Richmond, Virginia (June 20, 2006) - After months of stalemate between the two chambers of the General Assembly, the House of Delegates today approved a state spending plan passed Monday by the Senate. That plan, negotiated by 11 members of the House and Senate, only included $339 million in additional transportation dollars state-wide, a deal-breaking provision insisted on by the Senators.

Delegate Vince Callahan, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and lead negotiator for the House, expressed frustration often throughout the budget negotiation process with the lack of Senate commitment to invest in transportation with existing revenue. "Considering the Commonwealth’s current revenue stream and the resulting surpluses, [the Senate's] insistence on dedicating only $339 million in additional funding for transportation shortchanges the people we are entrusted to serve. It would be wrong to require taxpayers to pay more without first appropriately distributing current revenues in a manner that makes transportation a greater priority... the idea that transportation – a core service – can be addressed only by increasing taxes defies common sense," Callahan said.

House members said that the Senate strategy is to put little into transportation now to provoke the need for tax increases later this year when the General Assembly considers proposals to address the state's transportation needs.

House Speaker Bill Howell said Friday that the Senate will need to explain to the voters "why they were determined to starve transportation instead of using hundreds of millions of surplus dollars available to improve roads, rail and transit systems."

In explaining his reasons for voting against the budget conference report, Delegate Jeff Frederick, one of only two to vote against the measure, said that his constituents want tax dollars prioritized for transportation. "They know the money is there, and they are demanding we spend some of it on transportation," he said. "This budget fails in that respect, and because that is such a top priority among those I represent, I felt obligated to oppose the conference report."

"We gained nothing," Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Marty Williams said as he left after Monday's Senate vote. "To increase the budget that much and have nothing for transportation is a huge disappointment," said Williams.

"I have always said, and firmly believed, that Virginia isn't having a revenue crisis, but has long had a spending crisis. This budget contains a spending increase of nearly 20% over the last one, which includes a multi-billion dollar surplus over the last biennium. To spend that much more money and neglect to prioritize transportation as part of those increases is the wrong prioritization of the surplus, and of taxpayer dollars," Frederick added.

On transportation, Frederick insisted that a solution isn't just about money, although that it is a necessary part of an overall comprehensive strategy. He said shortchanging the amount of resources to use, in combination with linking measures to better coordinate development with transportation planning and reforming Virginia Department of Transportation, will make it more difficult to have a real impact on Virginia's transportation challenges.