Democrats Hope To Wedge Road Funding Into Special Session
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Some top Minnesota Democrats are ditching a call for a wholesale gasoline tax in an effort to force action on transportation funding this year.
Ambitious plans to increase funds for the state's ailing network of roads and bridges were stymied this legislative session by disagreement over how to pay for it. Democrats wanted to levy a new gasoline tax at the wholesale level while Republicans aimed to tap a hefty budget surplus.
Minneapolis Sen. Scott Dibble and other Democrats unveiled a replacement plan Friday, scrapping the wholesale tax for a 10 cent increase to Minnesota's per-gallon tax. It would also incorporate part of House Republicans' approach by shifting some existing taxes into a transportation fund.
Dibble says the Legislature needs to pass a transportation plan during an upcoming special session.
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