Possible Tax Raises To Improve MS Roads Alive In Legislature

JACKSON, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – The possibility of raising taxes or borrowing money to improve Mississippi’s roads and bridges remains alive in the Legislature, but just barely.

The Senate Finance Committee voted 13-12 Tuesday to pass Senate Bill 2921 (http://bit.ly/1QVn0vq ), a placeholder that could be rewritten later with tax increases or bonds.

The move came after Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Willie Simmons, a Cleveland Democrat, abandoned plans to push forward a bill with specific tax provisions that would have raised $441 million a year.

Some Democrats and Republicans oppose the placeholder, saying specific tax proposals should be debated in the open instead of settled during negotiations late in the session. At that point, lawmakers would get only one vote without amending a plan.

Legislators last approved a major increase in funding for transportation in 1987.