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[Jacob Struiksma]

Prospects Dimming for Washington State Transportation Revenue Proposal | 
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A Washington state gas tax increase proposal is on life support. Image: 
I-5 in Seattle, flickr user Maximiliano Monterrubio

A Washington state gas tax increase proposal is on life support. Image: 
I-5 in Seattle, flickr user Maximiliano Monterrubio

Washington state transportation stakeholders are adjusting their hope for 
a transportation investment bill. After several possible (but unlikely) 
deadlines
were missed, stakeholders now look to December for the Legislature to pass 
a bill.

Governor Jay Inslee had asked for a bill to pass by November 29, after 
previously calling for a bill to pass earlier in November, and earlier 
during the
Spring legislative session. The more optimistic stakeholders thought there 
was a slight chance the Legislature would act when it met last week. 
Realists
knew the Senate and House were still far apart on at least a couple of key 
issues such as the amount of transit funding and some labor issues.

Senate and House Transportation Committee leaders, from both parties, 
continue to talk regularly and negotiate. They say all the right things: 
they're committed
to reaching a deal, they're continuing to negotiate. And according to a 
variety of sources, the negotiations are earnest.

But they're still far apart on those key issues. The Republican-dominated 
Majority Caucus Coalition (MCC) wants stormwater expenses paid from an 
environmental
account instead of transportation funds. Many Democratic Members and the 
environmental community strongly oppose that.

The MCC also wants to eliminate the sales tax on construction materials; 
revenues from the tax go to the general fund for non-transportation 
purposes. Eliminating
the tax could save around $670 million which could instead be invested in 
projects. Precluding those funds from going to the general fund for 
education
and other programs causes heartburn for a number of members.

Additionally, many transit stakeholders were less than enthusiastic with 
the House's funding for transit, and they are practically hostile to the 
Senate's
proposal. And don't even get the bike-ped stakeholders started. Senate 
Transportation Co-Chair Republican Curtis King stated this week that 
bike-ped and
complete streets programs are not a state responsibility.

Depending on how negotiations play out, many in the environmental, 
bike-ped, transit and labor communities may prefer no bill, if the Senate 
were to prevail
on many of its positions. Meanwhile, those in the business and economic 
development communities continue to push for a bill.

And time is running out. In their most recent interview, the Senate 
Transportation Co-Chairs Republican Curtis King and Democrat Tracey Eide 
all but said
if a deal isn't done in December it will get punted to 2015. Next year is 
election year and there is likely to be great skittishness about voting to 
increase
the gas tax by 10 or 11 cents (over ten years).

When you ask lobbyists about the prospects for a bill passing in December 
or early 2014, the answers are all over the board.  If we had to bet, we'd 
put
money on a bill slipping to 2015.  But we'll be thrilled to be wrong.

The Olympian is more optimistic:
Senate plan bodes well for transportation package

Posted in:
Cascadia,
Funding
Tagged:
Cascadia,

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