Should only a handful of lawmakers get to decide how much you have to pay to drive?

At least they deserve points for creativity. Republican lawmakers in Madison have rejected Governor Evers’ calls for a gas tax hike as a way to pay for needed road work in Wisconsin. Instead, they propose more than doubling the costs of titling a vehicle, and a hike in the cost of registering a car. That will cost Wisconsin drivers more than a hike in the gas tax would cost each year. But our elected officials went even farther. Under the bill that has passed one committee, lawmakers could establish new fees based on how many miles people drive, starting in 2023. That may seem innocuous, spending more than $2 million to study the concept. But according to the language of the bill that passed committee, only the 16 lawmakers serving on the Joint Finance Committee would be authorized to approve the idea of charging people based on how many miles they drive. That isn’t very democratic. Why let only 16 lawmakers decide the issue, and keep the other 116 state representatives from having a say. That doesn’t provide much protection for taxpayers. We shouldn’t let a handful of people decide our laws. It should be up to the full legislature to propose laws to the Governor, not just a handful of lawmakers who don’t necessarily represent the entire state.