Gas tax may be debated Tuesday

DES MOINES - A proposal to raise Iowa's gas tax by 10 cents a gallon may be debated in the Iowa Capitol on Tuesday.

The proposal appears on Tuesday's debate calendars in both the Iowa House and Iowa Senate, although legislative leaders said there is no guarantee the measure will be called up for debate.

State lawmakers are weighing a 10-cent gas tax increase as a means to help cover its $215 million annual shortfall for road and bridge repairs and construction.

The legislative leaders who set the debate schedules in each chamber acknowledged the bills are eligible for debate and if the bills are called up for debate, it will be on the same day.

But the leaders did not guarantee the bills would be called up Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said Monday a decision had not been made whether to bring up the gas tax measure for floor debate; House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer, R-Garner, said the same of the House bill.

The committee leaders who shepherded the gas tax proposals through the legislative process said they think the bills will debated Tuesday.

The proposal barely passed legislative committees last week, and state lawmakers appear to be split on the measure.

Supporters say the increased funding is needed to address critical repair and construction needs on Iowa's roadways.

Opponents say the state should not increase the gas tax and should instead find a different way to increase transportation funding.

The state's nonpartisan fiscal analysis agency estimated the proposed 10-cent gas tax increase would generate $204 million in new transportation funding revenue in the next full fiscal year. That total would slightly and gradually decrease each year to $195 million in fiscal 2020.

(Rod Boshart contributed to this report.)