Lack of road funds fueling talk of gas tax, Womack says

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark.

ROGERS -- Constituents have become so frustrated by the lack of highway money that the idea of raising the gasoline tax has begun popping up in conversations, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers said Tuesday.

Womack, R-Ark., is not calling for a gas-tax increase and there is little to no support in his district for such a move, he said in an interview after his speech to the Rogers Rotary Club.

"But the topic wouldn't even have come up a year ago," Womack said.

Federal gas taxes go into the trust fund, which pays for transportation improvements. The tax brings in about $34 billion annually, but the federal government spends about $50 billion a year on projects.

The 18.4 cents per gallon collected by the tax has not been raised since 1993. Projects important to Northwest Arkansas are slowed waiting for money, he told the group. In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation sets spending priorities for the money with little input from Congress, Womack said.

"The Bella Vista bypass project is no longer just a jobs issue," Womack told the group. "It's a safety issue."

State Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, said when reached after the speech that the idea of raising the gasoline tax would be controversial even among Democrats.

"Standing at the gas pump is where a lot of our dollars are spent, so it would be a volatile conversation to discuss," Leding said. "I personally would be open to looking at that kind of measure because there's not a lot of options left," he said. Transportation is a basic need, he said.

The subject of a gas tax increase didn't come up until gasoline prices fell into the range of $2.30 to $2.40 a gallon, Womack told the Rotary Club.

"I am hopeful, though not very optimistic, that we'll have a long-term solution," he said of highway funding.

Womack also expressed frustration Tuesday at what he called "stick in the wheels" issues from both ends of the ideological spectrum.

A major appropriation bill, including the appropriations for national parks and the federal Environmental Protection Agency, was derailed when Democrats wanted a ban on sales of Confederate flags in parks and other sites such as battlefields, he said.

Major legislation overseeing farm spending was derailed when Republicans attached a provision that would have added work requirements to qualify for federal food assistance.

Congress now faces another potential budget showdown over an appropriation to Planned Parenthood, he said.

A Section on 08/26/2015

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