DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Members of an influential farming group are lobbying lawmakers to approve a fuel tax increase to pay for road improvements.
Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Hill said Wednesday that 200 members of his group were in the Capitol, talking to legislators. Hill appeared at a news conference where a national transportation research group released a report detailing weaknesses with Iowa’s bridges and roads.
The report says 27 percent of Iowa’s urban roads and highways are in poor condition and that 21 percent of Iowa’s bridges are structurally deficient.
Lawmakers in the state House and Senate are reviewing bills that would raise the state fuel tax by 10 cents a gallon to pay for roads. The governor and legislative leaders have offered support for providing more money for infrastructure.
