Iowa’s gas tax is going up March 1st. Within the span of two-and-a-half hours, votes were taken in both the Iowa House and Senate (Tuesday) to pass a bill that would raise the tax by a dime a gallon. Senator Tod Bowman, a Democrat from Maquoketa, was a main backer of the bill. He says a lack of transportation funding is “huge problem” for Iowa.
Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, voted no and accused supporters of adopting “a Washington, D.C. philosophy.”
Governor Terry Branstad has signed it into law, and the increase will go into effect March 1st.
Forty-two Republicans and 39 Democrats voted for the gas tax increase. In the Senate, it was a coalition of 16 Democrats and 12 Republicans who passed the bill. In the House, there were 42 Republicans and 39 Democrats who voted for it.
