Latest news with #HouseBill1382
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Dakota House, Senate at odds over proposed gas tax increase
A Bismarck gas station displays the current per gallon rate for fuel on March 24, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota lawmakers continue to debate the first increase to the gas tax in 20 years, with the House on Friday narrowly advancing a 5-cent tax increase while the Senate unanimously defeated a separate bill with a 3-cent increase. Supporters in the House said the increase is needed to adequately maintain roads and bridges. A 5-cent increase to the motor fuels tax, which includes gasoline and diesel, would put North Dakota at 28 cents, still competitive with neighboring states. Members of the Senate, meanwhile, objected to raising the gas tax while at the same time trying to cut property taxes, which has been a primary goal of the legislative session. Lawmakers debate 3-cent gas tax increase, hike in EV registration fee 'It doesn't make sense to the Senate to offer and promise property tax relief, and then we tax you on the backside of something else that everybody uses,' said Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg. The 5-cent gas tax proposal is contained in the North Dakota Department of Transportation budget, Senate Bill 2012. House members voted 61-31 to advance the budget, but the gas tax amendment to the bill only passed by a 47-42 margin. North Dakota has not increased the motor fuels tax since 2005. Rep. Jon Nelson, R-Rugby, said vehicles have become more efficient in that time, leading to a leveling off or decline in overall gas tax revenue to support road projects. 'This is a fairness tax or a fairness levy,' Nelson said. 'The people who are using the roads are the ones paying for it.' Rep. Don Vigesaa, R-Cooperstown, said the gas tax revenue is not keeping pace with the inflation the Department of Transportation is seeing with construction costs. The tax increase is estimated to raise an additional $70 million. Supporters also said the dollars are needed to get federal matching funds for road projects. 'This is about safety, this is about fixing our roads, even our rest areas,' said Rep. David Monson, R-Osnabrock. 'We have so many needs in North Dakota.' Others in the House urged a no vote on the tax increase, arguing that it would lead to the state spending more taxpayer money. 'This is a tax on our family, our friends and our constituents,' said Rep. Dan Johnston, R-Kathryn. 'And the state is flush with money.' Across the hall, the Senate voted 45-0 against House Bill 1382, which would raise the motor fuels tax to 26 cents per gallon and increase registration fees for electric vehicles. It's estimated to raise an additional $42 million for counties, cities and townships to use on road projects. 'This bill would place a heavy burden on North Dakota residents since 80% of all the fuel purchased in the state is by our residents,' said Sen. Michelle Powers, R-Fargo. 'We would be asking for approximately $50 to $100 per year from our constituents, mainly affecting our rural communities.' She also said supporters of the gas tax increase have lamented that the gas tax has not been increased in more than 20 years. 'Just because a tax hasn't been raised doesn't mean it should be raised,' she said. The gas tax in Minnesota is 32 cents per gallon, 28 cents in South Dakota and 33 cents in Montana. The Department of Transportation budget is going to a conference committee, which meets Saturday. The House also added to the bill $155 million in bonding to finance the four-laning of 19 miles of U.S. Highway 85, including a sensitive 6-mile stretch through the Badlands south of Watford City. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lawmakers debate 3-cent gas tax increase, hike in EV registration fee
A sticker opposing a possible 3-cent increase to North Dakota's gas tax is displayed on a Bismarck gas pump on March 24, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota lawmakers are weighing the first increase to the gas tax in 20 years and an increased electric vehicle fee, with the new tax revenue earmarked for improving local roads. House Bill 1382 proposes to raise the motor fuels tax, including gasoline and diesel, by 3 cents per gallon to 26 cents. The tax was last increased in 2005. Supporters say that even with the increase, the fuel tax would still be lower than neighboring Minnesota, which charges 32 cents per gallon, South Dakota, which charges 28 cents, and Montana, which charges 33 cents. The bill also would raise the vehicle registration fees for electric vehicles from $120 to $150 per vehicle, plug-in hybrids from $50 to $60 and electric motorcycle registration fees from $20 to $25. The registration fees were implemented in 2019. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Jared Hagert, R-Emerado, would dedicate the estimated $42 million in biennial revenue raised from the tax to a county, city and township road fund. 'The purpose is to create that stable, reliable funding mechanism for our core roads and foundational roads for townships, cities and counties,' Hagert said during a hearing Monday before the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee. He said he's also proposing an amendment to include all townships, cities and counties in the road fund. An original version of the bill included only non-oil-producing counties. Russ Hanson, executive vice president of Associated General Contractors of North Dakota, testified in support of the bill and said the tax increase should really be referred to as a user fee. 'You pay it according to how much you use, so the inherent fairness of it is the main reason for our support,' Hanson said. Mike Rud, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers and Retailers Association, said retailers and convenience store owners are opposed to the tax increase. 'This is a $42 million consumer tax on the driving public. It's that simple,' Rud said. Others testifying in opposition said people living in small towns who commute to larger population centers for work would be adversely affected and bear the brunt of the increase. Don Larson, a lobbyist for General Motors, said the company opposes the section of the bill that increases the electric vehicle registration fees because those fees are already disproportionate with the taxes collected from gas-powered vehicles. He said based on fuel efficiency standards and the average miles driven by North Dakota residents, the average driver buys nearly 340 gallons of gas per year. Based on the current gas tax, he said the gas tax revenue per driver is about $78. With the proposed increase, each driver would pay an average of about $88 per year on gasoline. 'We're already paying more for electric vehicles than a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle would pay for those road fees,' Larson said. In Minnesota, the electric vehicle registration fee is $75 and, in South Dakota, the registration fee is $50. The bill passed the House in February on a 58-35 vote. The committee did not take immediate action Monday. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
SESSION SNAPSHOT: Direct democracy takes center stage at Arkansas Capitol
Sen. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, speaks in opposition to bills that would regulate Arkansas' petition-gathering process on Feb. 12, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Arkansans' ability to participate in the democratic process came into focus during the fifth week of the 2025 legislative session. Some members of the public took part in a rally Monday that advocated for policies supporting healthy kids and families. Others showed up to committee meetings to speak in support of or in opposition to proposed legislation. The Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee, for example, heard testimony both for and against a bill that would have repealed state law requiring fluoride in drinking water. The proposal failed after a tie vote from committee members. Members of the public also continued to share their thoughts on a bill that would require public schools to show students a fetal development video produced by an anti-abortion group that has been criticized for being agenda-driven and medically inaccurate. House Bill 1180 stalled in the Senate Education Committee Monday after a handful of senators expressed their own concerns about the bill. Sponsor Rep. Mary Bentley, R-Perryville, expressed a willingness to amend the bill, which could be brought back up for consideration in the future. Sen. Ken Hammer, R-Benton, this week proposed six bills to regulate the ballot initiative process in Arkansas. Five advanced out of committee to the full Senate, which also approved all five bills Wednesday. However, only three of Hammer's bills garnered enough votes for an emergency clause, which would allow them to go into effect immediately upon the governor's signature. Hammer tried again on Thursday to get enough votes to approve the emergency clause on the final two bills, but the Senate votes fell short once more. While Hammer maintains the goal of his legislation is to improve the integrity of the petition-gathering process, opponents have argued it would make the process more restrictive and discourage Arkansans from participating. Arkansas' elections are overseen by the secretary of state. Hammer is running for the position in the 2026 general election. People packed into a room at the Capitol Tuesday to make their voices heard on a bill that would require Disability Rights Arkansas, a federally empowered disability advocacy group that doesn't receive state funds, to submit reports to the Legislature. Lead sponsor Rep. Jack Ladyman, R-Jonesboro, called for more oversight of the independent nonprofit because 'they provide services to our most vulnerable citizens.' DRA Executive Director Tom Masseau noted that 'no other private, nonprofit organization' is specifically named in statute, and said lawmakers were going down a 'slippery slope.' Public testimony was limited to two speakers — one for and one against — because a lawmaker called for immediate consideration following their testimony. House Bill 1382 passed, with some dissent from committee members. The legislation barely advanced out of the Arkansas House Thursday with only 53 members voting in favor. Eighteen representatives voted against the bill, 11 didn't vote and 18 voted not present. The bill will next be heard by a Senate committee. A legislative panel on Thursday advanced a bill that would abolish the state boards that oversee public libraries and Arkansas PBS and transfer those powers to the Arkansas Department of Education. Both are under the umbrella of the department, but act independently. Senate Bill 184 is sponsored by Jonesboro Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, a long-time critic of public libraries and Arkansas PBS. Sullivan said the boards 'rarely' make consequential decisions and the move would 'better align' with the goals of the legislative and executive branches. Sen. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, said he believed the Arkansas State Library and Arkansas PBS should continue to have oversight independent of the education department. Tucker was the only committee member to vote against the bill, which will next be heard by the full Senate. Lawmakers filed more than 100 new bills this week, including: Senate Bill 217 by Sen. Clint Penzo, R-Springdale, would require the Department of Human Services to request a waiver to exclude candy and soft drinks from eligible foods under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The governor called for these reforms in a December letter to federal officials. Senate Bill 223 by Sen. Mark Johnson, R-Little Rock, would create the Religious Rights at Public Schools Act. The bill would require public schools at the beginning of the year to distribute a copy of the act, which declares that students have 'broad religious freedom' to participate in activities like prayer and promoting religious activities at school. House Bill 1443 by Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Knoxville, would create the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act, which would prohibit government entities from keeping a list of privately owned firearms or owners of privately owned firearms. House Bill 1841 by Rep. Wayne Long, R-Bradford, would create the Anti-ATF Commandeering Act, which would prohibit the state from providing material aid and support for enforcing federal firearms laws. Issues between state lawmakers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arose following the shooting death of Little Rock's airport director last year. Among the bills filed this week were proposed constitutional amendments. The Legislature can refer up to three such proposals to voters each session. Lawmakers filed 20 proposals in the House and 24 in the Senate by Wednesday's deadline. Although Monday is a state holiday — George Washington's Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates Day — lawmakers will continue their session work with meetings beginning at 10 a.m. Updated schedules and agendas are available on the Legislature's website. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
