Senate President Pro Tempore David Long says money to pay for Indiana’s roads should come from users and not the general revenue fund.
Long made that statement today as Senate Republicans unveiled their legislative agenda for 2017.
As lawmakers look for ways to pay for Indiana’s long-term funding needs, increases in the state’s gas tax are on the table. However some anti-tax groups says the state should use existing dollars. However Long says 60 percent of the budget goes to education and he opposes dipping into those funds to pay for roads.
Long would not say how much taxes should be increased to pay for roads, however he did call the plan released by House Republicans a good start for discussion.
Senate Republicans also unveiled the rest of their agenda which includes
- Pass another balanced two-year state budget
- Create a long-term road funding plan
- Pass a balanced budget amendment
- Fight opioid abuse
- Replace the outdated ISTEP exam
- Improve Career & Technical Education in the school funding formula and fix the overall structure of workforce development
- Fix Indiana’s e-liquids law
You can hear Senator Long in the Leon-Tailored Audio above. It is divided into two parts. Part one is the announcement, part two is questions from the media.
