A short term road funding plan cleared a hurdle in the state Senate Tuesday. It’s the alternative to a House plan that called for a pair of tax hikes.
The road funding bill is now headed to a conference committee where key members of the House and Senate will try to reach a compromise. The plans from the two Houses are far apart at the moment.
The Senate proposal uses part of the state surplus and other sources to create a short term fix for road concerns.
It replaces the House version that includes hikes in the gas tax and the cigarette tax, a bill that was meant to be a long-term fix.
The vote was 39 to 11, and while the bill has no tax increases, it does include new fees for the owners of electric cars and hybrids. It’s a way to get them to pay their share of road money since other motorists are paying the gas tax..