McDonnell Urges Democratic Leaders to OK Roads Bill
In letter to Saslaw and McEachin, the Virginia governor pushed for cooperation on transportation bill.
By Whitney Spicer
Capital News Service
RICHMOND – Three days after Senate Democrats derailed his transportation funding plan, Gov. Bob McDonnell urged two key Democratic senators to support the House version of his proposal.
McDonnell sent a letter Friday to Senate Minority Leader Richard Saslaw (D-35) of Fairfax and Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-9). McDonnell encouraged them to pass House Bill 2313, which contains his proposals to eliminate the state’s gasoline tax, increase the sales tax and raise vehicle registration fees to fund billions of dollars in road and transit projects.
“While we can disagree on the specific mechanisms for addressing our growing transportation challenges, we cannot disagree on the fact that the problems must be addressed this session, without excuse,” McDonnell said in the three-page letter.
On Tuesday, Democrats in the evenly divided Senate blocked the Senate version of McDonnell’s transportation funding plan. However, since HB 2313 cleared the House, that bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. It has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
The governor stated that although he was dismayed by the Democrats’ actions, he felt heartened by their recent indications that they would work to reach a common ground.
“Successfully navigating a solution through the General Assembly requires reasonable compromise,” McDonnell said. “While I prefer the elements of our original approach, I am willing to discuss other options, provided we stay reasonably within the overall goals proposed in our bill.”
“It will take cooperation among all of us to get this done,” he added.
McDonnell commended the House for passing HB 2313 (the vote was 53-46) and encouraged the Senate to do the same.
It’s likely the Senate will modify HB 2313, according to Delegate Margaret Ransone, (R-99), who voted for the bill.
“It is my opinion the legislation will alter a bit, but this is an important step to help the commonwealth solve a major crisis,” Ransone said.
In his letter, McDonnell addressed Democratic opposition to the use of general funds for transportation. He said no bill is likely to pass the General Assembly without that provision. He labeled as “simply inaccurate” the contention that this provision would take funding away from programs such as public education and health care.
According to McDonnell, more than 80 percent of Virginians support the approval of a transportation plan this year.
“We are on the precipice of enacting the first significant sustainable transportation funding bill in a generation,” McDonnell said. “Failure will be a great disserve to the people of Virginia.”
See the full letter attached to the right as a PDF or on the governor’s website.
Marcus Aurelius
4:31 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013
Yes, Virginia desperately needs transportation funding, but the source of this funds would most certainly threaten funding for public education and health care. The Governor may characterize these objections as “simply inaccurate,” but he has failed to refute them in any meaningful way.
Using a gas tax to fund transportation expenditures places the burden on the users, not on the children and those in need of medical care. It is a very appropriate way to raise funds for this urgent need. This is the "reasonable compromise" that will allow a bill to successfully navigate the General Assembly.
Bob Bruhns
6:28 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013
The Virginia Senate passed a tax bill that reportedly allows our local leaders to institute an income tax WITHOUT public referendum. This bears close watching.
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?131+sum+SB1313
VIRGINIA'S LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION SYSTEM
2013 SESSION
SB 1313 Income tax, local;
City of Portsmouth authorized to levy to generate revenue for transportation
Introduced by: Walter A. Stosch
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:
"Local income tax. Adds the City of Portsmouth to the list of localities authorized to impose a local income tax to generate revenue to be used for transportation purposes. The bill also removes the requirement that the local income tax be approved by a referendum and repeals the five-year sunset on the local income tax."
The bill passed in the Virginia Senate, 27 to 11.
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?131+vot+SV0368SB1313+SB1313
SB 1313 Income tax, local; City of Portsmouth authorized to levy to generate revenue for transportation.
floor: 02/05/13 Senate: Passed Senate (27-Y 11-N)
YEAS--Alexander, Barker, Blevins, Colgan, Deeds, Ebbin, Edwards, Favola, Hanger, Herring, Howell, Locke, Lucas, Marsden, Marsh, McEachin, McWaters, Miller, Norment, Northam, Puckett, Puller, Ruff, Saslaw, Stosch, Wagner, Watkins--27.
NAYS--Black, Carrico, Garrett, Martin, Newman, Obenshain, Petersen, Reeves, Smith, Stuart, Vogel--11.
RULE 36--0.
NOT VOTING--McDougle, Stanley--2.
Bob Bruhns
6:32 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013
Also do a web search on ' Bill Would Give Localities Ability to Levy Income Taxes without Referendums ' and read that article.
No referendum? It is scary to think of our so-called 'leaders' having this kind of power. I hope this law really doesn't apply up here, but I am hearing that it does.
Bob Bruhns
10:12 am on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Yep, it's true. Do a web search on ' Bill to allow NoVa counties to impose one percent income tax without public vote passes Va. Senate ' and you can read all about it.
VA_in_VA
10:42 am on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Please notice that this is a Republican dominated Virgina State government doing this. They are raising a tax and no one is outraged?
Furthermore, they are lowering the taxes on those who use the actual commodity (in this case the drivers) and taking the money from everyone as a general sales tax. If this were a democrat doing this, tea-party people would be lining up with picket signs by now.
What gives?
Marcus Aurelius
5:04 pm on Monday, February 18, 2013
Don't worry about an income tax in Loudoun. Our BOS will not impose a new tax in Loudoun unless God commands it in the Loudoun Times-Mirror. Instead, they will take 2 cents from the property tax and cut the school budget another $16 million to match the BOE's budget cut. So we'll have lots of infrastructure construction business to dole out to the Friends of BOS, and a school systems that is sinking into mediocrity because of chronic underfunding. Great Plan!