Voters Approve Constitutional Amendment Creating New Rules For Transportation Fund

Voters in Wisconsin approved a state constitutional referendum on Tuesday that will prevent the state’s transportation fund from being used to cover other expenditures in the state budget.

The passage of the amendment also means that the existence of the fund, as well as the state Department of Transportation, will now be required under constitutional law, not just as a statute.

The question on the ballot read as follows:

“Creation of a Transportation Fund. Shall section 9 (2) of article IV and section 11 of article VIII of the constitution be created to require that revenues generated by use of the state transportation system be deposited into a transportation fund administered by a department of transportation for the exclusive purpose of funding Wisconsin’s transportation systems and to prohibit any transfers or lapses from this fund?”

The proposed amendment had the backing of many conservatives who have lambasted Gov. Jim Doyle and other state Democrats for their “raid” of the fund in the early-to-mid 2000s. They transferred money out of the fund, which draws revenues from taxes on things like cars and rail, to balance the budget.

The amendment also had the support of the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin, a major trade group.