INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WOWO): A gas tax increase for Indiana is a step closer to reality.

The Senate a bill Wednesday which calls for an increase in the state’s gasoline tax by 10 cents per gallon, plus institutes additional increases based on inflation, an additional $15 registration fee, and a $5 fee on every new tire bought in Indiana. A similar bill passed already in the House, as Republicans are pushing through their idea for a long-term road funding plan.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long of Fort Wayne calls it an “important step” that means “improved safety and less traffic congestion,” while opponents say Republicans are asking the average Hoosier to pay too much as the state sits on millions of dollars in a budget surplus.

The House and Senate versions of the bill will be combined and voted on one more time before it reaches Governor Holcomb’s desk.