When the framers of Pennsylvania’s constitution established the state’s transportation-funding mechanism, they required that revenue generated by fuel taxes – in addition to license and registration fees – be used exclusively for transportation purposes. Those who cause the most wear and tear on bridges and highways, they held, should contribute proportionately more to infrastructure upkeep.
It was, and could remain, a useful and fair system. Years ago, however, state lawmakers began taking increasingly larger amounts from a constitutionally protected special fund – the Motor License Fund – to help pay for state police operations. Their logic: patrolling highways qualifies as a “transportation use.”
At first, the diverted revenue was relatively small, but as times got leaner, the amounts increased as legislators confronted rising governmental costs while remaining averse to raising taxes. By the 2016-17 fiscal year, more than $800 million of Motor License Fund revenue was diverted to state police operations. This accounted for three-quarters of the entire state police budget.
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