Senate Republicans Urge McKee Not to Appeal Truck Toll Decision
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
The Republicans in the Rhode Island State Senate, who have argued for years against truck tolling, are urging Governor Dan McKee not to appeal federal court judge Will Smith’s decision which found that the tolls were unconstitutional.
“The RhodeWorks tolling program violates the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. For this reason, the State is permanently enjoined from further tolling under the law,” wrote Smith in his 91-page decision.
The Senate Minority Caucus is calling on the McKee Administration to "drop the entire tolling scheme and not spend a single taxpayer dollar on what would inevitably be a very expensive appellate process. Lawmakers need to be more cognizant of the constitutionality of the legislation that is introduced and sometimes passes through the Senate and House."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"It was no secret that Republican legislators were against the ill-conceived truck tolling plan. There were always many unanswered questions as to how the toll plan would impact Rhode Islanders, including the simplest of questions such as how much it would cost and where the tolls would be assessed," said the GOP in their release.
Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz said, “It was ridiculous that the General Assembly would adopt a plan that called for new tolls statewide and millions in debt with so little information. Anyone who tries to implement tolls on cars as a result of this court decision will face fierce opposition from our members.”
Senate Minority Whip Gordon Rogers added, “Rhode Island does not lack the money to fix its roads and bridges, but our Executive Branch and its Department of Transportation lack the fiscal discipline to do so in a fair and equitable manner.”
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