Reason Foundation

A version of the was presented before the Council of the District of Columbia’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment in its hearing on Bill 26-284, the Autonomous Vehicle Deployment Authorization Amendment Act of 2026. Thank you for the opportunity to offer our organization’s perspective on Bill 26-684. My name is Marc Scribner, and I serve as senior transportation policy analyst at Reason Foundation.

Louisiana voters soundly rejected all five constitutional amendments on the May 16 ballot, including, for the second time, a scheme to liquidate roughly $2 billion from three education trust funds for lawmakers to put toward the $8.5 billion in unfunded debt the state owes the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL), the pension fund for the state’s public educators. Amendment 3 was sold as a teacher pay raise and a pension fix. It was neither.

In the early 1990s, Canada’s air traffic control system was plagued by chronic underfunding, rapidly depreciating facilities and equipment, persistent staff shortages, growing delays, and costs that were outpacing dedicated airline passenger ticket tax revenue. That might sound familiar because that is exactly what the United States is experiencing today. But rather than accept an unsustainable status quo, Canada’s political leadership implemented sweeping governance reform to air traffic control.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) combines two vitally important functions. It is the nationwide aviation safety regulator. It is also the operator of the country’s air traffic control system. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), aviation safety regulation should be at arm’s length from airports, airlines, private planes, and all other aspects of aviation, including air traffic control. I n its current form, FAA violates that widely followed principle.

John Kefaliotis is an aviation professional with more than 50 years of experience in air traffic control. Mr. Kefaliotis is currently the principal of IOV Consulting, LLC. He spent 13 years with the Federal Aviation Administration, beginning in 1970, serving as an air traffic controller, air traffic controller supervisor, and R&D program manager.

In this issue: Concession fees for greenfield projects? Why do we have MPOs? Who should pay for the Key Bridge replacement? Congress battles over electric vehicle user fees How much will Congress borrow for transportation? Spirit Airlines’ gift to bus companies Whatever happened to the national MBUF pilot project?

The fuel tax is most states’ primary highway funding mechanism. Most fuel taxes are levied as a fixed number of cents per gallon. Many gas taxes are not indexed to inflation, potentially resulting in lower revenue year after year. At the same time, rising fuel economy and a growing share of electric and hybrid vehicles mean drivers buy fewer gallons for the miles they travel, so the same roads bring in less revenue.

A version of the following comments was submitted to the California Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection on June 30, 2026. Senate Bill 813 (SB 813) would establish the California Artificial Intelligence Standards and Safety Commission.

For the affirmative: Emily Eisner is the acting executive director and chief economist at the Fiscal Policy Institute, where her research focuses on the intersection of macroeconomics and labor economics. Previously, she worked for the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

A transit rider waiting for a bus rarely thinks about governance. Yet decisions about who plans transit service, controls funding, and sets priorities can shape nearly every aspect of the rider experience, from fares and route design to major capital investments. Those responsibilities are organized differently across metropolitan areas. Some regions place them within a single regional agency, while others divide them among multiple providers, boards, and local governments.