SALEM -- State lawmakers are considering several brand-new taxes plus a mix of tax and fee increases to fund highway improvements and other transportation upgrades across Oregon.

A statewide payroll tax, higher gas taxes, a bicycle tax and new car tax are on the table, records show.

In all, lawmakers are contemplating raising billions of dollars over a decade through tax and fee increases, according to a draft of transportation revenue options.

Lawmakers have not said how much they want to raise or which construction projects may be funded first, except to say addressing congestion in Portland is a high priority.

"We actually don't have a specific package yet," Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Eugene, said in a telephone interview. "We've taken nothing off the table," he said, adding that "we're still hunting for the sweet spot."

The money-raising options include, according to one draft document:

>> Increasing the statewide gas tax by 14 cents, to 44 cents

>> Increasing vehicle registration fees by $40, to $83

>> Increasing title fees by $40, to $117

>> Increasing commercial driver license fees by $20, to $80

>> Establishing a 1 percent tax on new vehicle sales

>> Establishing a 1 percent tax on bicycle sales

>> Establishing a .1 percent statewide payroll tax

There could also be new taxes and fees just for Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, if the local governments approve them: a 9-cent gas tax increase and an additional $15 fee for vehicle registrations. If enacted, those taxes would likely be dedicated in part to metro-area rail and transit projects.

Lawmakers are also considering a system in which owners of fuel-efficient cars pay more than other owners to register their vehicles. Increasing numbers of fuel-efficient cars are seen as one reason gas tax revenues have slumped because those vehicles make fewer trips to the pump.

Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, said lawmakers privy to transportation discussions are in "broad agreement" that a tiered vehicle registration system is a good idea.

"That will be in the bill," Bentz said in a telephone interview.

Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, vice-chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation Preservation and Modernization.

Bentz and Beyer are two of four legislators in charge of a special committee organized to write a transportation plan. The others, Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas; and Rep. Caddy McKeown, D-Coos Bay; were not available to comment Friday.

Establishing tolls for metro-area construction projects is also an option, Bentz said. A pay-by-mile tax system and increased trucking fees are not being considered, he said.

Lawmakers are debating a wide range on revenue options, he said, because increasing only gas taxes and registration fees would not generate enough revenue for necessary upgrades.

He went to pains to emphasize that exact tax and fee rates have not been finalized. The draft revenue plan is only a "discussion document," he said.

Any transportation plan will include an "accountability mechanism," Bentz said, that shows taxpayers "exactly where their money is going."

The transportation committee has for months been hashing out a funding plan in public and private meetings. Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, and House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, formed the committee last year following failed transportation negotiations early on in Gov. Kate Brown's tenure, in 2015. Since then, Brown and other high-ranking legislators have said passing a transportation plan is a top priority.

Much of Oregon's roads and bridges are in poor condition and there is not enough money to fix them, according to state assessments. Some critical infrastructure would fail in the event of an earthquake, hamstringing movement of the state's people and freight.

Officials say generations of public infrastructure investments are at risk if new revenue is not found to shore-up existing roads and bridges. New funds could also pay for congestion-busting lane additions and new bike or transit options in metro areas statewide.

"This isn't something anybody does because they like raising taxes," Bentz said. "It's because there's an absolute need."

Any tax and fee increases would be gradually phased-in over a decade or more, he said.

Bentz stressed that lawmakers are being careful to reach a deal agreeable not only to members of the Legislature but also to transportation interest groups. Those groups -- truckers, fuel companies, local governments, environmentalists, transit and bike advocates -- could mount an initiative campaign to put lawmakers' plan on the ballot.

"That's just the reality of the legislative process," Beyer said. "We've tried to talk with all the significant stakeholder groups."

Voters typically reject tax increases. Even if voters were to say yes, sending the question to the ballot would delay action on the transportation until after a statewide vote.

Bentz and Beyer said a full transportation plan will likely be released to the public the second week of May.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman