Kansas considers two ideas to help fill hole in road and bridge budget

A Kansas state transportation committee has offered up two ideas to help improve funding for road and bridge construction.

The first option would apply the state sales tax of 5.3 cents per dollar on fuel purchases. It also would reduce the current gas tax, which is 24 cents per gallon, by a nickel. The strategy would generate $4.4 billion over 10 years.

The second idea involves increasing the gas tax 7 cents per gallon and enacting future spikes based on the Consumer Price Index. This would create $3.74 billion during the next decade.

Both plans also include $20 and $100 increases in car and truck vehicle registration fees, respectively, and call for issuing $300 million in bonds to help cover the cost of projects over the next three years.

The tax increases would not take effect until 2013, but state lawmakers have mixed feelings on the proposals in the midst of an election year.