Tag: politics: Page 4

Roadbuilding

Missouri officials call for a raise in the state gas tax

The Missouri Senate passed a bill Thursday to raise the state’s gas tax 1.5 cents a gallon in order to raise money to fix the declining infrastructure. According to a report from the Kansas City Star, an earlier proposal to raise the tax by two cents had stalled. State and local officials gathered at the Broadway Bridge […]

May 5, 2015

Roadbuilding

Poll shows most voters would support gas tax hike for roadwork

Well more than two-thirds of voters would be willing to more at the pump if it meant the money was going to pay for road construction, according to a poll from the Mineta Transportation Institute. About 71 percent of the voters polled said they would support at 10-cent gas hike if the money were spent on […]

May 1, 2015

Roadbuilding

Today is Stand Up 4 Transportation Day; campaign urges passage of long-term highway bill

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is promoting April 9 as Stand Up for Transportation Day, an effort to “focus on the urgency of the passage of a long-term, federal transportation bill” involving 300 organizations in 140 communities throughout the country. The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, also known as MAP-21, […]

April 9, 2015

Roadbuilding

Senate fails to override veto on Keystone XL pipeline construction

President Obama’s veto of the Keystone XL pipeline remains intact after the Senate could not muster enough votes March 4 to override the decision. The president vetoed Senate bill S. 1 in late February. The Senate fell just a few votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed in a 62-37 vote, according to a report […]

March 5, 2015

Roadbuilding

Texas Senate will vote on using portion of vehicle taxes for highway funding

The Texas Senate Transportation Committee approved a bill that would dedicate a portion of motor vehicle taxes to road and bridge construction and maintenance. Senate Bill 5, one of two bills addressing the issue, will most likely come up for a vote next week, according to the state. Previously, these taxes have been used to “plug holes in […]

February 26, 2015

Roadbuilding

18 states and D.C. use variable-rate gas tax for highway, bridge projects

The latest report from the Transportation Investment Advocacy Center (TIAC) shows that 18 states and the District of Columbia use variable-rate gas taxes to fund highway and bridge improvement projects. Such taxes adjust to inflation and the wholesale price of gas, rather than relying the static nature of a flat excise tax. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association […]

February 26, 2015

Workforce

Wisconsin Senate passes right-to-work bill amid protests

After two days of chaotic protests from union supporters and construction industry workers and officials, the Wisconsin Senate voted late Wednesday night to pass fast-tracked right-to-work legislation. According to a report from the Wisconsin State Journal, Senate Bill 44 passed by a margin of 17-15. The bill would mean Wisconsin workers in the private sector could […]

February 25, 2015

Roadbuilding

California’s gas tax cut will reduce highway funding, won’t mean cheaper pump prices

The California State Board of Equalization voted to reduce the state’s gasoline tax to 30 cents per gallon from 36 cents, a change set to be implemented in July, according to an Associated Press report. The tax cut reportedly will not cause the price of gas to go down for consumers, but the California Department of Transportation says […]

February 25, 2015

Roadbuilding

TCC applauds bipartisan congressional letter supporting long-term transportation bill, Highway Trust Fund

Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) leadership called a recent bipartisan letter from nearly 300 House of Representatives members calling for action on funding transportation improvements a “broad consensus” that a long-term highway and transit bill is a “top priority” and that there is “overwhelming bipartisan support for legislative action.” The letter, sent Feb. 11 to House Speaker John Boehner and Minority […]

February 24, 2015

Roadbuilding

Obama vetoes Keystone XL pipeline construction; bill heads back to Congress

Citing a contempt for the national interest on the part of Congress, President Barack Obama vetoed a bill that would have cleared the way for construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The move comes two weeks after Senate bill S. 1 was passed by the House of Representatives and more than a month after the […]

February 24, 2015

Roadbuilding

Idaho bill proposes increases to vehicle registration fees and fuel taxes to fund transportation efforts

Members of the Idaho House Transportation and Defense Committee have but forth a bill to provide nearly $200 million in transportation funds via large percentage increases in gasoline and diesel taxes and vehicle registration and permit fees. Section 8 of House Bill 144 outlines a change to Section 49-402 of the Idaho Code to increase vehicle registration fees […]

February 22, 2015

Roadbuilding

Georgia drivers pay extra $8 billion annually due to deficient roads TRIP report finds

Deficient roads in Georgia costs the state’s motorists nearly $8 billion in additional vehicle operating costs and expenses related to safety and congestion, according to a report by The Road Improvement Program. TRIP held a dual press conference in Atlanta and Columbus in announcing its “Georgia Transportation by the Numbers: Meeting the State’s Need for Safe and Efficient Mobility” […]

February 19, 2015