Senate panel defeats transportation-funding measure

A proposal to ask voters to approve a sales-tax increase to raise $3.5 billion for roads died in a state Senate committee Tuesday.

The Denver Post reports that House Bill 1242 failed after Republican members raised objections to raising taxes. House Bill 1242 would have placed the tax proposal on the ballot in November 2017. The measure would have included a 0.5 percentage-point increase in the state sales tax, to 3.4 percent from 2.9 percent, for 20 years.

The funds would have been used for expansion of Interstate 25 north and south of Denver, expansion of Interstate 70 west…