8
thursday, September 3, 1987 / University Daily Kansan
State/Local
House debate on highways expected to be frustrating
The Associated Press
TOPEKA — House members are expecting a grueling day of debate over a highway proposal today, one the chamber's leaders say could last longer and be more frustrating than the Senate's 12 hours of wrangling over a road plan.
House leaders are saying now what the Senate's leaders were saying two days ago: They don't see a general consensus for any single plan and they expect one endorsed by a committee to face many amendments. Debate is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. today, the fourth day of the Legislature's first special session in 21 years.
"We have three times as many members with three times as many ideas and probably three times as many amendments," said House Speaker Jim Braden, R-Clay Center. "It could possibly take longer, but I'm hopeful we can get through it in one day."
The House Transportation Committee endorsed yesterday a plan that calls for spending $319 million over the next $1½ years to increase financing for the state Department of Transportation's normal operations and to increase maintenance financing of existing roads by $163 million.
To pay for the maintenance program, the state would increase its gasoline and diesel fuels taxes by 3 cents a gallon. Vehicle registration fees for trucks would increase by 25 percent, and fees for passenger cars would be increased to $2. The package would raise $545 million.
To have the state finance any new construction, voters would have to approve a proposed constitutional amendment increasing the state's sales tax a half-percent in the August 1988 primary election. This would raise $824 million.
The committee basically ignored a plan the Senate passed earlier in the day. That plan called for $528 million in pew construction.
in new construction. The plan would have increased the motor taxes fuel by 4 cents on Oct. 1 and another penny on Jan. 1, 1989, as well as increasing vehicle registration fees.
Gov. Mike Hayden's comprehensive highway plan has not advanced in either chamber, and it calls for $1.71 billion in new construction.
The Senate's 40 members rejected several proposals during its debate Tuesday and yesterday. House Majority Leader Joe Knopp, R-Manhattan, said things may go rougher in the house, which has 125 members.
"The problem is, the Senate only has to count to 21." Knopp said.
House Republican leaders also worry that Democrats may try to use their votes on amendments and plans against them in 1988 elections. In fact, Knopp reminded Republicans at a caucus of their custom of letting only Braden and Knopp decide when to call for a roll call vote.
"I think we are going to be very careful in trying to protect House Republicans," Braden told the caucus. "I will assume that we won't be trying to twist any arms to get you to vote for something that would put you in jeopardy in your re-election campaigns."
Impact.
Minority Leader Marvin Barkes, D-Louisburg, said he found it difficult to vote for any highway plan without seeing what was proposed for other state programs, such as education. Barkes has said the state needed to take a balanced approach to helping its economy.
ing its economic Barkiic criticized the Senate's plan and said he could not support a large increase in motor fuels taxes or vehicle registration fees. He said he thought a House-Senate conference committee would end up developing the final highway plan.
Panel ignores Senate road bill
The Associated Press
TOPEKA — The House Transportation Committee yesterday ignored the highway bill the Senate passed earlier in the day and substituted its own, a plan that includes "enhanced maintenance" on state roads but does not contain any new projects.
The Senate bill proposed $528 million for new construction on major road corridors, including a new road from Wichita through southeast Kansas to Joplin, Mo.
Both plans fell short of Gov. Mike Hayden's proposed $1.7 billion highway package rejected by the Senate on the first day of the special session.
The House Transportation Committee's bill would raise $545 million, including $348 million to cover the projected shortfall of funds for the Kansas Department of Transportation, and $163 million for increased maintenance, by raising motor fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees.
axes and vehicle registration Under the House bill, money would
be raised by a 3-cent increase in the fuel tax, one cent of which would be returned to cities and counties; an increase in motor vehicle registration for all four categories of passenger vehicles, including pickups, to a flat $32; and a 25 percent raise in the registration fee for trucks.
The increase in the fuel tax would raise $363 million over an 8½-year period, with $242 million going to the state and $121 million going to local governments.
The committee's bill was developed during hearings and committee discussion two weeks ago.
Rep. Jeff Freeman, R-Burlington, was the only committee member to amend the bill. His amendment would allow local governments to replace bridge decks on structures that are less than 30 years old. Currently, a bridge can be replaced without a vote of the people only if it is more than 30 years old, Freeman said.
The committee also sent to the House a resolution for the August 1988 primary election ballot proposing a constitutional amendment to raise the sales tax from 4 percent to 4.5 percent with voter approval.
The extra half-cent sales tax would raise $284 million for new highway construction projects over an $1/2-year period. Placing that proposal on the ballot will require a two-thirds vote by both houses of the Legislature.
However, during a House Republican caucus, only 25 members indicated they could support the proposed constitutional amendment. Even if the proposed amendment had the support of all the House's 51 Democrats, it still would fall eight votes short of the two-thirds majority it needs to pass.
House Speaker Jim Braden, R-Clay Center, said he might not even bring up the proposed amendment for debate.
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