Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/557867
ByDavidA.Lieb The Associated Press JEFFERSONCITY,MO. While Congress remains stalled on a long-term plan for funding highways, state lawmakers and governors aren't waiting around. Nearly one-third of the states have approved mea- sures this year that could collectively raise billions of dollars through higher fuel taxes, vehicle fees and bonds to repair old bridges and roads and relieve traf- fic congestion, according to an analysis by The Associ- ated Press. The surge of activity means at least half of the states — from coast to coast, in both Republican and Democratic areas — now have passed transpor- tation funding measures since 2013. And the movement may not be done yet. Tennessee's governor is in the midst of a 15-city tour highlighting the state's transportation needs. North Carolina lawmakers are debating a road-bond- ing proposal. And legisla- tors are returning to work this week in California and Michigan with transporta- tion funding on the agenda. "I don't know of a state that's not having the con- versation" about raising revenue for transportation, said Iowa Transportation Director Paul Trombino III, who is vice president of the American Associa- tion of State Highway and Transportation Officials and whose home state re- cently raised fuel taxes by 10 cents a gallon. The widespread focus on transportation funding comes as state officials are becoming frustrated by fed- eral inaction in helping to repair roads and bridges de- scribed as crumbling, aging and unsafe. About 20 percent of the nation's 900,000 miles of interstates and major roads need resurfacing or reconstruction, accord- ing to one analysis of fed- eral data. A quarter of the 600,000 bridges are con- sidered structurally defi- cient or functionally obso- lete. That doesn't necessar- ily mean they are about to fall; it means they are show- ing worrisome problems or are no longer adequate for today's traffic. "There's a lot of voices that say let's push this off," said Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, whose call for more transportation fund- ing has been opposed by some fellow Republicans. "But the need is not going to go away. We're going to have to do something to ad- dress this." In many states, the new money is going primarily toward repairing old in- frastructure, though some projects — such as a new four-lane U.S. 20 across Iowa — are designed to ease congestion so that com- merce can flow more freely. Congress has yet to agree on long-term funding to supplement the states' ef- forts. Instead, it recently passed its 34th short-term extension of the nation's transportation program since 2009, ensuring only that states will continue to receive federal highway funding through Oct. 29. Federal dollars, on aver- age, cover about half of a state's capital expenditures for roads and bridges, ac- cording to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. But the money available from the Federal Highway Trust Fund declined 3.5 percent during the five-year period ending in 2013, the latest year for which numbers are available, because of improved fuel economy and other factors. The fund re- ceives money from federal taxes on gasoline and die- sel. Regardless of what Con- gress ultimately does, some state officials say more tax- payer money will be re- quired to update their aging infrastructure for the mod- ern economy. The newly passed measures put only a dent in a backlog of proj- ects. HIGHWAY FUNDING Statesraisingtaxes,feesand debt to pay for road repairs TEDS.WARREN—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Traffic is shown on the State Route 520floating bridge at le , in Medina, Wash., while construction continues at right on a new floating bridge to replace it. By Stephen Ohlemacher The Associated Press WASHINGTON A computer breach at the IRS in which thieves stole tax informa- tion from thousands of tax- payers is much bigger than the agency originally dis- closed. An additional 220,000 potential victims had in- formation stolen from an IRS website as part of a sophisticated scheme to use stolen identities to claim fraudulent tax re- funds, the IRS said Mon- day. The revelation more than doubles the total number of potential vic- tims, to 334,000. The breach also started earlier than investigators initially thought. The tax agency first disclosed the breach in May. The thieves accessed a system called "Get Tran- script," where taxpayers can get tax returns and other filings from previous years. In order to access the infor- mation, the thieves cleared a security screen that re- quired knowledge about the taxpayer, including Social Security number, date of birth, tax filing status and street address, the IRS said. The personal informa- tion was presumably stolen from other sources. The IRS believes the thieves were ac- cessing the IRS website to get even more information about the taxpayers, which could help them claim fraudulent tax refunds in the future. In all, the thieves used personal information from about 610,000 taxpayers in an effort to access old tax returns. They were success- ful in getting information from about 334,000 tax- payers. The IRS said it is noti- fying all potential victims and offering free credit monitoring services. TAX INFORMATION IR S: B re ac h bi gg er t ha n fir st t ho ug ht American Style - It's all about the flavor! www.kahunasmongolianbbq.com 2151 Market St. • Redding • (530) 244-4200 $ 2 OFF Regularly Priced Adult Meals (Dine-In Only) One per table. Not valid on to-go, seniors or children's meals. Not valid with other offers. Present for discount. Kahunas Mongolian BBQ is where you are able to create your own stir-fry by choosing your ingredients and sauces. Interact with our grill warriors as they prepare your meal right in front of you on our 48 inch round Mongolian Grill. Kahunas has something for everyone, from vegetarians to meat lovers and even gluten free diets! GOLDENRULE SMALL ENGINES (530) 526-8121 796 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff (Enter from Trinity Ave.) Come by and see us today! YourLocalToroDealer! Parts and Sales! Servicingyourdisposalneedsin Tehama County, and the City of Red Bluff including Residential, Commercial, and Temporary bin services. GREENWASTEOFTEHAMA A WASTE CONNECTIONS COMPANY 530-528-8500 1805 AIRPORT BLVD. RED BLUFF, CA GreenWasteisaproud supporter of local events. 570 South Main St., Red Bluff 530-737-5136 Mon.-Fri. 9:00am to 7:00pm, Sat. 9:00am to 6:00pm Sun. 11:00am to 4:00pm Kitchen Tune-Up & Sears Hometown Store are locally owned & operated. NOW AVAILABLE! 1-5 D AY KITCHEN UPDATES kitchentune•up ® kitchentuneup.com 1 Day Tune-Up Refacing Redooring New Cabinets Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers 816Walnut St., Red Bluff, CA (530) 527-1174 www.chapeloftheflowers.net Funerals • Cremations • Prearrangements FD652 SUMMER SPECIAL MODERNCLEANERS 609WalnutSt.,RedBluff•527-4308 20 % off Mustbepresentedwithincomingorder.Notgoodwithotheroffers.Expires8/31/15 DRAPERIES Wetakedown & rehang your drapes ✓Checkoutourselection of beer, wine & tobacco YourOneStopConvenienceStore 5am to 11pm 714 Walnut St., Red Bluff ONE STOP TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 5 B