AUGUSTA — Maine’s Republican governor wants to start shutting down the state turnpike authority within the next decade.

The House referred Gov. Paul LePage’s bill to the transportation committee on Thursday.

The Maine Turnpike Authority would have until November 2027 to remove all toll facilities on the turnpike, except the York toll facility.

The quasi-governmental authority would also have 10 years to transfer all its duties to the transportation department.

The governor in March said such a merger would benefit residents by leading to the elimination of most tolls.

The legislation would prohibit the Maine Turnpike Authority from issuing bonds after October. By April, the authority would have to provide the state Department of Transportation with a plan to pay down outstanding debt.

The legislation is sponsored by Republican state Rep. Eleanor Espling.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage, testifies during a House Natural Resources subcommittee oversight hearing on the Antiquities Act on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, May 2, 2017.