We need to do some heavy lifting to rescue the Motor License Fund (MLF). We have watched since the passage of Act 89 of 2013, the draining of gas tax revenue to fund the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) operations while the PSP funding from the General Fund has remained static. We are not questioning the mission of the Pennsylvania State Police to protect our Commonwealth's citizens. We simply request that a greater burden for the PSP's operations are paid from the General Fund approved by the General Assembly every year.
Due to COVID-19, the largesse of the federal government has presented us with this one time opportunity - even if it is as a short-term solution - to shift the PSP burden away from the MLF and onto the General Fund by using the more than $5 Billion sitting in the Harrisburg bank courtesy of Washington, DC. This window will close when the 2021-2022 state budget is approved and some say as early as mid-June.
The Governor and members of the General Assembly must hear from us. Some would say that our ask to invest some of the $5 Billion to free up the MLF is self-serving. Those some people will need to be reminded that we are a heavy duty payer into the system and our businesses depend on a reliable transportation network to deliver our products.
Please take the less than a minute to use the link courtesy of our partners at the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors to share your voice with the Governor and your legislative representatives. And the more the merrier, so share with your colleagues, friends and family. A dependable, reliable and well funded transportation network in the Commonwealth is about economic development and the health and safety of our employees and our families!
Please contact Peter Vlahos with any questions.
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