State Rep. Pickett discusses Proposition 7 to pay for roads

a chance to increase the budget for future highway projects. in november, you’ll be asked to vote yes or no on proposition seven. it would give an extra 2.5 billion dollars a year for roads starting with the 2018 budget. el paso state rep joe pickett, who is also the chairman of the texas house committee on transportation, says it’s meant to ensure transportation funding in texas grows with the state’s economy. pickett says the money would come from a portion of the sales tax and motor vehicle sales tax and won’t create new taxes. he also says –when the economy is good, the money will go to transportation. if it’s bad — the plan can be changed: “this is based on texas’ growin economy. should we have a downfall like in 2009, the majoruty of the legislature can reprioritize and make sure we put all the money into education, hhs, and we can turn this down.” picket says a yes vote on prop. 7 will help pay down the debt for transportation in texas.