Rep. Noel Campbell, R-Prescott, said Sept. 26 he hopes to convince colleagues that the revenue from the current levy – about $750 million a year – is insufficient to meet the state’s’ needs, both for building new roads and maintaining current ones. He argued it’s simple math – the tax rate hasn’t changed since 1991.

“I can’t get any Republicans to want to push this bill forward. They don’t want to take a tough vote on something that’s so important to Arizona. That’s my feeling.”

Saying Arizona roads are crumbling due to neglect, a Prescott lawmaker is pushing a plan to eventually more than double the state's 18-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax.

Newly elected House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, inherits a chamber where he can't afford to alienate a single Republican.

State lawmakers took the first steps this afternoon to asking voters to hike what they pay every time they fill up their cars and trucks.

Arizona will collect less than a third of the money it needs in transportation taxes to meet the anticipated needs by 2035, including keeping the state's roads and bridges repaired, a new state report shows.

Cities can’t wait for new federal funding and updated policies needed to advance transportation projects, Mayor Greg Stanton told officials from around the country Monday.

The iArizona Committee is headed by Mesa Mayor Scott Smith and backed by a broad coalition of local politicians, construction contractors and business interests. Their ultimate goal is to boost Arizona’s economy and status as a transportation hub connecting Los Angeles, Dallas and Mexico, as well as linking Arizona’s manufacturing and economic hubs to one another.

With the committee deadline to hear bills in their chamber of origin passed, the major work of weeding out bills is done. But like weeds, bills are never really dead, and can sprout back up at any time before the session ends.

Saying the state’s gas tax is “dying and never coming back,’’ a Democratic lawmaker wants to study tax alternatives and allow the Department of Transportation to run pilot programs testing the ideas.