As Election Day nears, the debate over the Safe Roads Amendment is heating up.
After a decade of seeing the state raid the transportation fund to the tune of $6 billion, voters on Election Day will consider a constitutional amendment to prohibit the use of transportation-designated funds from being spent on other unrelated projects.
Amendment proponents have said transportation-related taxes and fees are collected under the expectation that they’ll be used for their intended purpose: maintaining and building transportation systems, including roads and mass transit.
The amendment has bipartisan support, with many legislators saying it would help build public trust. Meanwhile, opponents have started to speak out against protecting one category of funding, but not others.
Voters need to feel confident that lawmakers are spending public money they way they say they will, Jason Kasiar, Republican candidate for the District 118 state House seat, told Southwest Illinois News. He doesn’t think it should take an amendment to the state constitution to make that happen.
Kasiar was back on the road this week, touring some of the 11 counties in his Southern Illinois district. His tour has acquainted him with the dilapidated roads some voters have to deal with because transportation funding is used for other projects. That’s not fair, Kasiar said.
However, he also sees the importance of protecting funding for education and for pensions, as well as other services, when legislators can’t balance the budget and start looking to raid funding sources.
“Our priorities are so screwed up in the state,” Kasiar said.
He thinks voters shouldn’t neglect the root causes of unfunded projects: career politicians who are ready to fund special interests to keep their jobs rather than keep their word to the people they represent.
“I think we wouldn’t have any of these issues with pensions, with our roads, if we had made a balanced budget and used the money for what we said we’re going to use it for. But they can’t do that because career politicians need it to fund their special projects,” Kasiar said. “I can stand back from a taxpayer’s vantage point and look and see … you’re taking this money and using it for whatever suits your needs at that particular time. Term limits would solve this problem.”
In the final 10 days before Election Day, Kasiar wants voters to be willing to make the kinds of changes that will impact more than just transportation.
“I don’t think we need to change our constitution to do the right thing. … Do the right thing. Quit worrying about staying elected. Do the right thing, and you won’t have to worry about that,” Kasiar said.
As for legislators who won’t?
“Vote them out," Kasiar said.
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