Senate committee pushes fuel tax measure | Laws | Legislative session in New Mexico

New funding for New Mexico’s cracked highways and broken roads went through the Senate Tax, Business, and Transportation Committee Saturday morning.

Senate Bill 168 would raise the gasoline excise tax from 17 cents to 22 cents a gallon, and the additional contributions to the pump, according to a full analysis, would raise over $ 63 million annually through 2025, mostly for the state road fund.

The bill was passed 7-4 with the support of the committee’s Democrats and opposition from the four Republicans.

“We don’t have a single legislator who doesn’t say that there are needs in his region. We even go to extremes on school buses that cannot cross bridges due to delays in maintenance,” said Senator Roberto “Bobby”. J. Gonzales, D-Ranchos de Taos, said during the committee meeting. “Everyone is going to spend a lot more on Starbucks coffee than they do here.”

The bill would also increase the special fuel excise tax from 21 cents to 26 cents per gallon. The state gasoline excise tax has been reduced twice since it was last increased in 1993.