Legislation raising New Hampshire’s tax on diesel and gasoline has been voted down by the state Senate after being passed in the House earlier.

In an 18-6 vote, the chamber downed the 12 cents per gallon hike and also blocked all discussion of it when the Senate meets with the House later on for state budget talks.

Because of how the Senate voted, the bill cannot be considered again in the current two-year session. However, lawmakers could consider alternative plans to pay for such improvements.

The bill was designed to pay for improvements to state roads and bridges. It called for increasing the diesel tax over six years, by 2 cents annually, and the gasoline tax over three years, by 4 cents annually.