Challenges in funding Missouri’s highway system

Maintaining and building infrastructure is one of the few fundamental responsibilities of government. That is why the Missouri State Senate once again spent a significant amount of time this session debating various proposals for how best to address the funding challenges facing Missouri’s highway system.

This debate is critical. The Show-Me State is home to the seventh largest highway system in the country, with over 34,000 miles of roads and 10,400 bridges.

Missouri’s transportation system is predominantly funded through the state fuel tax and the ability to leverage that tax to draw down federal funds. Since 1996, the state fuel tax has been set at a fixed rate of 17 cents per gallon, tying the funding for our roads directly to fuel consumption.

However, with public demands for greater fuel efficiency from our automobiles, the resulting reduction in fuel consumption has led directly to a reduction in revenue growth. Meanwhile, costs of repair and construction have continued to rapidly climb, stretching very thin our state’s current transportation budget.

The discussion about how our massive highway system is funded and maintained led to a 2014 statewide vote on a sales tax proposal. This ultimately was rejected by Missouri voters. Then in 2015 a number of folks pushed a proposal that would have increased the fuel tax without a vote of the people, a proposal I vehemently opposed and was ultimately defeated.

This year, during the 2016 session, the primary focus was on Senate Bill 623 which sought to raise the tax on motor fuel from 17 cents to 22.9 cents per gallon; most importantly, it contained a referendum clause that would have required the issue to go before Missouri voters.

After lengthy discussion and passage by the Senate, SB 623 ultimately died in the House and the question of a path forward was sent back to the drawing board.

Finding the path forward is critical because the viability and growth of our state is directly linked to building and maintaining good quality roads that meet the needs of our state.

The challenge to funding Missouri’s highway system is not getting easier. We must continue working together to find a solution that solves our funding challenges and meets our needs.