HARRISBURG — The majority and minority chairs of the House Transportation Committee say they will introduce legislation to reduce the amount of money siphoned out of the Motor License Fund to pay for state police operations and establish a special designated fund for state police.
The proposal mirrors a plan laid out in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget even as some Republican lawmakers have expressed skepticism of the idea, saying that creating a special fund clouds how much increased spending the governor’s plan entails.
Even so, in their cosponsor memo, Rep. Ed Neilson, D-Philadelphia, and Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre, call the plan “a measured, responsible, and reasonable approach.”
They released their cosponsor memo days before the House Transportation Committee is scheduled to scrutinize the issue in a Tuesday hearing at the Capitol.
Focus on the use of gas tax dollars for state police funding has intensified as the amount of revenue the state gets from gas tax has dwindled as vehicles become more fuel-efficient and electric-powered vehicles become more popular.
“Since 1937, a portion of the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) annual budget has been funded by the MLF, peaking at approximately $800 million in 2016,” according to a cosponsor memo. The Motor License Fund is primarily funded by gas tax revenue. Pennsylvania has the second-highest gas tax in the country at 57.6 cents per gallon.
“The PSP performs an invaluable service to our Commonwealth and must continue to be fully funded. However, every dollar taken from the MLF is one less dollar spent on our aging roads and bridges. According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, every $1 spent on transportation generates up to $3.60 in economic activity,” the lawmakers said in their co-sponsor memo.
The state has been slowly lowering the ceiling on the amount of money transferred from the Motor License Fund to PSP due to Act 85 of 2016. The legislation proposed by Mr. Neilson and Mr. Benninghoff would accelerate the process.
“Since 2013, the PSP has received over $6.3 billion that should have been spent on roads and bridges,” they note. “Under this bill, the PSP will receive $400 million from the MLF for the next fiscal year with that amount decreasing by $100 million each year until reaching an appropriation of zero dollars in fiscal year 2027-2028.”
Enactment of Mr. Shapiro’s proposal to create a special fund to underwrite state police operations is necessary for Pennsylvania to maximize the use of federal aid available for roads and bridges under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Acting Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll told the Appropriations Committee in a recent hearing.
First Published: April 8, 2023, 2:12 p.m.
