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NEWS BRIEFS
W.Va. lawmakers tweak gas tax, move to end session
By LAWRENCE MESSINA
Associated Press Writer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s Legislature has tweaked the state’s fuel taxes, but only after a partisan debate over whether motorists will notice any difference at the pumps.
Gov. Joe Manchin proposed the measure in his special session agenda. It would limit changes to part of the tax that varies annually with wholesale gas prices.
The governor’s fellow Democrats helped to pass the bill Friday, 64-23.
A number of Republicans spoke against it. They say it amounts to tax increases.
Bill supporters disagreed. They cite how West Virginia’s ailing State Road Fund pays for 92 percent of all roads found within its borders, the sixth-largest total nationwide.
A companion bill earmarks $27 million for the state’s secondary roads. The session is expected to end Friday.
