Va. GOP Lawmakers Hammer Out Transportation Bill

Kaine Plans to Order Special Session if House, Senate Fail to Agree on Compromise

House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) said the latest deal "goes a long way toward addressing the transportation problems we have" in Virginia. (By Steve Helber -- Associated Press)

RICHMOND, Feb. 23 -- Republican delegates and senators who have been negotiating a deal on transportation funding unveiled a new plan Friday that could raise more than $1.5 billion for roads and mass transit every year, setting up a final showdown vote Saturday in the General Assembly.

Most of the new money would come from borrowing and would be paid back using cash from the general fund -- which has been a sore point in negotiations for weeks.

Republicans who crafted the massive, 106-page bill during intense and secret talks over the past week described it as the "last, best hope" for road improvements from the fractured legislature, which is scheduled to adjourn for the year after voting on the bill.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) immediately condemned the plan as a threat to core state services, which get their money through the general fund. He raised the specter of an extended session, vowing to "make sure the legislature does not get out of here without a commitment to fixing the transportation challenges that face Virginia."

Kaine's staff has drafted a special session order that would call the legislature back into session at noon Monday if the plan is defeated Saturday, said two sources familiar with the order. House Republicans, meanwhile, voted privately Friday night to refuse the order if it comes, three sources in the caucus said.

The plan does not include any new tax increases on gas, sales or income, provisions that Democrats and some moderate Republicans in the Senate have said are necessary to adequately fund the state's transportation needs and to protect schools, public safety and other services. Kaine's Democratic allies in the Senate promised to defeat the bill.

The House of Delegates and the Senate, which are both controlled by the GOP, are scheduled to take separate votes on the plan Saturday. Lawmakers from both parties said the plan is likely to pass easily in the House. But they said the vote could be very close in the Senate, where proponents said the margin of victory could be a single vote.

If the measure fails, the result could be another bitter stalemate for Virginia lawmakers, who repeatedly failed to reach an agreement on transportation in last year's General Assembly and in a subsequent special session on road funding. In November, all 140 lawmakers will face voters, who have said repeatedly in polls and interviews that they are angry about the legislative standoff on such an important quality of life issue.

"A state that lacks the political will to fund its transportation responsibilities is neither well managed or a good place to do business," said Bob Chase, president of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance. "This package puts a lot of money on the table. It's too much money to walk away from."

Friday's proposal closely resembles a compromise negotiated by a handful of GOP lawmakers at the beginning of the session. That early draft was passed by the House but was changed dramatically in the Senate, where a new sales tax on gasoline was added to replace general fund money. The conference committee of delegates and senators revived the House plan with some modest changes.

The new compromise proposal would build roads and fund improvements in transit using $2.5 billion in bonds that would be financed from the state's general fund. Northern Virginia stands to gain an additional $400 million a year, according to the proposal, which would be raised from local taxes and fees approved by local officials.

"If this plan is enacted, you get $400 million a year, year after year after year for Northern Virginia. You get $2.5 billion in bonds, statewide. You get much needed reform in VDOT," said House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford). "This goes a long way toward addressing the transportation problems we have in the commonwealth."