The legislative session ends Thursday so legislation that would dedicate .45 percent of the state sales tax that will expire in 2025 to infrastructure has only four days left to get over the finish line. Conservative lawmakers oppose it and Governor Edwards says he likes the idea, but the devil is in the details.
“I would want to be in a position to support it. For example, I would want to make sure that we are not diverting funds away from the general fund before 2025 which is when the .45 is set to expire,” said Edwards.
The legislation by Port Allen Senator Rick Ward would begin shifting that sales tax money into an infrastructure sub-fund starting in 2022. The bill is waiting to be heard on the Senate floor and it needs a two-thirds vote to pass.
Edwards says he understands the idea behind the bill and admits something must be done to generate more infrastructure funds.
“You see many states now moving away from just user fees and gas taxes in order to fund infrastructure improvements and they are using general fund,” said Edwards.
The proposal would generate nearly 400 million dollars a year starting in 2025 for infrastructure projects including specifically outlined “mega-projects” like new bridges over the Mississippi and Calcasieu Rivers.
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