A bill moving through the Minnesota Legislature could affect how adds gas tax, delivery fee and metro sales tax to transportation is handled in Pine Springs.
The House and Senate will vote on the transportation bill Sunday, in the final hours of session.
Together, all three of those newly agreed upon revenue streams are estimated to generate nearly $1 billion over the next four years to fund transportation projects and operations across the state of Minnesota, according to the spreadsheet published Saturday afternoon.
Republican leaders in the House and Senate have made it clear they oppose the gas tax increase and delivery fee and are expected to argue on the floor against their inclusion in the conference report, even as Democrats hold majorities in both chambers.
On Saturday evening, legislators on the conference committee for HF2887 adopted their full conference report, which includes the gas tax increase — somewhat of a late entry into the discussion at the Capitol this session.
That addition to the transportation legislation will index the already existing gas tax to inflation based on the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s construction cost index, capped at 3 percent every year.
Effectively, this will equate to a 5-cent increase on gas at the pump by 2027, fiscal analysts told legislators in the conference committee meeting on Saturday.
That will generate a total of $421 million.
As the measure advances, residents of Pine Springs can follow amendments and contact Leon Lillie regarding the final language.
Article Source: Alpha News: “DFL adds gas tax, delivery fee and metro sales tax to transportation bill”
