The Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition represents local governments from the fourth largest region in the country: with over 7.0 million residents, a regional GDP of over $447 billion, 30% of the state’s overall GDP, and headquarters of 18 Fortune 500 companies. The DFW region has encountered tremendous job growth and economic success over the last several decades, which has led to exponential increases in population.
Without substantial investment in transportation infrastructure, North Texas’ economic growth will not continue. Adequately investing in transportation infrastructure is a good return on our investment and a core function of government.
The Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition’s primary mission is to advance critical infrastructure projects in North Texas, by working with our local, state and federal policymakers.
We are focused on advocacy efforts with our state legislators to ensure policy issues affecting TxDOT, COG, NTTA, DART and DCTA are always under the watchful eye of the DRMC Board and staff.
Project Specific Advocacy
DRMC serves as the advocacy arm for the North Texas region, working to advance transportation policy and projects that keep North Texans moving. Critical transportation projects take decades to complete and advancing those projects requires constant nurturing to ensure projects reach fruition.
Legislative Advocacy
DRMC’s focus is advancing transportation funding and project delivery tools through the Legislature, to ensure that citizens have choices and can get to work, school, home and play.
The DRMC Board set the following priorities for the 2019 Texas Legislative session:
- Support efforts to fully implement Propositions 1 and 7 and extend the Sunset dates to ensure continued investment in transportation.
- Support a definition of various types of toll projects to allow a Region/District to leverage State/Federal Dollars with supplemental funding, including managed lanes and public/private partnerships, for earlier development of mobility projects.
- Oppose any efforts to reduce anticipated funding from Proposition 1 or 7.
- Support the Comptroller’s effort to create an investment fund, using a portion of the Economic Stabilization Fund, to allow the State of Texas to earn revenue from this fund, rather than leaving it in non-interest-bearing accounts.
- Support continued policy of non-diversion of revenue from the State Highway Fund.
- In an era of rapid growth, allow metropolitan regions the ability to use alternative funding mechanisms, in order to accelerate project delivery.
- Support continuation of eminent domain authority and related tools to allow planning and development of new and/or expanded transportation corridors including high speed rail, commuter rail, freight rail, and highways.
- In general, support legislation that encourages TxDOT to plan and develop multi-modal corridors and implement emerging technology related to autonomous vehicles and other new innovations.
- Ensure equitable distribution of funding among the districts and support the continued use of formula funding.
- Support the funding of Proposition 12 debt service out of general revenue, as intended by the voters when approved.
- Grant TxDOT the flexibility to disqualify contractors who have performed poorly on previous jobs.
- Support efforts to appropriate LIRAP and LIP funds and restructure the program to fund transportation and air quality projects.
- Support a Joint Resolution from the Texas Legislature that calls upon the Texas Congressional Delegation to address the fact that Texas is the only donor state when it comes to Transportation Funding from the Federal Government as to the formula based on redistribution of the gasoline tax. Texas is the only state in the nation that gets back less revenue than it pays in from the Federal gasoline tax.
- Oppose legislation that would impose revenue caps or appraisal caps on local governments or reduce rollback rates as this would affect their ability to finance and plan for transportation projects and would have an adverse effect on their bond ratings.
Click the following link for the DRMC Legislative agenda: