Kinder, Hanaway favor freeing highway-patrol money for roads, bridges

Republican gubernatorial candidates Peter Kinder and Catherine Hanaway want to fund the Missouri State Highway Patrol from general revenue, freeing up $200 million annually in gas tax money that could go to repair the state's deteriorating roads and bridges.

During a visit to a local Republican gathering Friday in Cape Girardeau, the two candidates said they oppose increasing the gas tax. Kinder said voters won't support raising taxes for transportation until the state shows more "fiscal integrity" in how money is spent.

Hanaway agreed the state gas-tax money should be spent on roads and bridges, not on the highway patrol.

Neither candidate said whether other programs would have to be cut to provide the general revenue needed to fund the highway patrol.

Hanaway believes the Missouri Department of Transportation needs to manage its tax money better. MoDOT officials have argued their agency needs a major boost in funding.

"I am just not buying it," she said after the GOP gathering.

Hanaway said funding for MoDOT has climbed 25 percent over the past dozen years, "yet MoDOT says it can only maintain a third of the roads."

But state highway officials have said Missouri's construction budget for roads and bridges dropped from $1.3 billion annually in 2009 to $685 million in 2015 and is expected to drop to $325 million in the 2017 fiscal year. Increasing fuel-efficiency of cars resulting in less gas use, the expiration of a bond program to finance transportation and increased construction costs all have contributed to the transportation funding problems, they said.

Kinder, the state's lieutenant governor, and Hanaway acknowledged they largely agree on the issues.

Hanaway told a crowd of about 45 people at the Cape County Republican Women's Club at Dexter Bar-B-Que she and Kinder are fiscal and social conservatives.

"You won't hear me say one bad thing about him on the campaign trail," she said.

Referring to the fact Kinder lives in Cape Girardeau, Hanaway said, "I know I am in Peter's backyard. I hope you will help him, but not too much."

For his part, Kinder told the party faithful "there is nobody who works harder than Catherine."

He observed: "Like Catherine, I got into politics not to warm a seat, but to change our state in a conservative direction."

Both candidates said they oppose abortion and support the public's right to bear arms as guaranteed in the Second Amendment. They criticized President Barack Obama and the Obama administration for gun-control policies they view as an attack on a constitutional right.

On the abortion issue, Hanaway said, "the right to life is the most fundamental right. If we don't stand up for the dignity of every human life, then what are we?"

Hanaway, a former federal prosecutor, said she believes Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should be prosecuted over her handling of confidential government emails.

On another issue, Kinder charged the Obama administration is "at war with religious liberty." If elected governor, Kinder said he would push to have voters amend the state constitution to protect religious liberties.

Kinder said Missouri needs to pass a "right-to-work" law to foster a better economic environment for businesses.

"We will not be competitive until we do this," he said, adding most of Missouri's neighboring states have right-to-work laws.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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