Fifty House Republicans this week
stood with Speaker Kevin Cotter as the House rolled out a new road funding
package. Coming on the heels of a
resounding defeat of Proposal 15-1 at the polls, the House Republican road plan
would generate $1.05 billion for roads with only $45 million coming from new
revenue. The House also created a new
Roads and Economic Development Committee to consider the plan.
The
plan would raise the diesel tax from 15 cents to 19 cents to match the gas tax,
then index both to inflation, and levy a user fee on hybrid, electric and other
alternative-fuel vehicles. The Speaker also suggested his plan would raise more
than $1 billion for roads by tapping into restricted funds that now support
economic development programs such as, $75 million from the tobacco settlement
in the 21st Century Jobs Fund, $60 million from the tribal gaming compact and
$50 million from ending the film subsidies program, allocating a portion of the
projected growth in the general fund, and eliminating the Earned Income Tax
Credit for low-income families.
The
Senate plans to take a more deliberative approach to coming up with a road
funding proposal, announcing this week their plans for a summer session with
roads as the top priority.