House Attempts To Approve Transportation Funding
AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/AP) -- The Texas House is expected to work towards approving a new funding mechanism that would make about $900 million a year available for highways and bridges.
Lawmakers will convene Thursday afternoon to vote on a constitutional amendment to divert money from the Rainy Day Fund into a new transportation fund. Constitutional amendments need 100 votes from the House to go to voters for final approval.
Only 92 lawmakers supported the measure in an interim vote on Monday.
Experts say Texas needs a $4 billion a year in new spending to maintain the existing transportation system.
But tea party groups don't want to divert money from the state's Rainy Day Fund, and they don't want to raise taxes. Democrats want more spending in other areas too.
(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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