Matthew Albright

The News Journal

Delaware lawmakers are again seeking to raise the state gas tax by 10 cents a gallon, arguing it would allow the state to make critical improvements to roads and bridges.

The proposal from state Rep. Sean Matthews, D-Talleyville, and Rep. Michael Mulrooney, D-Pennwood, is different from the failed attempt Gov. Jack Markell made in 2014 because it would expire after a year, allowing lawmakers to take stock of where oil prices stand and decide whether or not to renew it.

Matthews estimates the increase would raise more than $50 million in additional revenue a year.

"I would hope that this could be a bipartisan issue," Matthews said. "I think all members of the General Assembly, when they're out and about, are hearing that people want work done on these roads. Until somebody figures out a way to get roads built for free, we have to pay for them."

Several Republicans were quick to say they oppose an increase.

Rep. Mike Ramone, R-Middle Run Valley, said Delaware has a good thing going because low gas prices make it a good place for travelers on the I-95 corridor to fuel up.

"We're finally using our geography and size as an advantage," Ramone said. "Why would we ever want to raise taxes on our own Delawareans while giving away a source of income to people outside the state?"

Ramone argues the state wouldn't get as much money as Matthews expects because people would buy less gas.

The current Delaware state tax on gasoline is 23 cents per gallon. It hasn't been raised since 1995.

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Lawmakers will return to Legislative Hall next month to consider new legislation.

Matthews acknowledges he and supporters could have a tough time getting their proposal passed.

Markell tried to rally lawmakers behind a 10-cent gas tax increase in 2014, arguing it was necessary to make vital improvements and repairs to the state's transportation infrastructure. The proposal went nowhere.

Instead, in a deal struck in the wee hours of the morning on the last day of the session, the Legislature chose to increase more than a dozen Department of Motor Vehicle fees, raising an estimated $25 million. State leaders also routed $5 million from the operating budget to transportation issues and raised tolls in 2014 to the tune of $10 million for a total funding package of about $40 million a year.

A spokesman for Markell said he has not spoken recently to lawmakers about raising the gas tax, but "is glad that legislators recognize the benefits of investing in infrastructure, and looks forward to talking to them about the proposal."

Matthews said he sees his bill as the start of a larger conversation about infrastructure spending.

"We are very open to ideas about how exactly the money that would be raised from the tax would be spent," Matthews said. "We have to start the discussion somewhere, and we think this is a good starting point."

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Matthews says now is an ideal time to work with the gas tax, given prices have plunged. The average pump price of a gallon of regular gas is currently about $1.67, according to AAA – a year ago, it was $2.27.

"If OPEC cut production and the price went up 10 cents, nobody would say anything; that's the way it goes," Matthews said, referring to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a coalition of oil-exporting nations. "We should equally be fine with taking that dime and putting Delawareans to work."

Road projects, Matthews argues, provide good construction jobs, and they increase property values.

A draft of the bill circulating among lawmakers had the following co-sponsors: Reps. Matthews; Mulrooney; Paul Baumbach, D-Newark; Sean Lynn, D-Dover; Larry Mitchell, D-Elsmere; and Sens. Harris McDowell, D-Wilmington North, and Karen Peterson, D-Stanton.

Rep. Jeff Spiegelman, R-Clayton, said the only way he'd consider a gas tax increase is if lawmakers also considered "heavy-duty" changes to make state government more efficient and cost-effective. He pointed out that the fee increases should have removed any urgent need to come up with new transportation funding.

"For us to turn around and say, 'We need more, we need more, we need more,' that shows the problem with one-party rule," Spiegelman said, referencing the fact that Democrats hold both chambers of the Legislature.

Contact Matthew Albright at malbright@delawareonline.com, (302) 324-2428 or on Twitter @TNJ_malbright.

Gas prices continue to fall; oversupply cited