PRINTER'S NO. 2084
No. 352 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY MARKOSEK, GEIST, BRENNAN, CARROLL, CLYMER,
JOSEPHS, PETRONE, PHILLIPS, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SOLOBAY, WALKO
AND YUDICHAK, JUNE 25, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, JUNE 25, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study
2 alternatives to the liquid fuels tax for purposes of funding
3 the Commonwealth's transportation infrastructure and to
4 report its findings to the General Assembly.
5 WHEREAS, An efficient transportation system is critical for
6 Pennsylvania's economy and quality of life; and
7 WHEREAS, The revenues currently available for highways and
8 local roads are inadequate to preserve and maintain existing
9 infrastructure and to provide funds for improvements that would
10 reduce congestion and improve service; and
11 WHEREAS, The 2006 report of the Transportation Funding and
12 Reform Commission stated that the Commonwealth's highway and
13 bridge program is not keeping pace with growing investment needs
14 due to infrastructure size, age and dramatically escalating
15 maintenance and construction costs for items such as steel,
16 cement and petroleum; and
17 WHEREAS, The Department of Transportation has lost
18 approximately $350 million of its purchasing power due to
1 inflation since the last increase in State highway and bridge
2 funding in 1997; and
3 WHEREAS, The Transportation Funding and Reform Commission has
4 recommended that the Commonwealth provide additional funding in
5 the amount of $900 million per year for the State's highways and
6 bridges; and
7 WHEREAS, The liquid fuels tax will become a less effective
8 mechanism for meeting Pennsylvania's long-term revenue needs due
9 to proposed enhanced Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)
10 standards and the creation of fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles;
11 and
12 WHEREAS, The State of Oregon has a pilot program in place to
13 test a mileage-based user fee in an effort to replace the state
14 gas tax by requiring participants to install mileage recording
15 and global positioning systems in their vehicles to track miles
16 driven inside and outside of state borders; and
17 WHEREAS, The General Assembly must begin to examine
18 alternatives to using liquid fuels tax revenues to adequately
19 fund the Commonwealth's transportation infrastructure: therefore
20 be it
21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the
22 Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study alternatives
23 to the liquid fuels tax for purposes of funding the
24 Commonwealth's transportation infrastructure, which study shall
25 include actions taken by other states to eliminate reliance on
26 liquid fuels tax revenues to fund transportation
27 infrastructures; and be it further
28 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
29 report its findings to the House of Representatives no later
30 than June 30, 2008.
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