Earlier this week, the South Carolina Senate passed an amended version of H.3579, a transportation reform bill, after extensive debate. The plan contained an extra $400 million in road funding, restructured the state’s unaccountable Transportation Commission, and thankfully avoided raising taxes. Governor Haley has lent her support for the Senate’s plan.
The amended bill now heads to the House of Representatives for its consideration. While some House members have suggested the plan doesn’t go far enough in providing sufficient roads funding, the reality is that the current version is the best plan available that critically avoids tax hikes. Simply put, a large scale net tax hike for additional highway repairs and construction wouldn’t make it through the Senate, nor garnered Governor Haley’s signature.
Today National Taxpayers Union (NTU) calls on the South Carolina House of Representatives to quickly pass the Senate’s version of the roads bill. The measure is worthy of support because it makes critical modernization reforms that will add accountability and transparency to the transportation system while providing some additional road funding without hiking taxes.
In addition, NTU would like to thank Senators Tom Davis, Kevin Bryant, Lee Bright, and Shane Martin for their efforts to protect taxpayers from unnecessary tax hikes. Additionally we would like thank Governor Haley for her support of this common sense measure.