As Missouri lawmakers begin a new session at noon on Wednesday, one issue facing them is how to fund Missouri’s roads and highways. A “Blue-Ribbon” citizen’s committee created by the Missouri House to examine the state’s transportation needs released its report on how to fix the funding crisis on Tuesday. The report lays out several options, including: raising either the state’s fuel tax or creating a sales tax dedicated to transportation needs. House Speaker Tim Jones says he prefers exploring options that are "revenue neutral."
“I believe there’s plenty of government that can still be cut…we’re faced every year with an ever increasing bloating entitlement system, and I’d rather spend the money on education, roads and bridges, and less on entitlements,” said Jones.
Jones also indicated that he’d be willing to cut Medicaid in order to insure the state’s transportation needs are met. The report concluded that Missouri needs an additional 600 million to one billion dollars a year – for several years – to maintain its transportation system.
