Dover, DE – Governor Markell issued the below statement in reaction to Senate passage of House Bill 140, which increases revenue in the Transportation Trust Fund by $24 million per year by raising several Department of Motor Vehicle fees that have gone largely unchanged since 1990.  Last year, the Department of Transportation was authorized to raise tolls, resulting in $10m for the TTF.  Taken together, these initiatives resulted in $35m in new revenues each year to support the construction of roads and bridges. 

“This legislation represents a significant step in addressing the revenue shortfall in the Transportation Trust Fund that has threatened our ability to ensure the modern infrastructure that is critical to our future. As I said in January, we have been talking about this issue for too long. Now was the time to act, and the General Assembly delivered.  The funding from these efforts will help fix our roads and bridges, promote economic development, and create good construction jobs.

“I support legislation introduced and passed in the Senate to ensure these funds are only used to fund transportation. That is a responsible step to show the public that the increased fees and all funds allocated to the Trust Fund will be used to deal with our infrastructure needs. I thank the members of the General Assembly for coming together to make progress on one of the most important challenges facing our state.”

###

Print