Kaine Puts Politics Above Road Solutions by Joe T. May Print E-mail
The Virginian Pilot 08.13.09Kaine puts politics above road solutions

By Joe T. May, R-Leesburg, Chairs the state Transportation Committee

  

Virginia Governor Kaine recently responded to a letter from Congressman Frank Wolf in which Wolf asked the Kaine Administration to revisit its decision to close nineteen interstate rest stops.   In Kaine’s response as to why the rest stops were closed he asserted that, “The House Republican majority has blocked such efforts” to provide funding for Virginia’s transportation system, which would have included funding for rest stops.  Governor Kaine’s response is inaccurate, at best, and ignores the positive record of House Republicans in proposing and advancing a number of transportation plans since 2005.  Although this is not the first time that charges of “obstructionism” have been heard it should be understood that repeating the charge does not make it any truer.   Lets review the House Republicans record on Transportation, because it is actually a positive one.

  

In 2005 House Republicans introduced a $1 billion transportation funding package, $850 million of which was in the final budget.   Equally, House Republicans in the same year, introduced and adapted legislation which dedicated an on-going source of transportation revenue for the first time in Virginia’s history.

  The 2005 legislation was vitally important because it finally acknowledged the necessity of partitioning transportation funding into categories of need by region and transportation type.  Virginia no longer has homogenous transportation needs and solutions, but rather requires a region by region and transportation type by transportation type analysis.  The previous approach embraced a few revenue sources and primarily highway construction.  In 2006, Kaine’s first year as governor, House Republicans introduced a comprehensive transportation reform package that included innovative long-term, sustainable funding, far-reaching land use reforms, performance-based accountability for the Virginia Department of Transportations (VDOT), increasing public-private partnerships, and securing the Transportation Trust Fund.  In 2007 House Republicans initiated number of transportation innovations which they had been promoting throughout this decade including new statewide funding.   Included is $3 billion in bonds which will fund projects starting next year. 

In 2009 Republicans stood alone advancing new transportation funding.  Governor Kaine and legislative Democrats responded by refusing to consider any improvements that were not accompanied by a one-size-fits-all massive tax increase.  These revenues would have been used without regard to prioritization or regional needs, or recasting of funding formulas.

  While House Republicans may not have achieved all that is required we are building roads, rail and transit and much of it is the result of Republican initiated legislation.    

Governor Kaine made the statement that he has “worked with the legislature and has been able to obtain the support of the State Senate and House Democrats” on the various statewide tax increases he proposed.  This simply is not the case.  For example, in the Special Session called by the Governor in July of 2008 he was not able to get a single Senator to patron the revenue bill which called for taxes on selling homes and buying cars.  When finally submitted by the House Minority Leader, no one, not even the Minority Leader, voted for it.  That is not support, bipartisan or otherwise.

  With regard to closure of the interstate rest stops it is reminiscent of the 2004 closure of DMV offices by then Governor Warner.  It was said then that the closures were made to pressure legislatures into supporting a statewide tax increase.  The offices were re-opened shortly because of public outcry.  There is reason to believe that a similar strategy is contemplated by Governor Kaine for the rest stops.  Many legislatures hope and it is reasonable to expect that the 2004 outcome will be repeated in 2009.  

The price tag for keeping the safety rest areas open is $9 million.  VDOT presently has a revenue reserve fund of more than $52 million with $11 million scheduled for capital improvements to VDOT owned buildings.  Which is the better buy?

  Of even greater concern is the shifting of blame to the House Republicans for failing to reach a complete solution to Virginia’s transportation problems.   While they certainly are not faultless, they have made considerable progress in identifying, quantifying, prioritizing and some cases, solving transportation problems.  All of us would benefit from building on the successes of the House Republicans.####

 

 

eNEWSLETTER

eNewsletter


website by brohard design