By Sam Wroblewski 630wpro.com
Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio submitted legislation Tuesday calling for the implementation of Governor Gina Raimondo’s plan to toll large tractor trailers.
The legislation is set to be heard by the Senate Finance Committee Thursday; according to Ruggerio it is being submitted to help stimulate the economy.
“This legislation puts thousands of Rhode Islanders to work repairing our state’s decrepit roads and bridges,” said Ruggerio in a statement “Successful economic development depends upon a safe and reliable transportation infrastructure, and this legislation ensures that our states roads and bridges are in good repair well into the future.”
Raimondo’s bill was submitted to the House Finance Committee, but Speaker Nicholas Mattiello shelved the legislation for a later debate. The tolls were meant to generate $4.3 billion to be put towards fixing the state’s decrepit roads and bridges.
The revised senate bill includes a lower maximum user fee for truckers and requests a $500 million revenue bond as opposed to the original $700 million to begin repair work right away.
The trucking industry in Rhode Island has been adamantly opposed to the tolls, saying it unfairly targets an industry which already pays its fair share in fees.
The Governor’s original proposal was amended after critics said it to cast too wide of a net tolling common three axel trucks used by many local shippers.
