SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Senate passed a last-ditch transportation bill on Monday, sending it to Gov. Tina Kotek's desk nearly a month after the bill first passed the state House. House Bill 3991 includes a 6-cent gas tax hike and other fee increases that will raise about $4.3 billion in funding over the next 10 years, primarily for road maintenance.

The Senate passed HB 3991 Monday afternoon after first passing a companion bill in the morning: House Bill 3992, which makes budget adjustments to account for the provisions of the main bill. Both bills passed on party-line votes of 18-11, with one Republican senator absent.

The Senate vote was delayed for weeks due to the absence of Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Gresham, who was recovering from surgery. The bill faced unified Republican opposi

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