The Indiana House is signing off on a measure that public transportation advocates hope will beef up bus service in central Indiana and potentially pay for a new rail line.
Supporters of the mass transit bill said Monday that the measure is needed to connect workers to available jobs and improve the Indianapolis metro region's image among young professionals. Opponents say it would add another tax and pay for potentially wasteful projects.
The measure would allow Marion County and its surrounding "doughnut" counties to ask voters to approve a new tax to pay for improved bus service. The House voted 56-39 Monday to night to approve the transportation measure.
The Indiana Finance Authority would issue the bonds, and the central Indiana counties would build a regional transit organization.
