BREAKING: Bill passes the Senate on 18-11 vote)

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregonians watched Salem closely Monday as the Oregon Senate debated before passing on an 18-11 party-line vote a bill to fill a major funding gap for the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Not only will the mix of a 6-cent-a-gallon gas tax increase and other fee increases in House Bill 3991 affect residents across the state, the fate of our area’s ODOT maintenance station in Sisters hung in the balance, along with winter pass plowing and other road maintenance work. 

Along with the gas tax hike, the bill expected to raise an estimated $4.3 billion over the next decade raises vehicle registration fees by $42, title fees by $139 and the electric vehicle surcharge by $30. It also phases in a mandatory pay-per-mile program for electric and high-efficiency vehicles, ito offset lower gas tax payments.

The Oregon Senate session regarding House Bill 3991 A began at 9:00 a.m. Monday, starting by allowing Senate members to voice their views on the funding proposal. Senate members on both sides of the aisle have been passionately arguing their positions through the morning. 

During the first recess — after proposed amendments by Senate Republicans failed — Senate Republican Leader, Bruce Starr (R-Dundee), released an emphatic statement. Starr targeted Senate Democrats, claiming they “voted to reject common-sense” amendments. 

HB 3991 A, much smaller than a bill that died in the closing days of the regular session, has sparked heated debates between not only lawmakers but Oregonians. Those opposed have argued Oregon’s most vulnerable residents will be hit the hardest by a tax increase. Supporters say the funding proposal is the bare minimum Oregon needs to keep our roads and people safe. 

Oregon Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, spoke about the GOP’s proposal that he said would not raise taxes or fees, instead providing the needed funds by “ending special interest executive orders” and “cutting unrealistic mandates.”

“It’s realistic, it’s viable and it’s absolutely being ignored,” Bonham said.

State Senator Anthony Broadman, D-Bend, talked of severe business impacts in the region if ODOT is unable to adequately care for roads, including winter plowing, and he said the Republican “counter-proposals are not serious.”

KTVZ’s Claire Elmer has been tracking the Senate session. Her full report on the debates and vote will air tonight on KTVZ News at 6:00 p.m.