YORK – The latest episode of “Kristin’s Corner,” a podcast by Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York), features a conversation with Senator Wayne Langerholc (R-Bedford/Cambria/Clearfield) about the recently released report by Governor Tom Wolf’s Transportation Revenue Options Commission and how it contrasts with the “DRIVE SMART Act.”
Phillips-Hill, who recently conducted an online survey for constituents to weigh in about the governor’s commission’s plan, said the feedback generated the most interest to date on her legislative surveys.
“Since my election to the General Assembly, I continue to hear frustrations over the state’s sky-high gas tax, and rightfully so,” Phillips-Hill said. “Drivers only have to cross the Mason-Dixon Line to see the disparity in gas taxes between the Commonwealth and Maryland. However, what is also clear is that the plan offered by Governor Wolf’s Transportation Revenue Options Commission is not the right path forward, either. This podcast episode focuses on some of the most egregious parts of the commission’s plan and what another alternative may look like.”
Langerholc unveiled the “DRIVE SMART Act,” which stands for “Delivering Reforms and Investments for Vehicle Efficiency and Supporting Motor carriers, Airports, Rails & trails and Transit agencies,” in the wake of the governor’s decision to implement bridge tolling on nine bridges across the state.
Phillips-Hill’s survey generated 893 unique responses from residents who reside in the 28th Senatorial District. Her survey also sought local feedback on potential solutions to future transportation funding challenges.
Overall, 746 survey responses, or 83.5%, were opposed to Gov. Wolf’s commission’s plan. The governor’s commission suggested implementing a miles-drive tax of 8.1 cents per mile, a new $1 tax on all package deliveries and new fees on rideshare platforms. It would also double vehicle registration costs and phase out the state’s gasoline tax, which sits at 58.7 cents per gallon. Only 55 individuals, or 6.2%, were in support of the governor’s commission’s plan (92 individuals, or 10.3%, were undecided.) The survey was posted to her website for nearly a month.
“One of the resounding themes from the survey was the lack of parity between electric vehicle fees to pay for infrastructure compared to gas vehicles, especially since EVs do not pay a gas tax despite putting the same wear-and-tear on the road as other vehicles,” she added.
Phillips-Hill’s podcast can be found on her website at SenatorKristin.com/podcast. The episode runs approximately 35 minutes.
“Kristin’s Corner” can also be accessed on popular platforms, including SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, iHeartRadio and Spotify.