Recent Streetsblog USA posts about State Legislature

In Colorado, a Big Legal Victory for Active Transportation Funding

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 25, 2013 | 3 Comments

Believe it or not, in many U.S. states one of the biggest obstacles to active transportation is in the constitution. Embedded in the constitutions of 22 U.S. states are bans on spending gas tax revenues and/or vehicle registration fees on anything but highways and bridges. That means no matter how much practical value a sidewalk, busway, […]

New Threat: States Robbing From Education to Pay for Highway Expansions

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 19, 2013 | 4 Comments

Last week, protesters gathered on the statehouse steps in Little Rock, Arkansas, to oppose a bill that would transfer money from the state’s general fund into its highway fund. The 100 or so protesters — mainly from the education and social services sectors — warned that the legislation would transfer $2.3 billion in revenue over 10 […]

Bob McDonnell: Everyone Should Pay For Virginia’s Roads (Except Drivers)

By Angie Schmitt and Tanya Snyder | Jan 9, 2013 | 5 Comments

In transportation circles, there’s an endless debate about how to fund infrastructure. Raise the gas tax? Index it to inflation? Institute a vehicle-miles-traveled fee? Many jurisdictions have turned to property taxes, bonds, and sales taxes as a supplement. But Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is blowing the whole thing wide open with a half-baked scheme for the […]

Which States Are Breaking Free From Oil Dependence? NRDC Ranks All 50

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 19, 2012 | 3 Comments

When it comes to helping their residents get around without breaking the bank, California, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, and New York are the top five states in the nation, while Nebraska, Alaska, Mississippi, Idaho, and North Dakota bring up the rear. That’s according to a new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council. NRDC ranked every […]

Voter ID Laws Marginalize People Without a Car

By Fran Taylor | Aug 8, 2012 | 45 Comments

Sustainable transportation advocates may read news headlines about new voter ID laws, roll their eyes at the prejudices of red-state legislators, and turn the page — at their own peril. This seemingly unrelated issue may have far-reaching consequences for transportation policy. New state laws mandating photo ID for voters threaten to disenfranchise nondrivers, and the […]

“Highway Removal” Project in Cleveland Looks an Awful Lot Like a Highway

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 23, 2011 | 11 Comments

It is an oft-lamented fact, both locally and nationally, that the city of Cleveland hasn’t taken full advantage of its position on the shore of Lake Erie. The national media, in its seemingly boundless enthusiasm for stories about the declining fortunes of the city where I live, is quick to point out that we haven’t […]

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