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What does North Carolina think?

A January poll by the conservative Civitas Institute showed broad agreement on a couple other issues that are before the legislature.

Below, the percentage who agreed with a sentiment:

71: Do not view spending $1 million to broadcast legislature as a "worthwhile investment."

70: View a vehicle miles-driven tax unfavorably.

68: Support cutting existing programs (vs. raising taxes) to balance state budget.

50: Think state employees should pay higher premiums to keep State Health Plan afloat.

53: Oppose an endowment for gubernatorial campaigns that comes with "restrictions on free speech" policed by a board appointed by the governor.

The wording on parts of the poll is questionable, however. The questions about the endowment and broadcasting the legislature prime the pump with negative wording, and a later poll got opposite results on the latter.

The poll of 600 registered voters was conducted Jan. 19-22 by TelOpinion Research of Alexandria, Va. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

What does North Carolina think?

The latest Elon University Poll shows significant agreement on a number of issues that are before the legislature.

Below, the percentage who agreed with a sentiment:

77: The state should make commuter rail available in urban areas.

74: The state should not charge a fee based on miles driven each year.

67: The state should ban smoking in public places, such as restaurants and bars.

— Support a $2 billion bond referendum for bridges and roads.

66: Offshore drilling should be allowed off the coast of North Carolina.

— Except in emergencies, it should be illegal to use a cell phone while driving.

The live phone poll of 758 residents was conducted Feb. 22-26. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

After the jump, the rest of the results.

The 21st Century Transportation Committee approved a package of money raising proposals Wednesday afternoon that includes a tax on the number of miles a car travels each year.

The group also recommended putting toll booths on I-95 and I-77.

The special panel, made up of lawmakers and non-legislators alike, will hold a final vote on the recommendations on Dec. 10 before sending them on to the legislature. The vehicle miles tax would be collected during the car's annual inspection and would replace or supplement the currrent gas tax, which has produced less money than in the past because of fuel efficiency, a cap on the tax and, more recently, declining fuel prices.

The committee was charged with finding options for raising an additional $1 billion a year in transportation funding to address the state's growing population and transit needs. North Carolina maintains more miles of roads than any other state except Texas because the state does not require the counties to share in the maintenance and construction costs.

Legislators serving on the committee immediately dismissed the prospects of the proposals passing this year.

"Probably many of them won't be viable this session because of the economy," said Sen. Richard Stevens, a Raleigh Republican.

Charlotte Democrat Becky Carney agreed: "It's going to take a real learning curve for the general public and the General Assembly."

Carney also said if tolls are considered they should be possible on any interstate.

A special transportation committee gingerly stepped closer to proposing a tax on the miles a vehicle travels -- an odometer tax, you might say.

A subcommittee of the 21st Century Transportation Committee agreed this morning to have the full committee vote on a vehicle miles tax as one of several recommendations for raising transportation money. The committee is charged with finding new ways to pay for the state's growing road and travel needs as current revenue sources flatline or drop. The committee's vote this afternoon is expected to send the package of proposals to the legislature.

The vehicle miles tax likely will promote the most contentious debate, as it would charge car and truck owners based on their odometer readings at annual inspections.

Several subcommittee members, including legislators, questioned aspects of the tax that led to softening the language. The proposal will now say that the legislature should consider finding a replacement for the gas tax and consider the vehicle miles tax as an alternative without specifying a rate.

The material presented at the meeting, though, offered an example of a 1/4-cent or 1/2-cent per mile tax. That would cost a car owner $25 or $50 respectively for 10,000 miles of travel. Drivers on average put about 12,000 miles on a car per year, according to federal data.

Other proposals included raising the highway use tax charged on car sales, increasing registration fees, tolls on I-95 and I-77 and bonds.