Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Governor Scott Walker “laid out a framework [yesterday] for accepting Wisconsin’s first-ever use of tolling, saying any plan would have to bring in money from out-of-state drivers and then use that money to lower gas taxes for state residents. Republicans have fought for months over whether to raise new money for state highways. Tolling may be the only approach Walker and the other GOP leaders can all accept. Walker’s framework provides a possible way to restart budget talks that have stalled in large part because of Republicans’ road funding squabbles.”
La Crosse Tribune notes, “Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said separately that a highway tolling plan could be a key part of a broader deal for the state’s next transportation budget. . . .”