The State Senate advances a bill that would put more money into road building, but create problems elsewhere in state operations. Senate Transportation Chairman Jon Dolan says gas tax money should not be used to reiumburse the Revenue Department for collecting it, or to pay the State auditor to audit the Transportation Department. But if Dolan’s bill becomes law, the costs of the tax collections and of the audit will have to be paid out of the state’s general bank account, which Senate Appropriations Chairman John Russell says is already about $400-Million in the red for the next fiscal year. He says more tax revenue is the key to really solving transportation funding problems, but he worries lawmakers won’t continue with the second half of the transportation funding package. Dolan’s bill is not a sure thing for final senate passage. The Senate advanced it on a weak, and mixed, voice vote.
