Pa. Senate Committee Approves Transportation Funding Beyond Corbett's Request
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- Going even beyond what Gov. Tom Corbett has proposed for transportation funding in Pennsylvania, the state senate's Transportation Committee has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would raise new funds for roads, bridges, and mass transit.
The measure approved by the committee would lift a cap on wholesale gasoline prices at a faster rate than the governor has proposed. And it also goes further by adjusting license and registration fees for inflation, and adding $100 to the fines for most moving violations.
"This is not an easy lift for some people, but it's one that we recognize is necessary for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," says state senator John Rafferty, a suburban Philadelphia Republican and chairman of the committee. "This piece of legislation has broad support."
Rafferty says a majority of members have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill.
And while the chairman says he has not encountered any roadblocks from the Corbett administration, it's unclear whether the Pennsylvania House will support what the governor has proposed, let alone the Senate bill.