The clock is ticking as Ohio lawmakers only have until Sunday to pass a transportation budget, but they’re jammed in a stalemate over the gas tax increase.
There are other obstacles toward an agreement, such as eliminating front license plates and fees on hybrid and electric vehicles.
But the gas tax hike is the main one. The House reached a deal with Gov. Mike DeWine to set the tax increase at 11 cents, making the state gas tax total 39-cents a gallon. That version would also hike the diesel tax to 48-cents a gallon.
But the Senate wouldn’t accept that deal, keeping their proposal of a 6-cent increase in place.
DeWine has insisted that the state needs to increase the gas tax in order to cover the increasing costs of repairing and maintaining Ohio’s roads and bridges.
Copyright 2019 The Statehouse News Bureau
