SALEM, Ore. -- Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski is proposing a 2-cent increase in the state gasoline tax to help pay for road and bridge projects that could create jobs for thousands of Oregonians.

At a legislative hearing, the Democratic governor said he expects vigorous debate on his gas tax plan. But he said public works programs are the most effective way to get people back to work in this struggling economy.

"One of the most important investments we can make during a slow economy is in public works projects, such as transportation," Kulongoski said. "We have a long bipartisan tradition of investing in transportation in good times and in bad times."

Kulongoski's plan also calls for doubling the vehicle titling fee to $110, raising the registration fee from $27 a year to $81 a year and creating a $100-a-year fee for titling cars new to the state.

Kulongoski said congestion on Oregon roads will increase by 42 percent over the next 15 years if improvements are not made.

He said money from the Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009 would be used to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, address key bottlenecks across the state, increase funding for ConnectOregon, expand elderly and disabled transit services and create a trust for the most timber-dependent counties, among other issues.

PDF: Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009