Legislative Win: House and Senate Reach Agreement on Transportation Funding

The Chamber is pleased to report that the House and Senate Conference Committee on S. 20 (IRC Update/Motor Fuel Tax Changes) reached an agreement on the legislation. The new version of the bill will reduce the North Carolina gas tax on April 1, 2015 from 37.5 cents/gallon to 36 cents/gallon. The reduction in the state’s fuel tax will continue with a drop to 35 cents/gallon on January 1, 2016 and then to 34 cents/gallon on July 1, 2016.

Legislative leaders expressed a desire to not stop with S. 20 in our need to fix transportation funding in North Carolina. Leadership expressed a desire to develop a long-term funding fix for transportation before 2016.

The Chamber applauds House and Senate leadership’s ability to find compromise and fund NC’s infrastructure. The Chamber projected a $20 million reduction in transportation funding for Buncombe County if action was not taken on the bill before July 1. We will now be working to promote long-term, sustainable infrastructure funding in the months to come.

I also wanted to make everyone aware of the legislation we are tracking. Please, let us know if you have any questions or would like to see a bill included in the list.

Finally, reservations are almost gone for the WNC Chamber’s Raleigh Legislative Visit. This is a great chance to thank our WNC Delegation, hear from House and Senate Leader, learn about regional transportation projects from NC DOT, meet the leaders of NC Department of Commerce’s new Public Private Partnership, and network with business leaders from across Western North Carolina. You can register for the event by clicker here.