Lawmakers to reconsider multibillion-dollar Pa. transportation plan

Pennsylvania House leaders are gearing up for a possible showdown on transportation funding.

The Republican Majority Leader has said he would bring the long-stymied funding bill up for a vote in his chamber.

Gov. Tom Corbett would sign whatever can pass in the House, provided it doesn’t go below a $1.8 billion plan he offered earlier this year, according to PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch.

“I’ve met with leaders of both parties continuously for the last six months,” he said. “My message to them has not been any different, that I expect them to reconcile their differences and deliver a bill to the governor.”

One question that remains is whether a $2.5 billion version that passed overwhelmingly in the Senate could muster support, or if there would only be enough votes to pass a lower figure.

Schoch said the Corbett administration still has concerns with the Senate’s plan, including certain fee increases and a $100 surcharge on moving violations.

A transportation funding plan stalled in the House in June as Republicans balked at tax and fee increases and Democrats insisted on more money for mass transit.