Dear Friends, Virginians, citizens of Fairfax:

Last week, after a brief but intense session in Richmond, the State Senate passed two comprehensive bills dealing with transportation. They are SJR 6004 and SB 6009.
 
SJR 6004 is a proposed constitutional amendment requiring that transportation funds and general budget funds be kept 100% separate. This has been an issue over the years, as Virginia Assemblies have either "raided" the transportation fund in lean years or pledged "surpluses" in growth years. In either case, the concept of a dedicated fund was ignored and our needs suffered.   
 
I copatroned SJR 6004 and voted for it on the floor. It passed the Senate 31-5. 
 
SB 6009 is a comprehensive state transportation package. It includes a massive dedication of new dollars to transit, which is skyrocketing in use this summer.  I've posted details at http://oxroadsouth.com/2008/06/26/senate-steps-up.aspx. I voted for SB 6009 which passed the Senate 21-16. 
 
A key aspect of SB 6009 is the idea of "user pays." Right now, about one-third of motorists on our highways are interstate truckers or tourists. There is no reason to allow them to use our roads for free, while Virginia taxpayers solely foot the bill with higher taxes.
 
The Senate bills are moving Virginia forward. They also represent a "coming of age" for northern Virginia which stands to receive 35% of new funding. Are they perfect? No. But they are addressing our challenges in an open and honest way. 
 
The House will take up our bills when we reconvene on July 9th. Once it makes amendments, the bills will go into conference. The final product may be decided in late July.
 
Thanks again to all that contacted me (or posted comments) regarding the special session. Please remember that you can contact us at 703-349-3361 or www.fairfaxsenator.com. Let us know how we can represent you better.

Sincerely,