February 4, 2009 10:26 AM

Faster bill battle: Hodge strikes again

Sen. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, has rankled her own party again, this time with an amendment that would prohibit tolling of existing highway lanes. It again passed on an 18-17 vote.

The bill had provisions that would allow for tolling existing lanes under a process that involves local and state governments and, if the road in question is an interstate, a federal waiver.

Sen. Keith King said it was "offensive" to Coloradans to have to pay to drive on lanes that their taxes already paid to build. And if it's just the local governments that need to approve, Denver could impact a lot of motorists by deciding to toll I-25 running through the town.

Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, called the argument a "red herring," however, noting that only the federal government can allow tolling of I-25. Senate Majority Leader Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, added that local governments need more flexibility to pay for road repairs in their area.

Democratic Sens. Morgan Carroll of Aurora, Lois Tochtrop of Thornton and Jim Isgar of Hesperus joined Hodge and Republicans in backing the amendment.

The Rocky is blogging live from a hearing on car-registration fee increases.

Posted by Ed Sealover at 10:26 AM | Comments (1)