There wasn’t much in the papers today. Re-hashes of Sarah Palin’s speech were the most popular. The media stories about the local transportation rally held on Friday missed the basic elements of the situation. The transportation contractors and engineers want additional funding now so they have more jobs for next year’s construction season. They know that this Governor will raise fees and taxes to get extra money, but they are worried that either of the two candidates for the chief executive’s job, may not. The State Reps at the rally said they had a plan and would roll it out after election day. I pointed out that the Senate has an agreed-to rule that prohibits us from coming back into a lame duck session. This rule is law in many states and for good reason. There is a lot less accountability after an election than before it. A lot of bad things can happen and have happened with the legislature in session during this brief period. In fact, this proposed, or at least rumored legislation, apparently doesn’t have the votes to be passed in regular session. The advocates for the bill figure it has a shot after the election because legislators will do things they won’t normally do. So, if this new plan is good public policy, get it up for a vote right now. If it makes it to the Senate, we’ll take a look at it. We are developing a comprehensive funding plan in the Senate, but it won’t be ready until early next year. In either case, by law, any revenue bill must begin in the House. Now you know, the rest of the story.
-John
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