Va. GOP Lawmakers Hammer Out Transportation Bill

Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax) said the plan would be a boon to Northern Virginia commuters, who struggle daily with some of the nation's worst traffic congestion. He said expressions of caution by elected officials in Fairfax and Prince William counties are unfounded.

"I would literally be shocked if Fairfax County would bypass $200 million in road money going just to the county year after year after year," Albo said.

But Kaine, who won in 2005 in part by vowing to fix the state's traffic problems, said he refuses to be bullied into accepting a roads plan that he called "bogus," "irresponsible" and "a very bad idea."

He told reporters that the plan contains provisions that strip power from the governor's office and take too much money from other state services. He also said the plan fails to pump enough money into rural areas outside the state's suburban communities.

"Taking money out of the school budget to pay for road bonds is a very bad idea," Kaine said. "To me, it has all the earmarks of an effort not to solve a transportation problem."

If the bill passes, Kaine said, he promises to use his power to amend bills to "do significant surgery" on it. If it fails, Kaine could demand a special session, perhaps immediately, to start working on a new approach. The governor said his staff has already prepared another transportation plan, but he refused to provide details.

Howell and his colleagues said the governor and his allies are turning their backs on billions of dollars for road construction and maintenance.

They said the latest proposal reduces to $175 million a year the amount of money diverted from the general fund, which pays for colleges, health care, public safety and schools. Previous proposals had shifted $250 million.

The plan also has provisions aimed at giving local governments more control over their own roads. And it gives lawmakers more control over transportation by letting them appoint members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which directs transportation projects.

It does not contain general tax increases championed by some in the Senate. And it does not include a statewide increase in the sales tax on cars, which Kaine proposed six days after taking office in 2006.

House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem) called those ideas "just old oatmeal that's been reheated. I'm telling you, that stuff's nasty."

Saturday's vote will be the culmination of an intense week during which a handful of House and Senate negotiators tried to design a transportation bill that would be accepted by conservative delegates but also by the more moderate senators.

To pass, the bill must receive 21 votes in the 40-member Senate and 51 votes in the 100-member House of Delegates. Lawmakers in both parties said it remains unclear whether the Republican plan has enough support to pass in the Senate, where opposition among Democrats and the chamber's leading Republican, John H. Chichester (Northumberland) is fierce.

Throughout the week, the plan morphed repeatedly as lawmakers huddled in corners, chatted on cellphones and retreated to closed-door meetings in the General Assembly building next to the Capitol. The lawmakers met until midnight Thursday putting the final touches on the plan.

Among those touches, GOP sources said, is a $22 million earmark for transit funding in Loudoun County, aimed at getting freshman Sen. Mark R. Herring (D-Loudoun) to vote for the package. Herring declined to comment, and others in his party predicted that the logrolling effort by Republicans would fail.

Northern Virginia Democrats in the House expressed skepticism about the proposal but said the pressure to approve it is great.

Asked whether no deal was better than the deal offered Friday, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian J. Moran (D-Alexandria) said: "We're in a tough spot. The Northern Virginia plan is a substantial plan. But you have to look at the total package. So it's really tough."

Staff writer Amy Gardner contributed to this report.