Gov. Mike DeWine is trying a last ditch effort to push lawmakers back toward the gas tax increase that he originally proposed – which they slashed dramatically.
Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler reports he’s driving home his concerns about safety as the transportation budget goes to a conference committee.
Flanked by officials from ODOT and public safety, and holding a report listing Ohio’s 150 most dangerous intersections, DeWine thanked lawmakers for passing their transportation budgets – the House’s with a 10.7 cent gas tax increase and the Senate’s with 6 cents.
“We are close. But what we do in the next few days, at what level we fund this bill – and I would again urge you to fully fund it – we will determine how safe our roads are.”
DeWine says going back to his 18 cent hike, indexed to inflation, would ensure enough money to maintain and repair Ohio’s roads and bridges for the next decade, and that putting money into ODOT from the separate operating budget or the rainy day fund is a one-time fix. The transportation budget must be signed by March 31.
