The Oregon Senate on Monday in a party-line 18-11 vote passed a long-awaited transportation bill that will update the state’s funding sources for road maintenance and operations.

House Bill 3991 will raise about $4.3 billion over the next 10 years to fund road maintenance and operations by raising the gas tax by six cents, nearly doubling most vehicle registration fees and doubling the payroll tax used to support public transit from 0.1% to 0.2% of a paycheck — among other fee hikes for electric vehicles. Gov. Tina Kotek plans to sign it.

The bill settles a growing gap in Oregon’s transportation budget and prevents transportation department layoffs, but advocates warn it’s just a temporary fix and overlooks key issues such as climate sustainability, traffic congestion and road safety n

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