While Governor Bill Haslam said he's ready to unveil his plan to boost road funding in Tennessee, he added he's putting off making any proposal public until fellow Republicans in the Legislature have time to explore their own funding ideas.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported the governor didn't tell reporters which lawmakers had asked for the delay, or when he expected them to present their own proposal.
Lawmakers have been scheduled to convene the 110th General Assembly for their organizational session on January 10, but haven’t been scheduled to get down to their regular business until January 30 when Haslam has been expected to deliver his annual state spending plan.
Haslam has argued new funding has been needed to tackle a $6 billion backlog in road projects. The gas tax was last raised in 1989.
