12.11.06
Rep. Mike Krusee Will File Bill To Index The Gas Tax
Here’s what was said in this article, Toll road argument thrown into doubt, from the SAEN about the recent Study Commission hearing on the TTI report:
While the study doesn’t recommend scrapping statewide toll plans, it does say toll dollars should stay in local areas and that the gas tax should be indexed to inflation to finance bonds.
It also calls for an end to diverting gas tax revenues to non-transportation uses.
Indexing the gas tax likely would mean fewer roads would need to be tolled, said Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock, who chairs the House Transportation Committee and co-chairs the legislative study commission.
But a bill he filed last year to index the tax to consumer inflation was killed. He said he’ll try again when the Legislature meets in January, and may consider tying the tax to faster-rising construction costs.
The legislative study commission also will offer ideas, but a report will be held off at least another month while members mull the TTI gas-tax study.
“The study has thrown a kink into the process,” Krusee said.
Reality can be quite the kink. Mike Krusee as the champion of indexing the gas tax? Somehow I just don’t see it and I’ll bet his constituents, ..er, I mean donors won’t like this one bit. Anyone who expects Rep. Krusee to become an advocate or enthusiastic supporter of this plan is out of their mind. He will do nothing more than he did last session, talk about how it has no chance of passing and do everything he can to shepherd it to it’s death in the Transportation Committee.