Lawmakers face another year of tough budget decisions, but one has asked for a source of funds tapped before to be made off-limits.
Broken Arrow Republican Rep. David Brumbaugh is leading a charge to put Oklahoma’s transportation funds in a "lockbox." He said taking transportation funding to ease budget shortfalls has become common practice.
"Last year, we took $365 million out of transportation funding and put a direct amount of $50 million right to our general revenue fund, and we can't sustain that," Brumbaugh said.
Brumbaugh said diverting transportation funds slows work on roads, bridges and other infrastructure in the Oklahoma Department of Transportation's eight-year plan, which can put a damper on economic growth.
"Twenty-five percent of our highways are in need of some repair, and others in critical repair," Brumbaugh said. "Our upgraded weigh stations need to be finished. We need to continue work on our bridges and also on our three-year airport capital investment plans."
ODOT's off-the-top apportionment nearly tripled from 2006 to 2014.
