2012 called crucial year for transportation funding
Speaking at the Greater Baltimore Committee’s annual transportation summit, State Senate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola warned that any political will that exists to raise money for highways, transit and other transportation needs will fall off the closer legislators get to the 2012 election.
"They’re going to be even more skittish as we get to 2013 and 2014," the Montgomery County Democrat said.
Garagiola was one of several speakers who called for increased investment in transportation at both the state and federal level, warning that the United States and Maryland are falling behind in quality of infrastructure.
U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Montgomery County, the top Democrat on the House budget committee, warned that transportation advocates face a challenge in even maintaining the current level of federal contributions because of Republican resistance to spending for any purpose.
Van Hollen, who is one of 12 lawmakers appointed to the so-called "super-Congress" charged with making $1.5 trillion in federal budget cuts over the next decade, said the most important priority in the short term is not deficit reduction but "to get the economy going again and get people back to work."
With unemployment in the construction sector running at about 14 percent, he said, transportation infrastructure is a good place to start.
For two years Congress has been stalled in its attempts to pass a new six-year transportation reauthorization bill. Meanwhile, federal transportation programs – primarily in the form of aid to the states – has continued under a series of short-term extensions. The most recent allowed funding to continue for the next six months, but the House and Senate are moving in different directions on a longer-term bill.
In the House, the Republican majority has been crafting a proposal that would cut federal transportation by more than 30 percent from current levels by holding spending to the amount of revenue raised by the federal gas tax.
"That is a huge cut at a time when we have big infrastructure needs and huge unemployment in this sector, Van Hollen said. But he predicted that even some Republican members would balk at cuts of that magnitude.
"Something’s got to give in this process, and I’m hoping that cooler heads will prevail," he said.
One of the key issues at the federal level, as well as in Annapolis, is the reluctance of lawmakers to vote for increases in the gas tax. The federal tax has remained at 18.4 cents a gallon, and Maryland’s at 23.5 cents a gallon, since the early 1990s. What was once a fairly routine vote every few years to raise the tax to keep up with inflation has become increasingly difficult as the Democratic and Republican parties have become increasingly polarized over fiscal issues.
Comments
Can someone please explain to me how a higher gas tax helps anyone? If anything it HURTS the middle class and those that are fighting with poverty.
Posted by: Phillip | September 19, 2011 1:47 PM
If anyone hasn't figured it out by now, O'Malley is going to follow the Democratic Party agenda no matter what damage it does to the people of Maryland. All he cares about is moving up in the world. Marylanders are just stepping stones on his way to a federal election.
Yes, people, this is SOO much better than having Ehrlich in office, who left us with a surplus that within weeks of being in office O'Malley turned into a deficit.
Posted by: Shadow | September 19, 2011 3:11 PM
Goo ol' Republicans - can't count on t hem to do ANYTHING right. I guess they wn't be happy until allour infrastructure fails and highway and railroad bridges crumble into waterways and canyons.
We NEED recall votes for anyone who doesn't deliber on their campaign promises. Kepp all these fools accountable.
Posted by: Michael Calo | September 19, 2011 3:38 PM
If the tax hurts, drive less! Ride a bike. Some infrastructure money should go towards bike lanes and public transportation. Americans need to reduce their reliance on cars.
Posted by: gremlin | September 19, 2011 4:01 PM
how about instead of taxing the voters until they don't have any money left, do your job and actually look at the budget and make cuts to entitlements and other wasteful programs.
O'Malley is a crook, plain and simple, he would rather rob Marylanders blind to appease his voting base, which is mostly people who accept handouts. Our state and Federal representation is an absolute joke.
Posted by: Dom | September 19, 2011 4:15 PM
Of course it is a crucial year! The cleptocrats in Annapolis want more of what we have less of!
Posted by: Anonymous | September 19, 2011 4:17 PM
Past taxes and policies don't matter now. What matters is whether or not highways and bridges can serve their intended purposes, one of which is providing a means for a large majority of people to get to and from their jobs (if the US priority is in fact--jobs, jobs, jobs)--and another, for goods and services to reach their destination. Higher gas tax doesn't help anyone but funds to keep roads and bridges functioning and preventing gridlock do. Keep them functioning any way you see fit, but fail to do so and the middle class and poor "ain't seen nothin' yet"!
Posted by: Larry Patterson | September 19, 2011 4:26 PM
Let's not forget that they have taken almost 600 million out of the transportation fund in the past and only returned 400 million plus. The only way I would be in favor of the slow taxing us to death on NECESSITIES like gas are if the funds collected in this way would be locked for solely the use intended and not to be raided for other pet projects. In other words, like I believe one of our MD congressmen said, if there was a constitutional amendment making the transportation funds off limits for other purposes.
Stop robbing the citizens that actually work to cover your mistakes, legislature.
Posted by: Shadow | September 19, 2011 5:45 PM
And this also comes right after they raised all of the MVA fees again. Yeah, I just registered a motorcycle today, the fee WAS $50 prior to July 1 but now is $100! All in all it cost almost $200 in FEES just for the privilege of driving yet if I would have just bought one of those scooters I wouldn't even need tags. Hey, how about you FEE the crap out of those scooters instead. I'd be shocked if more than 1% of those scooters had insurance let alone a licensed rider.
Posted by: Phillip | September 19, 2011 6:20 PM
Here's an idea. Don't raise the gas tax just eliminate prevailing wage laws and MBE/DBE requirements for projects. Construction costs decrease by 20%, thousands go to work, and no new taxes required.
We may have to raise the gas some for my next proposal but I think it is worth it. Require all materials to be made in the USA to put more people to work. Delaware is currently replacing all the lamps in their stop lights with LED's made in Taiwan. Just doesn't seem right for a stimulus project to provide so many overseas jobs.
Posted by: MARK56 | September 20, 2011 12:21 PM