The cost of owning and operating a vehicle in Illinois would increase dramatically under a proposal in the state Senate aimed at paying for repairs to crumbling roads and bridges.

The legislation, introduced this week by Democratic Sen. Martin Sandoval of Chicago, would more than double the state’s gas tax to 44 cents a gallon, double the driver’s license fee to $60 and raise the vehicle registration fee to $148. The driver’s license fee is now $30; the vehicle registration fee is $98.

It also would significantly hike the registration fee for electric vehicles, from $17.50 to $1,000. Greater fuel efficiency and an increasing number of electric vehicles on the road has cut into the revenue available to the state to fix transportation infrastructure.

In addition, in an effort to provide a stable source of transportation funding, the gas tax and registration fees could continue to creep up every year under a formula tied to the rate of inflation.

Sandoval said his plan would raise an estimated $2.4 billion in annual transportation funding for Illinois. Illinois’ gas tax has been 19 cents per gallon since 1990, and the state’s last large-scale infrastructure improvement program was approved a decade ago.

A variety of ideas to fund repairs to the state’s aging infrastructure have been proposed over the years, from previous attempts to raise the gas tax to proposals to tax vehicles based on the number of miles driven. But none has gained traction in Springfield. Since 2013, 30 other states, including neighboring Indiana, have enacted legislation to increase gas taxes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“We have fallen behind. Our continued investment in our Illinois infrastructure is key in creating jobs, promoting full economic recovery,” Sandoval said Wednesday at a statehouse news conference. “Investment will boost productivity, support business growth, create jobs, provide a healthier environment and improve opportunity for Illinoisans. It is about time. Doing nothing is not a solution.”

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Sandoval’s bill also includes provisions aimed at increasing the number of minority, female and veteran apprentices working on public infrastructure projects. It does not address the buildings component of a capital bill.

Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker has expressed support for a program to upgrade the state’s roads, bridges and public buildings, but he hasn’t said how much the state should spend or endorsed a specific source of revenue.

“Passing a capital bill is a top priority for the governor this legislative session,” spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in an email. “Bipartisan working groups are discussing various components of a capital plan, including both projects and potential revenue sources, and the administration is working with federal partners and engaging local stakeholders on the needs for their communities as the process moves forward. We look forward to introducing a bill soon.”

Abudayyeh did not comment directly on Sandoval’s proposal.

A Senate panel has been holding hearings around the state this spring to gather wish lists of transportation and building projects that local officials would like to see included in a capital bill, but a list of projects that would be funded in a capital bill has yet to materialize.

It’s unclear how much appetite there will be in the General Assembly for a gas tax increase. In Pritzker’s spending plan for the budget year that begins July 1, he’s asking lawmakers to legalize and tax sports betting and recreational marijuana, and to increase or enact taxes on cigarettes, e-cigarettes and plastic shopping bags, among other items. On top of that, the rookie governor wants the House to follow the Senate’s lead in approving a proposed amendment to the Illinois Constitution that would allow for a graduated-rate income tax and to pass a bill setting the rates that would take effect if voters approve the amendment on the November 2020 ballot.

But unlike Pritzker’s tax proposals, the idea of increasing the gas tax has some Republican support, thanks in large part to a recent amendment to the state constitution that requires transportation-related revenue to be spent only on transportation-related projects.

“The time is now to make the needed changes to adequately fund our transportation and infrastructure systems,” said Republican Sen. Don DeWitte of St. Charles, who attended the news conference where Sandoval’s proposal was announced. “The funding increases currently being debated in this legislature will provide a steady stream of funding for years to come. … Most important for taxpayers, they are guaranteed to go where promised.”

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce said in a statement that Sandoval’s measure needs more work, but the group already has made clear it supports a gas tax increase — if coupled with a repeal on the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax on gas at the pump.

“More work is needed to achieve consensus on the final transportation package,” chamber President and CEO Todd Maisch said.

Chicago Tribune reporter Jamie Munks contributed.

dpetrella@chicagotribune.com

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