Road Tax Votes Split Conservatives
by March 23, 2011 7:00 pm 60 views
Measures to advance two potential road proposals drew bipartisan support and conservative condemnation on Thursday.
HJR 1001 by Rep. Jonathan Barnett (R-Siloam Springs) would allow voters to decide if a half-cent sales tax for four-lane highways should be increased. The 10-year, $1.8 billion proposal would be voted on in the November 2012 general election.
Barnett’s constitutional referral passed the full House on a 62-25 margin. Eleven House members did not vote and one member voted present. Twenty-three of the 25 no votes were Republican; however, 13 Republicans also supported the proposal. The proposed constitutional amendment must still pass through the State Senate.
HB 1902 by House Speaker Robert Moore (D-Arkansas City) had a roller coaster ride in the Senate. The bill, which controversially passed out of committee earlier in the week only to be re-referred, was amended in committee on Thursday.
HB 1902 would call for an election to allow voters to decide whether or not to increase a 5-cent diesel fuel tax. The proposal is supported by the state trucking association and would raise about $1.1 billion for interstate construction and repair, if approved by voters. Speaker Moore has touted his proposal and Barnett’s as a package for improving state highways.
Senate GOP amendments were added to Moore’s bill to limit the number of potential special election attempts to one and to provide an exemption for agricultural vehicles. That allowed HB 1902 to narrowly pass out of the Senate Transportation Committee, which is dominated by Republicans 5 to 3.
The full Senate chose to handle the bill later in the day and it passed with no votes to spare 18-12. Despite Republican amendments being added and the bill passing out of the GOP-dominated committee, no Republicans supported it on the Senate floor and at least one member from the committee who added an amendment, Sen. Bruce Holland (R-Greenwood), spoke against it.
In effect, the GOP members who could have killed it in committee, allowed it to escape. HB 1902 must return to the House to concur the Senate amendments, so another fight may still await.
The votes and actions by Republican legislators resulted in backlash from members of conservative groups who criticized the votes cast as supporting tax increases.
Americans for Prosperity’s Arkansas chapter followed the road tax debate on its Twitter account. The group organizes grassroots leaders and citizens "in the name of limited government and free markets." It has been a vocal opponent of tax increases. AFP posted a "tweet" critical of Sen. Holland’s actions.
Flip flop of the day: Senator Bruce Holland. Voting FOR diesel tax increase and now speaking against it
Conservative radio talk show host Dave Elswick of KARN-102.9 FM has advocated a number of Republican causes in the session, including lower taxes and less government regulation. He opened two threads on his Facebook page that drew a number of heated responses. The posts read:
State Rep Rice says he like to b speaker. After his vote 4 taxes 2day, I say NO. How bout other conservatives. What say u?
It is time to seperate the wheat from the chaff. The REAL conservatives do not vote 2.8 Billion n taxes forward.
Conservative blogger Jason Tolbert with our content partner, The Tolbert Report, also raised the issue of Rice’s vote.
"Among the Republicans voting for the measure was Rep. Terry Rice (R-Waldron) who has indicated he plans to run for Speaker of the House next year. Could this vote help him get Democrat members votes or hurt his support within his own caucus?" Tolbert asked.
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