By Adam Allington, KWMU
Chesterfield, MO – Missouri State Senator John Loudon is proposing a constitutional amendment to increase funding for highways without raising taxes.
The proposal by the Republican from Chesterfield would direct 10 percent of the growth in state revenues toward highways, bridges and other transportation projects.
Unlike other social programs, Loudon said investing in roads will pay for itself over time.
"When you take money an put it right into roads, there's like a dollar for dollar comparison of new economic activity created by that," Loudon said. "That fills a major portion of the hole."
Using 2008 as a base year, Loudon said the plan would direct more than $1.3 billion to transportation by 2030.
The proposal has some Senate Democrats concerned that important social programs would lose funding.
In 2004 Missouri voters passed Amendment 3, which used bonds to fund highway projects. That funding is set to expire in 2011.
Senator Joan Bray of St. Louis sits on the Senate Transportation Committee; she said Missourians have been getting something for nothing for too long.
"The myth in Missouri has been that we can get it without having to pay for it, and that's not the case," Bray said. "Now Senator Loudon wants to get it by taking money from health care, from education, from mental health and from the prison system."
Pending approval by the General Assembly, the proposal would appear on Missouri's November ballot.