MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
JEFFERSON CITY - Senate Republicans stalled a vote Wednesday on an increase in sales and fuel taxes that would generate nearly $500 million a year to fund transportation projects.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Morris Westfall, R-Halfway, said he began the day hopeful that the measure would come up for a vote on Wednesday. However, those hopes were dashed by a small group of opponents to the bill, all members of Westfall's own party, who slowed debate and after more than three hours the Senate adjourned without a final vote.
After adjournment Republican Floor Leader Bill Kenney, R-Lee's Summit, said he would bring the bill up again "sooner than later" but indicated that next week is the earliest it would reappear. With the legislative session scheduled to end May 17 and consideration from the House still necessary, time is running short. Westfall said he remains "cautiously optimistic" the bill will pass this session, but acknowledged that if it doesn't clear the Senate by the end of next week that will be difficult.
The bill, intended to raise revenue for highway projects and mass transit, would increase the state sales tax by three-eighths of a cent on the dollar and increase the motor fuel tax by six cents per gallon. The measure would require approval from voters this August and, if adopted, would go into effect on January 1, 2003.
Sen. Dave Klarich, R-St. Louis County, spoke in opposition to the bill for more than 40 minutes without offering any amendments. Klarich said the revenue Westfall's bill would generate falls far short of the $8 billion that the Missouri Department of Transportation estimates it will take to complete projects the department currently says are needed. He said the budget should "reflect our priorities" and proposed requiring five percent of the state budget be set aside for transportation.
"We didn't get ourselves into this problem over night and we're not going to get ourselves out of it (over night) either," Klarich said.
Aware that several Senators had amendments to the bill awaiting consideration, Westfall eventually questioned Klarich's motivation.
"Are you, as the saying goes, waltzing me along the path of just taking time?," Westfall said.
Sen. Larry Rohrbach, R-California, said he didn't have a problem with the user fee concept of the fuel tax, but called the proposed sales tax hike "regressive."
"I really hate putting it to poor people," Rohrbach said.
Sen. Ken Jacob, D-Columbia, said he didn't like it, but that the reality is that a sales tax is needed to pay for roads. Jacob, the only Democrat active in Wednesday's discussion, said that if the infrastructure of the state isn't rebuilt the economy will deteriorate, resulting in a loss of jobs that would affect the people Rohrbach sought to help. He added that people had been waiting two years for a vote on the measure.
"We Democrats want to sit quietly down and vote on the bill," Jacob said.