BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Latest on state legislative debate over whether to raise Louisiana’s gas tax (all times local):
7:45 p.m.
A Louisiana lawmaker pushing to increase Louisiana’s gas tax is urging his House colleagues to consider the proposal, which so far doesn’t have enough votes to win passage.
Republican Rep. Steve Carter, of Baton Rouge, delayed a scheduled vote on the tax hike bill until next week.
On Wednesday night, he told the House the tax increase - which would raise more than $500 million a year for transportation work - would help fix Louisiana’s crumbling road and bridges.
Carter said: “I know it’s a tough vote.” But he added: “This is just too important.”
Louisiana has a $13 billion backlog of road and bridge work. Carter has a short time window to persuade his colleagues to support the tax hike. Only two weeks remain in the legislative session.
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10:30 a.m.
A Louisiana Republican lawmaker chastised by her party’s leaders for supporting a gas tax increase has shot back that the GOP effort to kill the bill is short-sighted partisanship.
Rep. Julie Stokes, a Kenner Republican, said in a statement that “partisanship and election posturing are clouding the real debate” over crumbling roads and bridges in Louisiana.
Stokes’ comments came after the state GOP governing body, the Republican State Central Committee, voted to oppose the 17-cent gas tax hike proposed by Republican Rep. Steve Carter of Baton Rouge. The committee also expressed “disappointment” in Stokes and three other GOP lawmakers who helped advance the bill.
The gas tax proposal is scheduled for House debate Wednesday, though the debate is expected to be delayed as Carter tries to rally more votes.
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