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State committee agrees to form working group to study gas-tax indexing for YDOT funding
Summary
A legislative committee directed staff to form a bipartisan working group to analyze a gas-tax indexing bill and present draft language at the panel’s August meeting as part of efforts to identify new revenue for Wyoming Department of Transportation (YDOT).
Representative Curt Nicholas proposed that the committee form a working group to evaluate a gas-tax indexing proposal and draft bill language for the panel’s August meeting, which the committee agreed to do.
Nicholas told the committee he had seen similar proposals pass after multiple attempts in other legislatures and said indexing could spread future increases into smaller, incremental adjustments tied to surrounding states' rates. He asked that the working group “sit down, work with YDOT to go through those numbers and the information and data that's out there” and produce a draft for the committee’s August meeting.
Co-Chair Brown agreed the committee’s top priority is road funding and supported forming an educational working group, saying review “doesn't mean it’ll produce a bill” but is necessary due diligence. The committee agreed the chairs would each appoint two members and that staff would add the working group to the next meeting agenda. Members said stakeholders such as trucking associations and county commissioners should be invited.
The committee did not adopt any tax changes at the meeting. The action taken was direction to staff and the chairs to form the working group, identify stakeholders, and present draft bill language and supporting analysis at the August meeting. The committee did not set a preferred tax level or indexing formula at this time.
The committee asked staff to include YDOT data and cross-border pricing analyses in the working group’s homework and to notify members who will be appointed.
Ending: The committee expects the working group to deliver an educational briefing and a draft bill in August; no vote on any tax measure occurred at this meeting.
