Patrick Hopes For Transportation Compromise
After House and Senate leaders this week roundly rejected Gov. Deval Patrick’s suggestion that an $800 million transportation financing bill will fall short of that total after 2017, the governor said he still hopes a compromise can be reached with the Legislature.
“I think there is still an opportunity, because hope springs eternal, to close the gap that we have identified,” Patrick said.
Patrick on Tuesday returned the bill, which raises gas, business and cigarette taxes by $500 million, with an amendment that would trigger an additional gas tax hike in 2017 if the tolls from Newton to the New York border come down as planned, eliminating $135 million in revenue to the state. House Speaker Robert DeLeo said he “strongly disagrees” with the governor’s calculations, and will urge lawmakers to reject the amendment and override a gubernatorial veto, if it comes to that.
Patrick would not say directly whether he was trying to round up enough votes in the House to sustain a veto.
“I am under absolutely no illusions about the power of the Legislative leadership and the concentration of that power in the Legislative leadership and folks taking votes that the leadership asks them to take, but I have principles too and I’m not going to pretend that an $800 million bill is an $800 million bill when it isn’t,” Patrick said.
The governor said he would argue his case to members of the House and Senate, as well as the public.
“I think that case is there to be made, which is that we have a chance right now to do right by the transportation needs and interests of everyone in the commonwealth,” Patrick said.
On Wednesday, the House referred the governor’s amendment to the Committee on Bills in Third Reading, but DeLeo has not indicated when he plans to bring it forward for a vote. Action sooner rather than later could be required given that the $34 billion budget for fiscal 2014 approved this week by the Legislature and under review by Patrick relies on revenue generated from the transportation financing plan.
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