Gov. John Bel Edwards' task force recommends $700 million boost for transportation

A task force named by Gov. John Bel Edwards proposed Thursday that state aid for roads and bridges increase by $700 million per year, and that raising the state gasoline tax is the "most reliable" way to do so.

"That is what we are asking," said Shawn Wilson, secretary for the state Department of Transportation and Development and co-chair of the panel. "That is what we need to fix what we need to fix, and achieve what we need to achieve."

The panel, which scheduled a final vote on the plan Dec. 13, did not specify how to finance the yearly boost.

However, a resolution that spells out the recommendation said the state gasoline tax is "the most reliable, proven and meaningful source of funding," but other sources of revenue should also be considered as part of the package.

Read more: http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/legislature/article_cafa0ac8-b687-11e6-8bb5-13276e52bf2a.html