Va. House, Senate Approve Roads Bill

Whether he does that could depend on what voters come to believe about the sweeping, complicated plan negotiated largely behind closed doors by a group of top Republicans.

If Virginians decide the plan is a good start toward solving the state's transportation problems, Kaine might be forced to live with provisions he finds objectionable. But if he convinces voters that the plan is, as one Democratic senator called it, "smoke and mirrors," he could earn public support for a veto.

As passed Saturday, the plan would raise auto registration fees by $10 and increase fines for bad drivers and registration fees for heavy trucks.

It would also give officials in Northern Virginia's governments permission to raise taxes and fees to create a pool of transportation money that would not be shared with the rest of the state. They would increase rental car fees, commercial real estate taxes, driver's license fees and hotel taxes.

But those increases are not certain to be enacted. Elected officials in Northern Virginia have been critical of the plan, saying it has provisions that are hostile to local governments and that would shift the burden for raising taxes to them. Most supervisors in the region are also up for reelection in November.

Debate on the plan was fierce, especially in the Senate, where Democrats banded with two of the chamber's longest-serving Republicans to oppose the bill. Senate Finance Chairman John H. Chichester (R-Northumberland) and Sen. H. Russell Potts Jr. (R-Winchester) voted against it.

Potts used words such as "arrogance" and "high-handedness" to describe House Republicans and mocked their use of myriad fee increases instead of modest increases to gasoline, sales or income taxes.

"I love this word 'fee,' " the retiring senator said sarcastically. "Fee is spelled t-a-x."

Critics of the transportation plan predicted that Kaine will play hardball with Republicans to improve it. "The bill that is signed into law won't look anything like what you saw today. Nothing like it," said Sen. Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax).

And even supporters of the measure said they will work with the governor to make changes. Republican lawmakers said the struggle to reach a compromise between the House and Senate produced a package of proposals that was less than perfect.

"This is the best plan that the General Assembly could produce in this political atmosphere," said Sen. Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James City). "The question is, how can the governor improve upon it without poisoning it?"

Sen. John C. Watkins (R-Chesterfield) provided the bill's margin of victory after calling it failed legislation that needed to be kept alive so the governor could amend it. "It is perverse logic that I stand here before you and urge you to vote for something I think is inoperable," Watkins told senators before voting to approve it.

The plan's chief sponsor, House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford), said its approval is a signal moment for the legislature's Republican leadership.

"They call this the 'short session,' " Howell said in a statement after the assembly adjourned. "But judging from the impressive list of legislation approved, there was nothing short about our accomplishments."

Staff writer Tim Craig contributed to this report.