Governor Mike Braun has declared another statewide energy emergency and extended Indiana’s gas tax suspension through September 5th.
The “gas tax holiday” has saved Hoosiers about 61 cents a gallon since it began this spring.
But it has also cost the state about half a billion dollars in road funding.
To cover the gap, Braun and legislative leaders agreed to use money from Indiana’s $5 billion budget surplus to keep road projects moving.
Democrat State Representative Ed DeLaney of Indianapolis says that means schools, universities, pre-schools, and Medicaid will now have to compete with road projects for funding.
He says that was not an issue before because roads were funded at the gas pump.