While House leaders continue to strike down hopes of raising the federal gas tax to support a multiyear highway bill, a group of House members has introduced legislation that calls for increased fees at the pump.
The move, however, would be temporary until a more permanent highway funding solution can be created. Reps. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio), Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) have sponsored a bill that would index the gas tax to inflation in January 2016. The move would generate $27.5 billion, which the lawmakers say would produce enough funding for two years’ worth of transportation projects while Congress comes up with a longer-lasting fix.
“We refuse to pass on the liability of our deteriorating roads and bridges to our children and grandchildren,” the bill’s sponsors said in a joint statement. “The longer we wait to fix our crumbling infrastructure, the more it will cost in the long run.”
Earlier in the week, Senate leaders held a press conference on the need to pass another extension of MAP-21 in order to keep summer projects moving. The current extension expires on May 31 and the U.S. DOT said the Highway Trust Fund is expected to run out of money sometime in July
