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Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6
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Voters across Louisiana have a chance to prevent diversion of state transportation trust
fund dollars to non-transportation activities on November 6 by voting "Yes" to
Constitutional Amendment 4.
The state constitution allows some trust fund dollars to be used by Louisiana State Police. However, past administrations diverted
hundreds
of millions of dollars from the fund to plug holes in the overall state budget. The state transportation trust fund is the depository for the state's motor fuels tax, which, at 20 cents per gallon, is one of the lowest in the country.
"It's hard enough to get transportation projects funded with such a low tax, and the trust fund diversions only added insult to injury," Perret said. "Those diversions are one of the reasons our roads and bridges are in poor condition."
Although the current administration has, by policy, decided not to use any trust fund dollars to fund state police, the constitution allows it. If Constitutional Amendment 4 passes, state police will be funded properly through other means.
"Even though Constitutional Amendment 4 won't mean any additional money right now for transportation, at least it is a way to stop the bleeding in the future and give voters the assurance that their gas tax will be used as they intended," Perret said. Passage of the amendment does not raise taxes, he added.
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