The proposed amendment does not apply to taxes and fees for state and local schools, and leaves the legislature free to create personalized license plates. When we were trying to find sources for increasing the budget for public transportation, we discovered we couldn't do it. The Alabama Road Builders Association and the Department of Transportation say they will oppose the effort as they have successfully for several years. This session, proposed constitutional amendments have been introduced in both the House and Senate to open the fund to pay costs related to public transportation. A bill by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, would add public transportation to the items that can be paid from the fund.
Transportation is a big problem.
This would not require new taxes, and it is a constitutional amendment. We would like to persuade the Legislature that they have many constituents who need public transportation, the elderly and the disabled. The Alabama Road Builders Association has been the major opponent of similar legislation in earlier sessions, and will be again. The association is not against public transportation. Tim Omick, general manager of the Montgomery Area Transit System, said he would welcome state funding for public transit systems.