Democrats and Republicans in the Iowa House are expected to resume discussion this week on a plan to solve the state’s road funding shortfall. Lawmakers need to raise as much as 200 million dollars yearly to plug a more than 20-billion dollar shortfall that’s projected over the next twenty years. House Democrat leader Kevin McCarthy of Des Moines, says the group has agreed to try to find a bipartisan solution:
"I think the tone is going to be a lot better because the big political hot potato, the pink elephant in the room, the gas tax, is off the table, and because it’s off the table we can roll up our sleeves and get a quick resolution to this issue," McCarthy says.
Various changes in vehicle registration fees are under discussion, including equalizing pickup license fees, but McCarthy said there’s general agreement on one point, he says they all agree there shouldn’t be any retroactive fees, and any changes in the cost of license plates would only apply to vehicles purchased in the future. One idea under discussion is to raise the floor on registration fees on aging vehicles, which currently go as low as 35 dollars a year.