Ore. transportation package would hike gas taxes, fees

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A proposed 10-year, $8.2 billion transportation infrastructure bill for Oregon has been unveiled.

The measure introduced Wednesday would impose higher gas taxes, increased vehicle title and registration fees, tolls on portions of Interstate 5, and a payroll tax to fund public transit.

The Statesman Journal reports ( http://stjr.nl/2qG0pOm ) large cities would have to salt at least 25 percent of their roads if more than 2 inches of snow falls over a 12-hour period. And a proposed tax on new car sales also would apply to used cars.

The public will have a chance to weigh in on the bill at hearings June 5, 6 and 7.

Lawmakers have been working for a year to gather public input and put together a bill. The effort follows a failed attempt to pass a transportation infrastructure funding package during the 2015 legislative session.