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. F20L82JS/20070H0352R2084 - 2 -