PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: The state Senate approved a $2.5 billion transportation-funding bill Wednesday, aimed at repairing thousands of aging bridges and miles of roads while pumping more money into transit, setting the stage for a fight over the bill’s fate in the House.
The plan, championed by Transportation Committee Chairman John Rafferty (R., Montgomery), ups the ante on the $1.8 billion proposal Gov. Corbett unveiled in February to address the state’s infrastructure problems.
Rafferty’s bill, was approved on a 45-5 vote, would increase driver’s license and vehicle-registration fees, and put a hefty surcharge on speeders and others who violate traffic laws. Like Corbett’s plan, the bill would also lift the cap on the oil-franchise tax to raise revenue, and reduce the per-gallon flat tax at the pump by two cents a gallon… (more)
