"Deal or No Deal"
The 2007 General Assembly is set to close this week, and the transportation issue is still unsettled. As we noted yesterday, the House of Delegates has a plan that does not require a general tax increase. We also pointed out that for the past several years, Sen. John Chichester (R) and his Senate Finance Committee have been roadblocks to improving transportation without tax increases.
Hugh Lessig of the Newport News Daily Press reported on Sunday (requires free registration) that the Senate has passed two competing plans. One rejected drawing from the general fund, but proposes a variety of fee increases and regional funding approaches. The other “avoids a regular reliance on the general fund,” but “leans heavily on a $150 initial vehicle registration fee.
Lessig does a good job painting the picture that the bill that comes out of the House-Senate conference committee is likely to be “this or nothing.” So stay tuned.
There’s an accompanying piece identifying members of the conference committee, but note that Northern Virginia has only one of the eleven members.