LoudounExtra.com

Transportation Deal Still Stalled

By Tim Craig, Anita Kumar

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

RICHMOND, June 24 — The General Assembly on Tuesday began the arduous task of passing a bill that would pay for road and transit projects, but on the second day of a special legislative session, a compromise between the House and Senate remained elusive.

A House committee killed bills that would have raised taxes, while a Senate subcommittee passed a pair of bills that would increase the gas tax to provide money for transportation statewide and for the most congested areas, Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

At the state Capitol on Tuesday, Democrats and Republicans agreed that partisan politics left them just as far from a transportation deal as when they adjourned their regular session in March.

"Why are we trying to jam everything into two or three days?" asked Sen. John C. Watkins (R-Chesterfield), who called for public hearings across the state. "You just can't do it by the seat of your pants. It has got to be done right."

As of Tuesday, about 75 bills had been introduced in the Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House of Delegates. There is no deadline for filing bills, so legislators expect to introduce more measures this week.

Developments underscore the frantic nature of a special session.

Several significant bills, including Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's proposal to raise $1.1 billion a year by increasing statewide and regional taxes, have not been heard. Although Kaine spent two months traveling the state to sell residents on his proposal, it became clear Tuesday that bills from the two most powerful senators are more likely to take center stage.

"I'm not giving up," Kaine (D) said on WTOP radio Tuesday morning. "Because, ultimately, Virginians wants us to solve this."

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Special Transportation Session of Virginia's General Assembly

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Del. Brian Moran (D-Alexandria), left, talks with House Speaker William Howell (R-Stafford) during a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly for a special transportation session at the Capitol in Richmond on Monday, June 23. (AP/Steve Helber)

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Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine gestures during a speech before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly's special transportation sessionon Monday at the Capitol in Richmond. House speaker William Howell (R-Stafford), right, and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, left, listen in the backround. (AP/Steve Helber)

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House minority leader, Del. Ward Armstrong (D-Henry) hands the governor's transportation bill to the House clerks on Monday, during a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly. The special session was called in Richmond to discuss the state's transportation issues. (AP/Steve Helber)

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House speaker William Howell (R-Stafford), center, along with Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, left, and State Sen. Charles Colgan (D-Manassas), right, listen to Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine during a speech before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly on Monday, June 23. (AP/Steve Hebler)

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Democrats want to boost taxes statewide, but they disagree on whether to increase the gas tax, sales tax or other revenue sources. House Republican leaders oppose a statewide tax increase and are focusing on passing bills that would mandate an audit of the Department of Transportation and encourage public-private partnerships, in which companies would pay for projects on roads and bridges in return for the right to collect tolls.

"We are no closer than where we were before," said Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax), who predicts that his bill calling for new statewide and regional money will be "crushed."

The General Assembly passed a landmark package last year to pump $1.1 billion annually into transportation across Virginia. Regional authorities were set up to collect $400 million a year in Northern Virginia and $200 million in Hampton Roads.

But lawmakers repealed unpopular, steep abusive-driver fees, which were estimated to bring in $65 million a year. Then the state Supreme Court ruled that the regional authorities could not constitutionally levy taxes and fees because they are not elected bodies.

House Republicans want to fix last year's bill, which they still describe as the compromise transportation bill, and resent Kaine for calling them back for a special session at a cost of $20,000 a day.

House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem) said he was "a little upset with the governor for playing political games."

Democrats want to pass a bill that addresses a recent downturn in the economy that has forced the state to spend money on maintenance that was supposed to be for construction.

"We are looking for some friendly Republicans," said Sen. Charles J. Colgan (D-Prince William), chairman of the powerful Finance Committee. "They are all good friends, but they are not going to vote" for a statewide tax increase.

On Tuesday, the Finance Committee's transportation subcommittee passed several bills to the full committee, including proposals by Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) and Colgan, both of which contain a gas tax increase. The full committee, which is expected to approve both measures by a party-line vote, will take up the bills Wednesday.

Colgan's bill will raise the state's 17.5-cent-a-gallon gas tax by 1.6 cents a year for 10 years and increase the sales tax on cars by 0.75 percent. But Colgan's proposal would reduce the sales tax on food by 0.5 percent. Colgan and Saslaw are also proposing identical regional taxes in Northern Virginia that would raise $340 million annually to pay for highway improvements in that region. They want a half-cent increase in the sales tax in Northern Virginia, a $5-a-night hotel tax and a 40-cent increase in the grantor's tax.

House Minority Leader Ward L. Armstrong (D-Henry), who is sponsoring Kaine's proposal, said the General Assembly is having a "communication breakdown" and that "no one wants to talk to anyone."

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