Transportation bill gets final OK from lawmakers
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HARRISBURG – Billions in new taxes and spending for roads, bridges and mass transit in Pennsylvania easily cleared a final legislative hurdle Thursday and will soon be signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett.
The state House voted 113-85 for what will soon be $2.3 billion or more in annual additional funding.
Supporters spoke of a mounting need for projects across the state and financially stressed mass transit systems that undergird regional economies.
“Everybody wants good roads and bridges and infrastructure, but nobody wants to pay for it,” said Rep. Mike McGeehan of Philadelphia, the ranking Democrat on the Transportation Committee. “Unfortunately, that’s not a reality. If we want to remain a first-class economic power it can’t be done with a third-rate transportation system.”
Opponents warned the new taxes will be a crushing burden to state residents and argued for cheaper alternatives.
“Every single item on the shelf has a potential to go up because of the increase in transporting these goods,” said Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren. “I am dismayed at this legislation.”
House passage came just three days after the chamber narrowly defeated the same proposal. Unusually for the House, substantial numbers of both parties voted for and against the measure.
The first major transportation bill in six years increases a tax on gasoline at the wholesale level, which could boost prices at the pump by a quarter or more by the time it is fully implemented in five years.
It also imposes a range of higher fees and fines collected by the state Department of Transportation, and would link future increases to the rate of inflation.
Another provision changes “prevailing wage” rules for public works projects, saving local governments millions of dollars a year by waiving minimum pay requirements for projects worth less than $100,000. The current limit is $25,000.
And it will allow the PennDOT secretary to increase from 65 mph to 70 mph the speed limit on certain highways.
Corbett’s office issued a release soon after the final vote that said he will sign the bill next week.