Gov. Tim Kaine said Tuesday he has not decided whether to force General Assembly members to work overtime if they fail to agree on a transportation funding plan when their annual session ends Saturday.
“I really can’t say what I would do,” Kaine said. “It depends on what the [legislative negotiators] are saying.”
Last year, frustrated by a lack of progress, Kaine called a special session and kept lawmakers working through September to no avail. A group of 12 legislators continued talks Tuesday but did not reach an accord.
“Iapplaud both sides for the steps they have taken toward each other, but I still have concerns over the use of the general fund and the effect it will have on our ability to meet our future obligations,” Kaine told reporters before visiting the state capital’s cafeteria Tuesday.
The House and Senate disagree over how much money should be earmarked for transportation annually from the state’s general operating fund, which pays for services such as schools, police, health care and environmental protection.
The House wants to use $250 million a year, while the Senate would use nothing from the general fund and, instead, levy a $150 fee the first time a motorist registers a vehicle in Virginia.
The 12 negotiators, six from the House and six from the Senate, agreed Tuesday to set aside $500 million for transportation in the fiscal year starting July 1. The House’s budget plan had earmarked $569 million, but the Senate’s plan contained only $500 million.
The decision allows another group of negotiators hammering out differences between the chambers on the state budget to have a better idea of how much money they can allocate, but is not a reflection of the group’s thinking on whether to use the $250 million from the general fund each year.
Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, R-Vienna, who joined the transportation negotiation team Monday, said the group is largely in agreement on a local funding plan that would let Northern Virginia localities increase taxes and fees to generate about $400 million a year for road construction and mass transit in the region.
