The new head of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure wants a dime a gallon increase in Arizona’s gasoline tax.
Rep. Noel Campbell, a Republican from Prescott, said the last time Arizona hiked its gas tax was in 1991. Since then it has remained at 18 cents a gallon.
But he's not sure voters are willing to go along.
"I don't know what the voters would do," Campbell said. "But I know this: We have got to get revenue into our transportation system to start dealing with these highway needs that we have, infrastructure needs that we have."
Campbell has no illusion that his colleagues would approve such a sharp hike in gas taxes. It takes a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate to hike tax rates.
But Campbell only needs a simple majority to put the issue before voters on the 2018 ballot.