California gas, vehicle tax hike advances in Legislature

The state Legislature narrowly approved a plan to increase gas taxes and vehicle fees late Thursday, a move expected to raise tens of billions of dollars over the next decade to fix the state’s worn and aging transportation infrastructure.

Assembly Democrats almost did not have enough votes to approve the bill until a deal was struck with two Riverside Democrats, Sen.

Passing the California tax was a major victory for 79-year-old Gov. One Democrat in the Senate and one Assembly Democrat voted against the bill. “SB 1 is a responsible solution, and it does not involve borrowing”. He cited the state’s overwhelming vote for Hillary Clinton last fall as evidence that people feel pretty good about their economic situation. The pro Tem has called floor session for 1:30pm; the Assembly will gavel in at 2:30pm.

Back in pre-Civil War days, certain parts of the country had a system of housing the workforce right on the property where they worked.

“Look, I’m sure there’s going to be some blowback, but for me it was important”, he said outside the Senate chamber after the vote. Anthony Cannella of Ceres. Adam Gray (D-Merced) – but because they have not been in print for 72 hours, they can not be brought up for votes today.

To pass the bill, the governor tried to garner support from the trucking industry because the diesel tax will mostly impact transportation companies. The bill passed the Senate with the minimum votes needed 27-11. Cannella, has signaled an openness to voting yes.

“After careful thought and consideration, I cast my vote today to support Senate Bill 1 because we critically need a new approach to improving our roads and reducing traffic”, Rodriguez said in a statement. “Transportation is a basic need to live and work and raise a family”. Jerry Brown (D) before going into effect.

Brown’s record of accomplishment so far this year is a lot better than Trump’s.

And here’s a breakdown of where the revenues would go. The plan also included raising gas taxes. Strict accountability is included to ensure funds are only spent on transportation – essentially placing funds in a lock box, and by passing a Constitutional amendment to prohibit spending the funds on anything but transportation.

According to Brown the measure and become necessary after 23 years without a gas tax increase, that had led to a backlog of $130 billion in fix and replacement projects in the state. That’s because they are doing nothing.

Gas taxes are supposed to provide revenue for road construction, maintenance, repair, and improvements, but states typically divert much of the money to other sources. “A fee for the privilege of driving on our roads that the people pay for”.

The trucking provision included in SB1 exempts truckers from any future state regulations that would require them to upgrade their trucks within the first 13 years on the road or before they reach 800,000 miles.

The arithmetic can’t be denied any more than the condition of California’s roads, but tax-averse politicians have been stuck in neutral for years.

California residents already contend with the nation’s sixth highest average state and local tax burden. “Where did our money go?”

The vote came after Gov. Both the Senate and Assembly held hearings on the bill Monday.

In California’s one-party state – everything in the state, everything, is controlled by the Democratic Party and its union allies – the governor and legislature rushed through a massive tax hike on gas and diesel fuel along with higher auto registration fees with hardly anyone realizing it. And yet in this instance, they would give diesel engines a break.