By John S. Wisniewski

As chairman of the Assembly's Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee, I have advocated a hike in the gasoline tax as a fair way to fund our state's depleted Transportation Trust Fund. It's fair because drivers would pay in proportion to their use of the roads and because approximately one third of the tax would be paid by out-of-state drivers.

The 25-cent increase that I have proposed would cost the average New Jersey driver 50 cents a day and could, managed properly, finance a program that would be self-sustaining for the foreseeable future.

But, after years of fighting for an increase in the gas tax, I voted against a proposal that would have raised the gas tax by 23 cents a gallon. I voted no because, in addition to raising an estimated $1.2 billion in new revenue for the trust fund, it included a sales tax cut that ripped a $1.6 billion hole in the state budget each year for years to come.

A Senate proposal for the trust fund was no better. In addition to a 23-cent hike in the gas tax, it would have carved an $850 million hole in the state budget each year with the elimination of New Jersey's estate tax.

These two equally bad proposals came about because Gov. Chris Christie has taken the Transportation Trust Fund hostage. His ransom demand is for unaffordable tax cuts in order to secure his support.

Lost in this brazen display of gamesmanship by the governor is that our state's transportation system is fundamental to the entire state economy. New Jersey's Transportation Trust Fund, along with federal funding, has financed every significant transportation capital project in New Jersey for the past 30 years. In a matter of days it will be broke.

Anyone paying attention knew this day was coming for a long time. Yet our governor, up until last week, refused to recognize the looming crisis. In just a matter of days, his strategy for addressing the problem shifted from denial to extortion.

Yes, the art of legislating often involves making compromises. Compromises on policy, and even politics, can help get the people's business done. But trying to compromise on the basic rules of mathematics doesn't work. New Jersey can't pay the bills we already have and both proposals would dig that hole deeper.

New Jersey currently shortchanges our schools, charity care in our hospitals and our public pension system among other important programs and services. The governor has vetoed bills to provide women with essential health care programs and to reduce the work needed to prevent lead poisoning among our state's children, saying we can't afford them. To suggest that reducing state revenues in our current fiscal environment is a reasonable compromise to secure funding for the trust fund betrays our responsibility as legislators. New Jersey needs a solution to this issue that does not sacrifice our state's fiscal health and its most vulnerable residents to secure its passage.

In response to the failure of both these proposals, the governor has now issued an executive order effectively shutting down almost all projects funded through the trust fund, throwing thousands out of work.

The order, while not necessary and done only for dramatic effect, proves one thing: The governor is more interested in auditioning for a spot in the Trump administration than fixing our transportation crisis. If he were truly interested in the trust fund and New Jersey's economic future, he wouldn't insist on an irresponsible quid pro quo of unaffordable tax cuts nor would he throw people out of a job.

Our transportation infrastructure helps drive New Jersey's economy and creates good-paying jobs. There is no question that this work must continue and the gas tax is the most sensible way to fund it. At present, however, our best option would be to borrow funds that would allow this critical work to continue through the next 18 months and for the Legislature to work with a new governor on a more responsible proposal.

Real leadership requires acting in the public interest, above politics and partisanship. Gov. Tom Kean recognized this in working with a Democratic Legislature to create the Transportation Trust Fund over 30 years ago. It appears we must look to a new governor in the hope that we might see such leadership once again.

John S. Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) is deputy speaker of the Assembly.

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