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02
A compromise, but no gas tax
Feb 23, 2007Virginia lawmakers just announced a compromise transportation package. The cynic in me says that this compromise was crafted as a bacon-saving plan for the November elections, not a realization that Virginia actually might need to do something about its long-neglected roads.
The details that I know thus far are contained in a press release from Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford. The release says this:
RICHMOND, VA – Flanked by House and Senate members of the Committee of Conference on House Bill 3202, the Comprehensive Transportation Funding and Reform Act of 2007, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) today announced that a final transportation compromise had been reached and would be put to a vote in both houses of the General Assembly before its scheduled adjournment on Saturday.
The Committee of Conference on House Bill 3202 was comprised of 12 legislators, six from each house. Senators Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R-Fairfax), Thomas K. Norment (R-James City), Phillip P. Puckett (D-Russell), Kenneth W. Stolle (R-Virginia Beach), Frank W. Wagner (R-Virginia Beach) and Martin E. Williams (R-Newport News) served as conferees for the Senate on the legislation, while Delegates M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights), H. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem), Algie T. Howell, Jr. (D-Norfolk), Timothy D. Hugo (R-Fairfax), S. Chris Jones (R-Suffolk), and Terry G. Kilgore (R-Scott) represented the House of Delegates.
Detailing the benefits of the House-Senate compromise transportation plan, Speaker Howell remarked, “This is a comprehensive plan for progress. It reforms, improves and invests in Virginia transportation ant the future prosperity of our Commonwealth. It empowers regions and localities in the most gridlocked areas of the state to enhance their quality of life. It also has been structured to improve our state’s overall network of roads, railways and public transit – sooner rather than later.”
“The hard work and commitment of these conferees to craft a comprehensive compromise transportation plan is evidenced in the details of the report by the Committee of Conference. Although the process that brought us here today has been at times challenging and derided by those seeking to derail progress, the ultimate outcome of tireless negotiations forms a true compromise and makes tremendous strides in relieving congestion, combating sprawl and providing solutions to people’s everyday problems. I hope legislators of both parties and in both chambers realize the many benefits to their constituents offered by this plan, and that they will answer the call of our citizens to act now. With this session in its final hours, now is the time to adopt this last, best opportunity to address the Commonwealth’s most urgent challenge – transportation.”
While many of the features in the Conference Report on House Bill 3202 were featured in earlier plans, there are several changes in the overall proposal. Significant reforms to the state’s delivery of transportation services and greater authority to combat sprawl and traffic congestion for fast-growing localities are major components of the final version of the transportation plan. Implementing quantifiable performance measures, increasing efficiency and accountability at VDOT, and encouraging multi-faceted modernizations to Virginia’s transportation network will achieve measurable and substantial results for Virginia’s commuters and taxpayers. Increasing the tools available to fast-growing localities to sensibly manage rapid residential growth through better planning and broader responsibility and coordination of land use decisions will provide lasting effects throughout the Commonwealth.
Perhaps the most significant change to the plan, the total General Fund revenues dedicated to transportation have been greatly reduced compared to previous versions – it’s now consistently less than 1% in any given year – and actually declines as a percentage over time. Through a combination of bonds, rededication of existing revenues, and one-time funding already agreed to by the House and Senate, the Conference Report on House Bill 3202 would dedicate more than $2.5 billion to transportation.
The four major funding components of the legislation are: 1) statewide revenue stream reaching $600 million per year; 2) $2.5 billion in bonds issued over an eight-year period; 3) over $400 million per year for Northern Virginia; and 4) over $200 million for Hampton Roads. The total funding in the package is approximately $1.5 billion a year.
“The result of our conference is a bill that will make the greatest commitment to, and improvement in, Virginia’s transportation network in over 20 years,” declared Senator Norment. “Occasionally, bills come out of conference greatly weakened, but this legislation is stronger and more comprehensive than it was when it was introduced. We listened to the constructive criticism we heard about some components, and made the necessary improvements. If you actually want a transportation plan to pass this year, this is the plan.
“The regional components of this bill are especially important for the people of Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads,” noted Senator Stolle. “If you live in one of those regions and you want to spend less time in traffic, or you’re concerned about the long-term effects of not addressing transportation now, you need this bill to pass. It effectively empowers the people of Northern Virginia and of my region, Hampton Roads, with a way to meet and solve their unique transportation challenges.”
The Report of the Committee on Conference on House Bill 3202 is scheduled to be voted on by the Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates tomorrow, February 24, 2007.
So what do you think of the “compromise?”
Posted by Andrea Hopkins Smoking bans and FDA regulation
Feb 21, 2007Any meaningful restriction on public smoking in Virginia appears dead for the year. Now, all eyes are on Tennessee. It looks like the Volunteer State (with the help of Gov. Bredesen) might actually join the more enlightened states in the union by adopting some form of a ban. Hooray.
The ban was the subject of Sunday’s column. You can read it here and comment on it in this forum, if you like.
Marie Cocco tackles the issue from another angle in her column this week. She writes that big tobacco is selling death cleverly packaged in fuchsia and teal to appeal to women with the arrival of R.J. Reynolds’ new Camel No. 9.
Congress, however, is moving to allow FDA regulation of cigarettes. Seems about right to me, especially given the proof that tobacco companies have manipulated nicotine levels to keep smokers hooked and the new study that shows nicotine causes brain changes similar to those induced by cocaine or heroin.
Virtual editorial board
Feb 21, 2007Here’s the week’s sneak preview at some editorials we are working on. We invite you to share your thoughts now.
Regulating the power companies: The Virginia General Assembly has passed an industry-approved measure that will do little to protect consumers. Gov. Tim Kaine needs to stop this train before it jumps the tracks.
“Pass the bottle” law: Tennessee has failed to enact a tough open-container law for years. Now, the state stands to lose federal funding and be the laughing stock of the nation. Is there any good reason not to restrict all open containers of alcohol in a vehicle, not just those in the driver’s hand?
NASCAR cheating: Is the recent spate of high-profile “cheating” just business as usual for the sport? Is the crackdown a good thing? Will it further improve the sport’s image? Or is it more proof that in most sports, the ends justifying the means is the governing philosophy (think steroids in baseball or thuggish football players or doping in professional cycling)?
Comment on Wednesday’s editorials
Feb 14, 2007An empty spot on the Bristol ballot: Unless a last-minute candidate emerges, Bristol Tennessee voters will have no choice in one of two Board of Education contests.
By no choice, we mean that no one will appear on the ballot. Steve Morgan, the District 2 incumbent, hasn’t picked up a petition to run. Neither has anyone else. And the filing deadline is Thursday. Read all of it here.
Model of cooperation: The friction that marked the relationship between Bristol Tennessee city and school leaders seems a thing of the past.
As evidence of this new cooperative spirit, the two camps have taken the necessary steps to move an ambitious school construction and renovation plan from discussion to reality. Bravo. Read the rest of it here.
Share your thoughts on either editorial.
Virtual editorial board
Feb 13, 2007Here’s your chance to comment on editorials that are in the works. We promise to read all of your comments, even if they don’t ultimately sway our position.
Money and the lawmakers: This week, we will be taking a look at the special interest money and gifts flowing to state-level politicians in Tennessee and Virginia. While there isn’t anything illegal about it, it’s certainly unseemly. State residents might justifiably be concerned about who their representatives are actually serving.
A drug problem: Cocaine and meth grab headlines, but prescription drug abuse might be a bigger problem in this region. Law enforcement is part, but not all, of the solution. What else works?
Older kindergartners: A Tennessee lawmaker from Greene Co. wants to change the rules for starting school. Under his proposal, students would have to turn 5 by July 1 to start kindergarten. Is this the real problem or is it that kindergarten is the new first grade? And what about those parents who hold their kids who meet the deadline back a year (usually boys) so that they will be bigger when they go out for the football team?
Interstate tolls: A Northern Va. lawmaker has authored legislation that would allow tolls on new interstate construction. No word on whether this would apply to I-81, but a similiar plot was part of the STAR Solutions plan for the highway. What’s good for NOVA might not be good for the Southwest.
