Saslaw’s bill a no go
Olympia Meola
July 09, 2008 4:02 PM
The House just voted 39-59 against Sen. Saslaw’s amended gas tax increase bill.
Senators wait while House jousts
Andrew Cain
July 09, 2008 3:39 PM
Jim Nolan reports that with little to legislate while House lawmakers across the hall engage in partisan parliamentary jousting over transportation funding proposals, state senators are spending the afternoon waiting, like the rest of Virginia.
The Senate side of the reconvened special session has been punctuated by repeated recesses as House Democrats and Republicans jockey for position on who will take the blame for not passing a plan.
A handful of Democratic senators are huddling around a laptop computer carrying a live broadcast of House proceedings. Some Republicans, meanwhile, amiably chatted about baseball and other topics on the other side of the aisle, welcoming into their conversation bouquet Sen. Dick Saslaw, the Democratic majority leader, whose gas-tax bill was still waiting to be considered and amended in the House.
Sen. Ralph S. Northam, D-Norfolk, used one of the many breaks in the action to run over to the Library of Virginia parking lot to put air in a leaky tire. Meanwhile, Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, D-Arlington, lamented the extra $300 she had to fork over to change her flight plans to attend her grandson’s wedding in Denver this weekend.
Upstairs at the governor’s suite in the Capitol, Gov. Tim Kaine could be seen pacing from his office with a cell phone glued to his ear, reading glasses propped on his forehead. Administration officials were not optimistic a day of delays and debate would yield a plan to fix Virginia’s roads. But whether they agree or not on how to fix the problem, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle know that it isn’t going away, especially during tough economic times and skyrocketing gas prices.
Sen. Richard H. Stuart, R-Westmoreland, said he turned in his wife’s large SUV for a minivan. His pickup truck has been replaced with a mid-sized Toyota sedan.
-- Jim Nolan
Talking taxes
Olympia Meola
July 09, 2008 3:34 PM
The House just voted 95-1 to strip the gas tax increase out of Sen. Saslaw’s bill and members are now debating the plan. Conversation is focused on sales tax hikes included in the bill.
A vote … in theory
Olympia Meola
July 09, 2008 3:00 PM
The House Republicans got the House Democrats to vote on Kaine’s bill—at least in theory.
Del. Clifford Athey tried to substitute Kaine’s transportation bill for Sen. Saslaw’s gas tax increase plan. In the midst of lengthy and often heated partisan back-and-forth, both the House Republican leader and the House Democratic leader urged a no vote. It failed 98-0.
Del. Ward L. Armstrong, D-Henry, said he thought lawmakers on the other side of the aisle want to embarass Kaine and the Democrats by making them vote against the bill. He said it wasn’t a vote against Kaine’s bill, it was a vote against the procedure. He followed that up with saying the House Democrats prefer Sen. Richard L. Saslaw’s bill with the gas tax increase taken out.
“There is a relative consensus that we’ve found,” Armstrong said. “The Saslaw bill is the way to go.”
Saslaw’s gas tax increase plan remains alive and is being discussed now on the House floor.
-- Olympia Meola and Tyler Whitley
In limbo again
Olympia Meola
July 09, 2008 1:43 PM
House Democrats did not agree to a parliamentary procedure that would allow a vote today on Kaine’s bill on the House floor. On a largely party line vote, Democrats declined to waive constitutional readings of the bill necessary before a vote. They, in effect, thwarted the GOP’s attempt to force a vote on Kaine’s bill.
That leaves the bill again, in limbo.
A refresher course on Kaine’s plan, while it lasts
Andrew Cain
July 09, 2008 1:10 PM
As Olympia Meola reports, Gov. Timothy M. Kaines’ transportation proposal has new life, however short. While Democrats and Republicans ponder their strategy at the state Capitol, here’s a refresher course on Kaines’ plan. You’ll note that it includes no increase in gasoline taxes.
Highlights of governor’s transportation proposal
The proposal would raise $727.9 million in new transportation funding in fiscal 2009. That figure would rise to $1.08 billion in fiscal 2014.
Motor vehicle titling tax
Increase the state’s motor vehicle titling tax to 4 percent from 3 percent of the sale price. The increase would be phased in, with half a percentage point in January 2009 and the other half implemented in July 2009. The increase would raise $39.2 million in fiscal 2009 and rise to $212 million in fiscal 2014.
Vehicle registration fee
Increase the state’s annual vehicle registration fee to $49 from $39. The additional $10 would raise $72.5 million in fiscal 2009 and rise to $77.4 million in fiscal 2014.
Regional sales tax
Increase the sales tax in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads to 6 percent from 5 percent on items other than food or medicine. In Northern Virginia, the extra 1 percent would raise $306.3 million in fiscal 2009 and $414.3 million in fiscal 2014. In Hampton Roads, it would raise $167.9 million in fiscal 2009 and $227.1 million in fiscal 2014.
Grantor’s tax
Increase the statewide grantor’s tax, paid by the seller of property, to 35 cents per $100 of the sale price from 10 cents per $100. The 25-cent increase would raise $142 million in fiscal 2009 for transit, rail and options such as teleworking and ridesharing, rising to $155 million by fiscal 2014.
They’re back ….
Olympia Meola
July 09, 2008 1:07 PM
The House has launched into a heated floor debate over Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s transportation bill. Both sides are bantering over how the bill came to floor, not yet getting to the actual transportation funding debate.
House Minority Leader Ward L. Armstrong, D-Henry, questioned why the bill was “rammed” to the House floor through the Rules Committee this morning without notice.
Del. H. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, noted it is the perogative of a committee to revisit legislation that it previously passed by. And, he noted, Democrats have had time to study Kaine’s bill because it was presented months ago.
Armstrong pointed out comments Griffith made in today’s Times-Dispatch about games being played with the transportation bills.
Del. Terry Kilgore, a Republican from Scott County, said it’s not about games.
“You got what you asked for is what I would say.”
Maneuvering in the House
Olympia Meola
July 09, 2008 12:53 PM
The House Rules Committee has revived Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s $1 billion transportation proposal, voting unanimously to send it to the floor of the House of Delegates without a recommendation.
The House of Delegates convened at 1:30 but quickly recessed so Rules could meet. The full House is expected to take up both Kaine’s proposal and a bill by Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax, which would increase the fuel tax.
Lawmakers say the full House is unlikely to pass either bill. Allowing Kaine’s bill on the floor for a vote would enable Republicans to get Democrats on the record voting on tax increase proposals.
House Democrats hope to amend the Saslaw bill, removing gasoline tax increases statewide and in Hampton Roads.
Earlier in the special session, the House Rules Committee voted to “pass by indefinitely” Kaine’s bill, seemingly killing the measure, which would raise an assortment of taxes and fees to close gaps in funding for road maintenance and to help curb congestion in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, made the motion in Rules to revive Kaine’s bill and send it to the floor. Minority Leader Ward L. Armstrong, D-Henry, who sponsored Kaine’s bill in the House, seemed to be caught by surprise by the move to revive Kaine’s bill.
After Rules finished, the full House again met, but the Democrats asked for a recess to figure out what to do next. Democrats asked for an hour recess but Griffith said he thought 30 minutes would be sufficient.
They are scheduled to come back at 2 p.m.
A warning to fellow Republicans
Andrew Cain
July 09, 2008 11:50 AM
At the state Capitol this morning the Republican former mayor of Falls Church issued a transportation funding warning to fellow Republicans who head up the House of Delegates.
“Get the job done or get out of the way,” David Snyder said, according to the Associated Press.
Today the House of Delegates is expected to vote down a bill that features an increase in the statewide gas tax. House Democrats hope to salvage the bill by stripping the gasoline tax from the measure introduced by Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax.
Hurry up and wait
Andrew Cain
July 09, 2008 9:38 AM
Jeff Schapiro reports that the General Assembly will be in a waiting game this morning as senators and delegates return to Richmond for a special session on transportation.
Democrats and Republicans in each chamber will spend the morning caucusing and plotting strategy before each chamber convenes at 1 p.m.
At least initially, all eyes will be on the House of Delegates. It is slated to take up a bill introduced by Sen. Richard L. Saslaw, which includes an increase in the gas tax of 1 cent per year for six years. Saslaw’s bill cleared the Senate earlier in the special session.
House Republicans are likely to kill the bill today but with all House seats up for election next year, they want to get House Democrats on the record voting on a gas-tax increase.
House Democrats hope to salvage Saslaw’s bill by stripping the gas-tax increase from the measure.
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