Local Congressmen are calling the recent effort to raise the gas tax in Iowa by .10 cents a gallon “Fragile” and that it really could go either way.
Des Moines County’s three local congressmen sat down in front of constituents at a breakfast sponsored by the Greater Burlington Partnership on Saturday to answer questions about recent action in Des Moines.
Burlington Democratic Senator Tom Courtney says that as it stands, the bipartisan bill could end up falling apart at any stage in the process.
“It’s really fragile,” Courtney said, “I don’t think any of us will know until Governor [Terry Branstad] signs it. And I’m not convinced he will sign it. He hasn’t said that yet, and when the Governor wants something he’s never been shy about saying ‘I want this, get it going.'”
“He hasn’t done that,” Courtney added.
It already had a close call with destruction earlier this week. Wapello Republican Representative Tom Sands, who chairs the Ways and Means Committee in the Republican controlled House, had to work with House Speaker Kraig Paulsen to change up committee assignments just to get it out of committee. One of the votes against the bill, however, came from Sands himself.
“For 13 years I’ve been saying I would never let [Des Moines] suck the integrity out of me, so I would not change my vote,” said Sands, “So we were short. That’s when [Speaker Paulsen] came to me and we went through different solutions. The only course that we felt was in the best interest of our caucus, and Iowans, was for him to change two members out.”
Senator Courtney says that his vote isn’t clear cut. He says pressure from voters has forced him to constantly evaluate his position.
“I’m not sure how I’m going to vote on it yet,” Courtney told the audience, “I’ve been an outspoken proponent of the gas tax, but over the last year or so I’ve gotten so many calls and emails saying ‘Please don’t raise the gas tax’, so I have to listen to that. I’m listening to all of that.”
Burlington Democratic Representative Dennis Cohoon says he will vote yes on the gas tax increase, but that it isn’t a final solution to the problems with transportation infrastructure in Iowa.
“Because of the cost of construction going up, more fuel efficient cars, and less driving, that makes for less money being brought in.” Cohoon explained, “Right now, they’re projecting $200 million, but that’s only for about a year and a half to two years, then it starts to go down. So this is a band-aid approach. It’s not a long term solution.”
The Iowa Senate is expected to debate the gas tax in front of the entire senate on Tuesday. It may be called for a vote as early as the end of next week.
