Va. Senate Democrats Looking for Revenue

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Va. State of the Commonwealth Address

In his State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday night, Va. Gov. Timothy Kaine asked voters to close the gun control loophole and announced a repeal of the state's abusive driver fees.

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But Howell and GOP leaders want to know how Kaine and Democrats plan to replace the money.

"The governor didn't tell us the whole story yesterday," said Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax). "He said he wants to repeal abuser fees, but he left the part out about where he is going to find $65 million."

In testimony before the House Transportation Committee, Transportation Secretary Pierce R. Homer said Kaine is considering ways to come up with the money. But Democrats and state auditors have raised questions recently about whether the fees will bring in the projected revenue, one reason Kaine said he wanted to scrap them.

Regardless of the debate over the fees, Homer said, Virginia needs to find more money to pay for road maintenance. When there is a shortfall in the maintenance fund, he said, money is taken from the highway construction budget, which could eventually delay some projects.

"The issue of how we maintain our existing infrastructure remains unresolved. Period," Homer said in an interview.

Last year, when Kaine and GOP leaders agreed on the $1.1 billion plan, the issue of maintenance was largely unresolved, Democrats said.

"What we did last year is we essentially postponed doomsday by two or three years with respect to road maintenance," Saslaw said.

The cornerstone of the transportation deal is made up of two regional taxing authorities, in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia. On Tuesday, the state Supreme Court heard arguments in a case brought by anti-tax activists who contend that the regional transportation authorities are unconstitutional.

There is also mounting opposition to the regional authority in Hampton Roads. The Newport News City Council voted Tuesday to back a resolution calling on the General Assembly to abolish the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority, established to raise $200 million a year for projects in that area.

Howell said he is confident the regional authorities won't be rescinded.

Kaine, who considers the transportation deal a key part of his legacy, has vowed to fight to preserve them.

No matter what happens to the authorities, some Democrats want an increase in the state's 17.5-cent-a-gallon gas tax, which has not been raised since 1986. A 1-cent increase would generate about $50 million a year.

Delacey Skinner, a Kaine spokesman, said that the governor is open to considering ways to raise additional revenue but that he most likely won't spend a lot of his time on the effort. In 2006, Kaine proposed a statewide increase in the sales tax on cars, but the House rejected the idea, resulting in last year's compromise package.

"The governor has made has own proposals about how he thinks the maintenance deficit should be handled," Skinner said. "If the General Assembly wanted to take a look at some of those and send a solution to his desk, he would be happy to take a look at it."

Sen. Walter A. Stosch (R-Henrico) said Republicans will stand firm against new or higher taxes.

"Last year, we reached a compromise after three years because people with diametrically different views compromised on transportation," Stosch said. "Reopening this debate is not going to accomplish anything."