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Capitol View®
Tom Scheck

House GOP road plan to use dedicated taxes

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Republicans in the Minnesota House are starting to release some specifics on what they intend to do to fund the state’s transportation system.

House Transportation Committee Chair Tim Kelly, R-Red Wing, says he will release the plan in a few weeks. He won't say how much it will cost but said it would be "substantial."

“We’ve got a lot of tools available to us and we’re just in the process of putting it all together,” Kelly said.

Kelly said the options he’s considering include a using portion of the state’s $1.9 billion surplus, bonding and dedicating existing tax revenue from rental cars, auto parts sales and leased vehicles.

“If we take those funds on an ongoing basis and dedicate those funds to roads and bridges and infrastructure and maintenance,  that’s a logical step,” Kelly said. “I would think the department [Minnesota Department of Transportation] would presume that would be sustainable funding.”

Kelly emphasized again that the House Republicans will not raise taxes to fund transportation.

Gov. Dayton and Senate Democrats want to raise the gas tax and vehicle registration fees to pay for $6 billion in road and bridge projects over the next decade.

They held a news conference today to criticize Republicans for not having a specific plan.