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June is target date for transportation talks
The General Assembly ended this year's session in March with transportation funding questions largely unanswered.
The decision on where funding would come from was split largely along party lines. Democrats said tax increases were needed to pay for transportation needs, and Republicans were against tax hikes.
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) said he would not call a special session on transportation until some sort of an agreement was reached by the General Assembly.
State legislators, however, were told to keep their calenders open for a special session on transportation in late June, said Del. C. Chuck Caputo (D-Dulles).
Funding came up short this year after the so-called abusive driver fees were repealed, the transportation authority's taxes were deemed unconstitutional and an economic downturn generated less tax revenues then projected.
On top of the party split, state Democrats are divided on the best way to raise taxes. Senate Democrats favor raising the gas tax, while the Democrats in the House of Delegates favor raising the sales tax.
The Senate approved legislation this year that would increase the gas tax by 1 cent each year for the next five years. This plan was rejected by the House. The last time the state's gas tax was raised was in 1986, when it was raised by 17.5 cents.
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