Aug. 9, 2019 – The nation’s governors are taking matters into their own hands. “On behalf of the nation’s governors, we applaud the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for taking this first step,” the National Governors Association (NGA) said in a statement about the recent America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act. “The bill’s emphasis on formula funding, safety and resiliency comes at a critical time for states.” But committee passage does not guarantee a new law, it so aptly states in an article in Governing magazine. The last major transportation bill, enacted in 2015, was delayed for years, with Congress passing multiple short-term extensions. Even then, Congress did not increase the federal gas tax, leading to concerns the federal Highway Trust Fund could run dry. Thirteen states have raised gas taxes this year, desperate for more money to build and repair roads, bridges and other infrastructure. “There’s kind of a consensus among all 50 governors, everybody on both sides of the aisle, that this is probably the most important thing that we’re all dealing with,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan told Governing.
States the Truth
