Gov. Tim Kaine yesterday reiterated a promise to announce his own transportation proposal within 10 days to two weeks, and name a date for a special legislative session on the issue.
Speaking to reporters, Kaine did not reveal details of his proposal, but said he hopes to come up with a bill that will fix several transportation problems and win the support of lawmakers.
That's tricky, because Kaine and most Democrats think a transportation proposal must contain money to put toward statewide maintenance costs, while many Republicans don't think that's necessary. Republicans instead want to fix two regional transportation authorities that were made defunct by a Virginia Supreme Court ruling earlier this year.
The Republican opposition comes partly because Democrats are leaning toward a tax increase to pay for state-wide maintenance.
"Without that, the regional plans are sort of a sham," Kaine said.
Democrats are debating among themselves whether money for statewide maintenance should come from an increase in the gas tax, the sales tax, or another tax.
The gas tax particularly is an option, Kaine said, because lawmakers passed an increase in gas taxes just last year--although it only applied in Hampton Roads.
Such proposals, already approved in some form by the legislature, "rise to the top of the list" of funding options, Kaine said. "You've got to find the dollars to do the job. Everything is on the table."
Kaine said he himself still prefers a change in the structure of the sales tax on automobiles to pay for transportation, but as he's never been able to get that out of a legislative committee, he didn't sound likely to try it again this time.
But with all the parties still in disagreement over transportation funding, Kaine said he's not waiting for a consensus before he lays out his own plan.
"I don't suppose that when I roll out what I'm going to roll out that everyone's going to agree 100 percent," he said.
Gov Kaine - Please use common sense(posted by
WeimCity
, May 1, 2008 8:05 pm)
With gasoline and food prices rising higher each day, an additional tax to expand VDOT's mismanagement and your lack of foresight is not needed. Giving salary increases with surplus extra money was not a one-time event but compounds each fiscal year. You could have directed the $$ into the transportation problem but you spend, spend, spend as Democrats always do. My $ is mine and not yours to take - trim your budget like mine and use only what you have to fix the antiquated Commonwealth's woes. 2 more years
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