Senate Passes Road Bill

The South Carolina Senate has given final approval to a bill that offers an additional $400 million to state roads and changes the structure of the board that runs the Department of Transportation.

Senators passed the bill without debate Thursday, sending it back to the House.

The House passed its own bill last April that raises a tax on fuel. The Senate version takes the $400 million out of the general budget and allows the governor to name all eight members of the DOT's board.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Brian White said in a statement that the Senate bill is a plea for the House to use the budget to help the Senate avoid its inability to pass a comprehensive roads bill with a stable source of revenue.