Overview:
HB 3187, a bill that seeks to cut the penny sales tax collection from member cities by 25% and redirect the funds towards mobility programs in member cities, has been met with opposition from DART supporters. The bill could jeopardize operational cost funding, eliminate roughly 5,800 jobs, and reduce access to the public transit system, ultimately damaging the economy across North Texas. DART supporters argue that the bill is a breach of contract with the voters, who supported the investment of billions towards DART's endeavors. The bill has sparked community statements of support, with the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce launching an Instagram campaign in opposition to HB 3187, highlighting the positive impact of DART in their lives.
New legislative threats to DART could now jeopardize operational cost funding, eliminate roughly 5,800 jobs, reduce access to the public transit system and significantly damage the economy across North Texas for years to come. HB 3187 was recently voted out of the Transportation Committee, and Texas lawmakers in support of DART are doing everything in their power to keep the bill from being signed into law.
What is HB 3187?
The bill explicitly seeks to cut the penny sales tax collection from member cities by 25%. Moreover, under HB 3187, the funding saved with the tax collection cut will go towards the creation of mobility programs in member cities. This places the responsibility of creating and maintaining sidewalks, trails, highways, and other transportation infrastructure matters back into the laps of member cities. Cities will also have to provide a detailed list of all “mobility programs” used with these funds.
DART Chief Communications Officer Jeamy Molina calls the bill a “full-on dismantling of the DART system.”
Over $3.5 billion dollars in transit-oriented development projects, some of which are currently still underway, are at risk of being stalled or killed by this bill.
DFW residents that are reliant on DART’s many transit systems once voted for the organization to have its own agency. The bill itself is a breach of contract between DART and the voters in member cities that approved its funding, as it overrides the democratic will of the people. In 1983, the agency made a contract with voters that supported the investment of billions towards DART’s endeavors.
The People Need DART
Essential workers, veterans and seniors who heavily rely on DART, especially in neighborhoods like South Dallas, are at risk of being stranded by transit service reduction under HB 3187.
One South Dallas resident, Diana Clark, affirmed this notion in a recent DART Board of Directors meeting.
“I depend on DART, every day to go to work, get home, and maybe go to Walmart. I have no driver’s license and I can’t drive. People on MLK need DART,” Clark confirmed.
Another resident, Maria Cruz, also expressed her gratitude for over three decades of service from DART. All she asks in return of the organization is for faster, more efficient service and scheduling.
“I am very grateful for DART, I have used it for 30 years. I take the 226 bus each morning, but the bus drivers are now persistently late. It makes it hard for me to get to work on time,” Cruz shared.
Veterans like Stacy Joseph are also heavily reliant on DART, especially when it comes to their online and mobile services. Joseph regularly uses the Golink app to catch DART rides at a reduced Veteran’s fare. Recently, Joseph mentioned:
“I appreciate the services of DART, but when purchasing a veteran ticket, it is not available for Golink scheduling. I’m pretty sure we’re not trying to exclude veterans when it comes to doing this scheduling. Maybe there’s room for improvement on the app.”
With the looming possibility of reductions to DART’s funding, improvements to DART’s existing services cannot be made. The bill inevitably reduces DART’s ability to provide for its working population of veterans and other neighbors that rely on DART each day.
Without DART and its related complimentary services, citizens like Cruz, Joseph, and Clark are left nearly helpless when it comes to finding inter-city transportation at a reasonable cost.
Dismantling DART From Austin
Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano authored HB 3187 as a means to give the transit authority system a makeover in terms of its financial structure. In a House Committee on Transportation meeting, Shaheen says DART’s financing is “in desperate need of an overhaul, but DART refuses to do so.”
Shaheen isn’t the only representative in favor of cutting DART’s funding from member cities. The dismantling of DART is a bipartisan effort with more names associated with the bill’s support than originally assumed. Rep. Morgan Meyer (R-Highland Park, University Park, North Dallas), Rep. Jared Patterson (R-The Colony, Frisco), and Rep. Terry Canales (D-Edinburg) are also sponsoring the bill.
A hot point of contention surrounding changes to DART’s funding over recent months has been finding out who exactly is supporting such drastic changes. Dallas residents who are now discovering some of their duly elected representatives actively seek to dismantle this transit system are now expressing their deep disappointment. These comments make it more difficult for local leaders to ignore the impact this proposed legislature could have on the community.
The Community Speaks
As of Friday, April 25, multiple community statements of support have also called for a halt to continued passage of HB 3187’s rampage on North Texas public transit. These pleas call for the same reasoning heard in the argument of DART riders across the metroplex: without DART, more than just riders will suffer.
Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce member Randall Bryant’s recent election to DART Board Vice Chair, now reinforces support for DART as an intersectional community matter. The Dallas Black Chamber recently launched an Instagram campaign in support of DART’s services and in opposition to HB 3187 where South Dallas residents provided their testament to the positive impact of DART in their lives.
Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce President Harrison Blair had this statement to make for Dallas Weekly on the subject:
“I believe it is a travesty that this measure passed the committee. Moreover, the possible passage of this bill in short, is sad, because of how many earnest citizens it puts at risk who ride the DART each day.
It’s going to impact, according to DART, about 100,000 riders during a mass transit moment like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, if it becomes law.
Economic transit systems and their infrastructure and economic development go hand-in-hand.
Most residents and lawmakers asking for the reduction of DART’s budget don’t understand the full impact of its services.
I personally ride DART to multiple different member cities for business. This is no longer a funding issue, this is a local issue.
The people trying to vote in favor of HB 3187, many of them don’t even ride the DART. We’ve talked to leaders in Highland Park, Plano and Irving, for example. They may say that they don’t see much benefit in keeping the transit service’s fullest capacities in their cities. Now, we must begin to question the economic development credentials of some of these leaders. Now, we must begin to question the levels of economic growth under the jurisdiction of some of these leaders as a direct result of DART’s services.
If they want to kill the “Texas miracle” as they call it, this is a great start.”