After the debacle of the past year on transportation -- abuser fees that cause a huge public uproar, regional authorities struck down as unconstitutional, etc. - the last thing we need is yet another half-baked, ill-conceived, piecemeal, last-minute non-solution to Virginia's huge transportation challenges. That's why I'm very happy to see this:
Sen. Charles J. Colgan (D-Prince William), chairman of the Finance Committee, said Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) told him Wednesday that he preferred having the General Assembly take up transportation during a special session in April."We are not going to rush into this," said Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax). "We are going to do it right this time."
That's exactly right, and I commend Gov. Kaine and Sen. Saslaw for resisting a last-minute deal as legislators rush for the exits. Instead of another debacle, another transportation "monstrosity" (was we called it repeatedly in 2007), it's time to do this thing right, once and for all. No dumping this on the localities. No too-clever-by-half gimmicks like Dave Albo's idiotic abuser taxes fees. Nothing of dubious constitutionality. No "balkanization." Nothing that fails to really address the problem, which is that we need tens of billions of new money to make a serious dent in Virginia's dire transportation needs.
Let's hold a special session, take our time, and -- as Sen. Saslaw says -- "do it right this time."
The budget surplus that Republicans just last year were pointing to as the source for transportation funding is gone.
The RPV has cultivated a group of fiscally-ignorant hard-corp constituents who will rebel against any compromise that includes a tax increase. And only a tax increase will cover the huge transportation funding needs.
There is no transportation solution with a Republican majority in the house.
Virginia can't print money, and run a deficit like the Federal Republican supply-siders do. So it's the final act. Virginia Republicans can not govern, and their base is too stupid to care. All hail the Special Session where the truth is laid bare!
This should be a real easy 2009 election process. Anyone that voted for HB3202 should be disqualified from running for public office AS THEY HAVE VIOLATED THEIR OATH OF OFFICE by voting for illegal, unconstitutional government.
There is no question, that nothing is going to be done until the majority in the House is taken from the Republicans. They have failed to protect the people of Virginia and imposed illegal, unconstitutional government on them.
2007 saw the Senate taken from them, 2009 we'll take the house and get this mess fixed. I'm hoping its another 100 years before we see these law-breaking, self-serving, lobbyist-controled, republican henchmen have power in Richmond again.
Whatever the solution, it has to be legal. Someone give Bob McDonnell a copy of the Virginia Constitution, with big print, and make him read it, then give him a test, to see if any of it sank in.
SENATE TRANSPORTATION NEGOTIATORS LAY OUT
REPONSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO VIRGINIA'S TRANSPORTATION NEEDSRespond to House of Delegates Push to Relive the Past
(Richmond, Va.) - The Virginia Senate transportation negotiators responded today to a letter sent by the House transportation negotiators insisting on reviving House Bill 3202 from 2007.
In a letter to the Senate Democratic negotiators, the Republican House negotiators made it clear they would not make any significant changes to HB 3202 - only in the way that it is implemented.
House Bill 3202 has proven to be a failure - having parts ruled unconstitutional by the Virginia Supreme Court and including the reviled abuser fees while not raising the necessary money for transportation.
The House negotiators seem intent on trying to revive this proven failure of a plan.
Senate negotiators sent a letter, which was co-signed by Senators Richard Saslaw (D-Fairfax), Yvonne Miller (D-Norfolk) and Roscoe Reynolds (D-Henry), emphasizing the urgent need to provide funding for transportation.
The letter highlights the need to fully fund the highway maintenance fund, which is badly depleted and draining money from the highway construction fund.
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, this year $388 million of highway construction funds will be diverted to the highway maintenance program. By 2012, this transfer will exceed $470 million.
"To put this in perspective, the current statewide secondary construction program is about $201 million while the statewide urban construction program is about $211 million.
"A transfer of nearly $400 million out of construction means that Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads are losing over $200 million in highway construction funds this year alone. Other regions of the Commonwealth are losing an additional $200 million in construction funds.
"By 2015, the transfer out of construction will exceed $600 million," the letter read.
The Senate negotiators state that in Fiscal Year 2016 Virginia would not be able to receive federal matching construction dollars because there would be no money left in the highway construction fund.
This would mean there would be no money left in the highway construction fund.
In Northern Virginia, this would mean the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority would receive about $400 million, but would be losing $700 million for construction for a net loss of about $300 million.
The Hampton Roads region would receive $250 million, but would be losing up to $550 million for a net loss of about $300 million dollars.
The House of Delegates proposed trying to revive and fix certain parts of House Bill 3202, which were ruled unconstitutional last week. They did not provide any suggestions for securing the highway maintenance fund.
"They want to revive these regional plans that push these taxes and fees off to localities and provide no real plan for solving our transportation problems. It's all smoke and mirrors," Senator Saslaw said.
The Virginia Senate has consistently fought for a statewide plan to secure the maintenance fund and a regional fund for new projects.
"We need a statewide plan which addresses our maintenance needs and frees up money for special projects. Then we can develop regional plans," Senator Roscoe Reynolds said.
"That is the only way Virginians from Martinsville and rural Virginia to Hampton Roads to Northern Virginia will have a real transportation solution."
Senator Yvonne Miller, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, said the Senate plan will help all Virginians.
"I believe our plan has something in it for everyone. If we don't fix the statewide problem the regional plans won't mean much because we won't have enough money," she said.