Senator Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) issued the following statement regarding the Joint Finance Committee Transportation Package. The package includes $483.7 million in fee increases and a transfer from the General Fund to the Transportation Fund. The proposal also includes $326 million in new transportation bonding. The proposal didn’t include any required cost savings or reforms in the operations of the Department of Transportation.
“Tonight is a big win for the road building specials interests and a big loss for the taxpayers. The Joint Finance Committee package contains excessively high levels of new revenues with no accountability or reform measures. We may see a separate bill containing a few reforms at some point, but it is likely the Governor will veto any stand-alone bill relating to taxpayer accountability at the DOT.
I don’t support this transportation package and have serious concerns over the current level of structural deficit (*currently between $1 billion and $1.5 billion according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau) created by the JFC version of the budget. These key factors are jeopardizing my support for the 2019-21 biennial budget.”
Key pieces in the package:
-Increases the light truck and auto annual registration fee from $75 to $85.
-Increases the Titling Fee by $95 to a cost of $164.50. Currently it is $69.50.
-Transfer of $90 million GPR from the General Fund to the Transportation
