-175 will be on the Colorado ballot this November asking voters whether more funding should be dedicated to roads – after its supporters collected sufficient petition signatures (details at tinyurl.com/Initiative175-Road-Funding). Because Initiative 175 would amend the Colorado Constitution, it must receive at least 55% “Yes” votes to take effect on January 1, 2027.

    Colorado’s road conditions highlight the reason for Initiative-175. Colorado ranks 47th in the nation for rural highway pavement and 45th for urban highway pavement (tinyurl.com/Colo-has-47th-worst-roads). In practical terms, only three or four states in the U.S have worse roads. Poor road conditions contribute to vehicle damage, traffic congestion, and safety issues for Colorado drivers and have been estimated to cost each Colorado motorist $2000 annually (timestamp 6:35:30). The Colorado Finance Committee held hearings on HB26-1430, which were recorded and can be reviewed at tinyurl.com/1430-committee-hearings. This article’s remaining on-line citations will refer only to the time-stamps for references to that public testimony.

     Supporters of Initiative-175 argue that transportation taxes and fees originally intended for roads, bridges, and the Colorado State Patrol have been partially redirected to other programs. Approximately 37% of these revenues—nearly $700 million—now support programs such as Medicaid, disability services, and impaired-driving enforcement. The Legislature’s responsibility is to balance these competing priorities and allocate funding based on the needs of Colorado citizens. Unfortunately, what the Democrats in the Legislature did was create House Bill 26-1430 to completely neutralize Initiative-175 in order to maintain the non-road programs and prevent increased funding for roads.

      When companies consider locating businesses or offices in Colorado, transportation infrastructure is an important factor. Leslie Oliver and Senator Lisa Frizell discussed the Denver Metro Chamber Site-Selector Conference, where out-of-state site-selectors investigating Colorado emphasized the importance of road networks that move goods efficiently and provide their workers with safe, quick, and reliable commutes. Under HB26-1430, Colorado’s roads will not get proper funding to meet site-selectors’ transportation needs.

   In addition to costing motorists $2000 annually and driving out business, HB26-1430  conflicts with Colorado’s constitution regarding citizen initiatives. Article 2, Section 24 states, “The people have the right … to apply to those invested with the powers of government for redress of grievances, by petition.” Article 2, Section 1 states, “All political power is vested in and derived from the people; all government, of right, originates from the people, is founded upon their will only…”. But by pre-emptively stopping Initiative-175 from allowing a citizen initiative to achieve its intended road-funding, the will of the people will be prevented by HB26-1430. That is undemocratic and unconstitutional.

   During the hearings, one of the bill’s sponsors, Senator Judy Amabile (Democrat, District 18), expressed concerns about ballot measures directing portions of the state budget toward special interests. At timestamp 6:08, she stated that future initiatives could potentially include “one that funds ponies for children, and one that says the tooth fairy is real and everyone will get a hundred dollars under their pillow every night.” That response was shameful, since there is no comparison between a citizen initiative asking for road funding for safety and improved roads and comparing that to ponies and the tooth fairy.

Later in the hearing, when asked what would be the effect on road funding if both Initiative 175 and HB26-1430 passed, Amabile responded, “There might actually even be a little less funding for roads” (timestamp 7:26). So by the sponsor’s own words, her bill could lead to worse road conditions.  

   Call to Action: Please exercise your voting rights in November and vote "YES" on Initiative 175. HB26-1430 passed because no legislative Democrats voted against HB26-1430, guaranteeing that with their near-super-majorities in each House, it was sent to the Governor’s desk and signed into law. Therefore, I urge you in November to also vote against all Democrats in Colorado public offices like the Legislature and Executive branches. Please provide feedback on this article by email to lloydbenes50@gmail.com.