JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Legislation that would let voters choose to raise taxes for improving roads and bridges cleared the Senate on Wednesday -- the same chamber that stifled a similar proposal a year ago.

The bill, which faces further action in the House of Representatives, would put the transportation funding question on the Aug. 6 ballot.

The measure, which passed 27-5, calls for adding 6 cents to the state fuel tax for a total of 23 cents a gallon and increase the general sales tax by three-eighths of a cent to raise nearly $500 million a year for transportation. The taxes would expire in 10 years unless renewed by voters.

Passage of the bill was a bipartisan effort, though all the dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.

Opponents either wanted provisions that would provide oversight on how the Missouri State Highways and Transportation Commission would spend the money or disliked moving away from using just user fees, like fuel taxes, to fund road construction.

Of Southeast Missouri's three senators, Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, and state Sen. Danny Staples, D-Eminence, voted for the bill.

"Everyone says we need action on Missouri's transportation needs and a package for voters to consider," Kinder said. "We'll see what the House does with it."

Distribution problems

State Sen. Bill Foster, R-Poplar Bluff, said he voted against it because there is no provision requiring the money to be fairly distributed between urban and rural areas.

"This is a major tax increase and what is going to happen to the money? At least 50 percent of it is going to go to St. Louis and Kansas City," Foster said. "That is not a fair distribution."

Foster was rebuffed last week in his attempt to require that additional transportation revenue be divided three ways -- a third for interstate highways, one third for other rural projects and one third for other urban needs.

At present, Foster said the Department of Transportation divides its spending equally between urban and rural areas, but spending on expensive interstate highways eats up the bulk of the rural allocation.

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Morris Westfall, R-Halfway, said he isn't willing to budge much from the Senate's position should his legislation undergo radical changes in the House.

On Monday, the House Transportation Committee endorsed a $630 million a year funding plan that would rely solely on a 1-cent sales tax. That's bill's sponsor, state Rep. Don Koller, D-Summerville, will likely merge his proposal with Westfall's.

Compromise considered

Westfall said he's willing to compromise, but only a little.

"I'm thoroughly convinced this needs to be done, but you can get to a point where it becomes unreasonable," Westfall said. "A 1-cent sales tax is unreasonable."

In whatever form, the bill is expected to clear the House, which last year passed a transportation tax that later failed in the Senate.

While many House Republicans remain opposed to a tax plan that doesn't include reforms at MoDOT, majority Democrats could shut down debate and force a vote, as was done with last year's transportation bill.

The bill is SB 915.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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