Task force co-chair Sen. Luke Kenley says he wants members of the task force to be in a position to "say anything they want to say" as the recommendation is being developed.

The newly signed legislation gives state and local governments about $1 billion in road funding over two years and creates a task force to craft a long term solution for both state and local roads.

This year's road funding package does not include the tax increases originally proposed by House Republicans, but it does give counties and cities some ability to raise taxes to pay for their roads.

Despite passing more than 100 bills, and resolving issues that had lingered in the the legislature for years, the 2016 session of the Indiana General Assembly may be remembered more for what lawmakers couldn't get done.

Lawmakers debated road funding in a conference committee hearing as lawmakers approach the end of this session's debate

The Senate's version of the road funding bill does not raise any taxes, unlike its House counterpart. Instead, it would spend down the state's surplus and give local governments more freedom to raise or create road funding taxes. It would also create a new task force compromised of lawmakers and state and local officials.

It's the GOP representatives' latest move to preserve a plan that is funded by contentious gas and cigarette tax increases.

But, there are still fundamental disagreements over whether the state should implement short or long term solutions this session.

The House Roads and Transportation Committee advanced Senate Bill 333 -- Gov. Mike Pence's state road funding plan -- but not before making some major changes.

The plan includes increases in the gas and cigarette taxes. Its authors argue they are modest, necessary moves that help create a long term funding solution. But several members of the Senate Appropriations Committee seemed skeptical about proposal's tax increases.