Lawmakers press Carroll on motor‑license fund phase‑out for State Police, warning of tradeoffs for roads and bridges

Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll faced questions at the Feb. 20 Appropriations hearing about the governor’s proposal to phase out State Police reliance on the Motor License Fund (MLF) more slowly than some legislators sought.

Background: Under prior proposals and recent budgets, the commonwealth has been reducing transfers from the MLF to the state police. Carroll summarized the change: the governor’s budget proposes phasing out $100 million from the MLF in fiscal 2025–26 and then $50 million in each subsequent year until the MLF no longer funds the state police; the General Assembly’s earlier action had accelerated reductions in the near term and left less in the MLF for roads and bridges in the coming years.

Tradeoffs: Representative Barton and others pressed Carroll on why the state would slow the phase‑out, noting that the change could mean roughly $375 million less for roads and bridges over four years if the slower schedule were continued. Carroll responded that the budget enacted earlier included higher near‑term decoupling amounts and that the governor’s budget altered the schedule to relieve pressure on the General Fund; he said the decisions reflect choices about competing general‑fund obligations such as schools and public safety.

Carroll said the department used some of the initial decoupled funds to accelerate fleet replacement and other maintenance investments and that prior decoupling had been aimed at addressing immediate capital needs in maintenance and construction.

Ending: Members asked for continued oversight and for options to preserve road and bridge investments while meeting public‑safety funding needs; Carroll said further budget tradeoffs rest with the General Assembly and the governor.