WPRO News
The Senate Tuesday passed Governor Gina Raimondo’s proposed toll on trucks, sending the bill to the House of Representatives. The vote came hours after the Senate Finance Committee voted to send the measure to the Senate Floor with the recommendation of passage
The finance panel also passed a bill restructuring taxes on the former I-195 land in Providence, which the Raimondo administration has eyed for potential development.
The proposed truck tolls would partially pay for a $500 million revenue bond over the next 30 years. The Governor said the bond proceeds would be used to fix Rhode Island’s failing infrastructure and create construction jobs.
The legislation has come under fire from trucking industry interests. Criticism led to House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello moving to exclude Raimondo’s toll and infrastructure bill from the budget vote last week.
A revised and resubmitted bill was passed by the Senate Finance Committee; however the House equivalent is stuck in committee, putting the ball squarely in Mattiello’s court on whether the legislation will be voted on this session.
The RI Trucking Association said they are pleased the House Finance Committee voted to hold the bill for further study, saying a statement:
“We appreciate the thoughtful approach the House is taking on an issue of this magnitude and believe the best approach is the formation of a commission to fully vet the impacts of a tolling plan that has now changed three times in the past three weeks.”
The tolls would only be applicable to trucks with 18 wheels and higher.
The bill now heads to the House of Representatives where they will decided weather to vote on it or not. On Monday, the House Finance Committee voted to hold their version of the bill for further study.
