12:30 P.M. UPDATE:
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson's highway plan is headed toward a final vote in the Legislature, while a Senate-backed effort to limit the funding for one year appears dead.
The Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee on Friday endorsed Hutchinson's proposal to use the state's surplus, investment returns and other funds to raise nearly $50 million for road needs in the coming fiscal year. The House approved the measure earlier Friday, and it's expected to go before the full Senate on Monday.
A competing plan that would have limited Hutchinson's proposal to one year was rejected by the House Rules Committee after nobody on the panel moved to recommend its passage. The Senate earlier Friday had approved that measure.
Check back for updates and read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
EARLIER: Highway bill heads to new Senate panel
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson's highway plan isn't going to the same Senate panel that deadlocked over his proposal to raise nearly $50 million for roads in the coming year.
The Senate on Friday voted 19-14 to move the House-backed version of Hutchinson's proposal from the Transportation Committee to Revenue and Taxation.
The Senate transportation panel deadlocked a day earlier over Hutchinson's proposal to tap into the state's surplus, investment returns and other funds for roads. The Senate earlier Friday backed a proposal to limit Hutchinson's funding plan to one year.
EARLIER: Arkansas House passes governor's highway plan; Senate passes competing plan
The Arkansas House has approved Gov. Asa Hutchinson's proposal to fund highway improvements.
The House voted 75-15 on Friday in support of the governor's plan, which would tap into the state's surplus, investment returns and other funds to raise money for roads.
The measure now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers on Friday passed a competing plan that would limit the funding to the coming fiscal year.
Hutchinson says the money is needed to bring in $200 million in additional annual federal matching funds for state roads. His proposal has faced resistance from some lawmakers who say they want to find a longer-term solution for highway funding.