JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A plan to raise Missouri’s gasoline tax made its way through the Senate’s Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee.

The proposed legislation would raise the state tax on gas by two cents a gallon and six cents on diesel.

State Senator Doug Libla is from Poplar Bluff and says he is no fan of sending more money to Jefferson City.

“But there’s one department in Missouri that we are not sending record revenues to, and that’s MoDOT,” Senator Libla said.

Senator Libla says the current 17 cents a gallon gas tax is actually generating less money than it once did because today’s vehicles are more fuel efficient.

House leadership has indicated there is no support for raising the tax from their caucus but Senator Libla believes that if the state fails to spend more money on repairs and maintenance it will end up paying even more money down the road.

“Well you could lose your life, I mean we’re talking about the safety of your family talking about the safety of your kids, your grandkids, school buses uh commerce, economic development, we’re the crossroads of the United States,” Senator Libla said. “So we’ve got to have our roads and bridges up to 21srt century needs and were not.”

Senator Libla says if the increase is approved it would cost the average driver $1 a month and would generate more than 100 million dollars annually.