State senators say they are seriously considering a new proposal to fund badly-needed repairs to South Carolina’s aging roads and bridges— but it would cost drivers more to cover them.

Rebar is visible along a bridge in Fort Lawn (FILE)

The proposal passed by the Senate Finance Committee raises the biennial registration fees for passenger vehicles from $24 to $36. Drivers would also have to pay more for licenses, from $25 to $35. It would also charge additional fees on alternative vehicles like hybrids and electric-powered cars. The legislation would have the state borrow up to $1.3 billion through bonds.

Perhaps most significantly, it would tie South Carolina’s 16-cent per-gallon gas tax to the Consumer Price Index (theoretically adjusting it for inflation each year). Under that formula, the gas tax is expected to rise by 4 cents over the next 10 years, raising $135 million in additional funds.

The state’s gas tax has remained at 16 cents for nearly 26 years. Had South Carolina indexed the gas tax to inflation in 1987, a Bureau of Labor Statistics formula estimates drivers would now be paying 33 cents per gallon.

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A South Carolina Senate panel says it will wait until next year before taking up a proposed ban on texting while driving. A majority of members in both the House and Senate have supported a ban on texting behind the wheel for several years now, but failed in their efforts to make it law.

Sens. Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington) and Shane Massey (R-Edgefield) listen to SC Law Enforcement Officers Association speak in favor of the ban

Knowing that the Senate would likely have to pass the bill by May 1 for it to become law this year, senators said Wednesday that they will instead focus on crafting an improved version for 2014.

S.416 is sponsored by Sen. Thomas Alexander (R-Walhalla). As written now, the bill would not allow a person to drive a vehicle while using a “wireless telecommunications device” to “write, send, or read a text-based communication.” Alexander said that would cover cell phones, PDAs, tablets, and other small computers.

Alexander said he does not want to infringe on individual rights, but believes it’s a public safety issue. “With texting, you have the potential of hurting a lot of other individuals,” he told a Senate judiciary subcommittee.

Texting while driving has been a controversial issue at the Statehouse for several years now. The House has passed several different bills that would have banned the practice, but those bills never came up for a vote in the Senate. Earlier this year, another similar House version was taken off the floor and sent back to committee.

Opponents of the idea often question why lawmakers target texting and not using a cell phone or other forms of distracted driving. Sen. Shane Massey (R-Edgefield), who chaired Wednesday’s meeting, said he wanted to address those concerns before trying to advance the proposal.

Massey said he favors a texting ban to help lower the number of people killed on the state’s highways.

The state Department of Public Safety has been keeping track of the number of highway crashes attributed to cell phone use since 2010. However, a DPS statistician told South Carolina Radio Network that the numbers are not considered reliable because they require a driver to admit he was texting or multiple witnesses.

39 other states currently ban texting while driving. 10 states do not allow cell phones, unless on a hands-free device.