As the General Assembly works to finalize its budget, Gov. Tim Kaine (D), members of the House of Delegates and members of the Virginia State Senate continue to debate how best to address the transportation problem plaguing Northern Virginia.
Currently, Governor Kaine is promoting a four-year plan that will raise $700 million in the first year and $900 million in the fourth year by increasing certain fees, according to Kevin Hall, press secretary for Gov. Kaine.
The plan includes "increased fees for registering a vehicle by weight, so that heavier vehicles pay a slightly higher registration fee since they cause more wear and tear," Hall said. "There is a slight increase in auto insurance premiums. There are enhanced criminal civil fines for chronically bad drivers."
This plan would not cost the average tax payer a great deal, Hall said. "Between the auto insurance premium tax increase and fee increase, the annual impact [on the average taxpayer] would be $36," he said.
The Senate's plan for improving transportation is "more ambitious" than Gov. Kaine's plan, according to Hall.
"It includes a couple of additional taxes that are not in the governor's plan," Hall said.
Such taxes include an increased tax on gas and a tax on home sale transactions, Hall said.
According to Del. Christopher Saxman, R-Staunton, the plan put forth by the House of Delegates differs from the plans promoted by Gov. Kaine and the Senate because it does not involve a tax increase.
The House will address the transportation problem without raising taxes, Saxman said, explaining that the House's plan is funded by money from one-time use of general funds and from bonding funds.
"We want to alleviate the critical stress in our transportation network," Saxman said.
The plan put forth by the House was met with criticism by legislators who insisted that the plan avoids tax increases at the expense of funding for education programs and Medicaid.
"The House Plan does not fix anything," said Senate Minority Leader Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax. "We're not taking the money out of higher ed, out of public schools, to pay for transportation."
According to Hall, the House's plan makes cuts in education that will affect the University.
"Higher education has a dog in this fight too," Hall said. "In order to pay for what the House wants to do, they cut a fair number of projects at state universities, including U.Va. They freed up these projects to clear the way for transportation."
Saxman said such criticism is inaccurate and that the House's plan allows for unprecedented spending on education.
"Education this year is getting an additional -- in House Bill 30 -- $1.5 billion," Saxman said. "This is the single largest investment ever made in Virginia schools history. This is coming out of the general fund."
In the coming weeks, the General Assembly will discuss the three proposals on the table, and negotiate until they've created an effective plan, according to Hall.
"There are plenty of tools to work with," Hall said. "The governor is optimistic that we're at a good point now where we can get something done."
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