Today in the Legislature

Briefly, I will tell you what is up today - Your Gas Tax!

The Legislature has voted not once, but twice this session to put a gas tax increase in two separate bills when we have $700 million+ in the "bank".

LB 846 was front and center today. If passed, with the increased appropriations in the "A" Bill the bill will raise the gas tax 3.1 cents.

LB 959 (which is the budget bill) would raise the gas tax 1.2 cents to fund salaries at the department of roads.

So the total gas tax increase if both bills become law is 4.3 cents per gallon more than you are paying now.

I have voted against both ideas, offered alternatives to the gas tax increase in the budget and still fund the need, and believe there are other viable options that should be considered if we are truly challenging the way we fund roads. We need to fund roads and we likely need more money, but doing what we have always done hardly sounds like an innovative or creative solution. I will talk more about this later.

A key point to be aware tomorrow is LB 988 - which would rewrite the state aid to schools formula is up for debate on second round tomorrow evening (starting at 5 pm CST).

We just adjourned for the day and I am going home.